Young 2025: four young talents share their stories

This summer will be the fifth edition of Concertgebouworkest Young. The format is familiar by now: chamber music, group rehearsals led by musicians from the orchestra, tutti rehearsals directed by the conductor – Elim Chan this time – and coaching sessions from United World Colleges which focus on personal growth, democracy and ambassadorship. After the summer workshops in Akoesticum in Ede, the participants will play concerts at The Concertgebouw (18 August) and the Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg (21 August), as well as at the opening ceremony of SAIL On Stage in Amsterdam (20 August). The orchestral programme is challenging: the Cello Concerto by Elgar with soloist Julia Hagen, the première of Moondog by Elizabeth Ogonek and Shostakovich’s monumental Fifth Symphony. At SAIL, they are teaming up with the singers Karsu, Laetitia Gerards and Lucas van Lierop.

“The contrabassoon came about by chance really,” Alex tells us. “I once wanted to play the oboe, and then all of a sudden I had an instrument in my hands that was not an oboe.” He fell in love at first sight with the shining keys, the dark timbre and the massive wooden sound chamber of the contrabassoon. “I think it was meant to be. Our relationship hits all the right notes.”

Alex lives in the South of Sweden with his family, but his musical roots lie in Serbia and North Finland. The seed was unknowingly planted by his great-grandfather who was a self-taught instrument builder. Although Alex had started on the violin when he was 8 and later the viola, when he picked up the contrabassoon at 12 years old everything fell into place. “It is thanks to my fantastic teacher Kaitlyn Cameron in Göteborg that I was able to develop so quickly. I would not have come this far without her.”

Alex heard about Young via an Instagram post of a Polish oboist. “I immediately knew I wanted to be part of that.” Now he can hardly wait to play his solo passage in Shostakovich’s Fifth Symphony: “It’s such an incredible honour to be playing those deep contrabassoon lines in The Concertgebouw!”

Melis is only 14 years old, but her musical resumé is impressive: she has attended masterclasses with some of the greats, such as Amihai Grosz and Miguel da Silva, gained experience performing at İş Sanat, and she won the runner up prize at the Jean Sibelius Concours. “I started playing at eight years old. It was always the string section of the orchestra that I found most enchanting, especially the warm tones of the viola.”

At home in Ankara, her sister is a pianist, so she is not the only musically gifted member of the family. Her days follow a strict routine. “I start school at 7.30 a.m., and after the standard schoolwork my afternoon is filled with theory, choir, chamber music… then when I get home, I practise some more.”

Melis discovered Concertgebouworkest Young through friends. “I didn’t have much time to prepare, but I was very determined. I see this as a chance to grow – not only as a musician, but as a human being. I look forward to playing under Elim Chan. Her conducting is so dynamic! And playing Elgar’s Cello Concerto with Julia Hagen? Awesome. It is such an emotional musical work.”

“The cello is my best friend”, Frida says with her soft-spoken voice. “I chose it when I was six and we have been inseparable ever since.” She lives in the hills around Lake Zurich with her family, their dog and six chickens. Her love for music was developed despite – or maybe because of – growing up in a family of scientists. “Music is my way of understanding the world.”

Since 2022, she has been playing in the Sinfonietta of the ZHdK, the pre-college orchestra for the Zurich University of the Arts. “It’s such a magical experience to hear how the sounds from the individual musicians form one great harmony together.”

Frida heard about Young from a friend. “We both applied and we both got in! That makes this even more special.” She is especially looking forward to Elgar’s Cello Concerto with Julia Hagen, her great example. “I saw her play at the Queen Elisabeth Competition in Brussels. Her musicality really resonated with me. Now I get to be a part of that work – at The Concertgebouw as well as at the Elbphilharmonie!”

“I’m a real brass band boy,” says Jisse, who grew up in a musical family in Friesland. His parents met at the local fanfare, his sister played the cornet and his mother played the bugle. “As a child I would come along to my sister’s concerts. I just loved the bass trombone. Its low notes make it sound like it’s roaring under the band!”

When Jisse was seven, he started on the tenor trombone. Ever since then, his daily routine has been defined by blowing, practising, lessons, going to the gym, and playing concerts with De Bazuin A. “I usually try to warm up before school. After that, I study, practise, and rehearse, often with my teacher Quirijn van den Bijlaard or with Frans Douwe Slot’s talent class.”

In 2024, Jisse won the Royal Concertgebouw Concours. As one of the few Dutch participants, Young will be a home game for him in a way. “To play at The Concertgebouw is a dream of mine. What I am most excited about, however, is meeting the other people – you learn so much by playing with your peers from all around the world.”

All four of the youthful musicians are looking forward to what their time at Young will bring them. Their enthusiasm and motivation are surely an indication of what all the participants are feeling this year. Country borders fade away, language barriers are overcome, and all that matters is the music that brings them all together. As Frida says: “Sometimes I understand people better when I hear them play. Music is everything that is left unsaid.”

Concertgebouworkest Young is only possible thanks to the generous support of many different foundations, private donors, such as Commemorative Funds, and corporate partners, who have given Young a strong helping hand since 2019. The Ebiqs Foundation is the lead sponsor as of the 2025 edition. The Young concert at SAIL is made possible by Booking.com, global partner of the Concertgebouw Orchestra and a long-standing supporter of Young.