Ulilan’s musical journey

Concertgebouworkest Young is a unique international youth orchestra. A Young participant back in 2021, Ulilan Szymańska Pereira has since gone on to study at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam. In this video the young Portuguese violinist talks about how Young enabled her to continue on her musical journey.

In summer, Concertgebouworkest Young brings together musical talent aged fourteen to seventeen from all over Europe. Ulilan Szymańska Pereira says she applied to Young because she wanted to learn from all the other musicians from different countries, and even hoped one day to study at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam.

Young’s intensive summer programme and the contact she made with other young people and the musicians of the Concertgebouw Orchestra proved to be crucial, bringing Ulilan that much closer to achieving her goal. It was at Young that she first experienced the love of playing in an orchestra and in ensembles. Young also helped her build confidence and become more socially adept, even in a sea of unfamiliar faces. ‘That was so good for me,’ says Ulilan. ‘I think I needed it in order to eventually be able to live in Amsterdam.’

Support Concertgebouworkest Young

To ensure that participants are unencumbered by financial constraints, enrolment in Young is free. Travel expenses, too, are reimbursed. None of this would be possible without the donations of private individuals, funds and companies. We are most grateful to all those who donated to help make the first years of Young a reality.

Would you, too, like to lend your support? Your contribution towards Young 2023, be it large or small, will be most welcome. Please click here for more information.