Marshall Marcus, Alejandro Rivas i Ilyich Rivas, Adam Mickiewicz Institute, Warsaw, 2012, photo: IAM
I, Culture Orchestra, the youthful ensemble of musicians from Eastern European countries sets off for a second edition of concert touring under the baton of 19-year-old Ilyich Rivas. The tournee was launched with a performance in Lublin, followed by concerts in the grand music halls of Georgia, Belarus, Moldova and Ukraine
97 musicians of the newly formed ensemble work over a period of two weeks at the Lublin Philharmonic, under the direction of prominent soloists from the Philharmonia Orchestra, the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, the London Symphony Orchestra, the BBC Symphony Orchestra as well as the London Sinfonietta. Members of the I, Culture Orchestra have been selected in two phases of auditions which were open to instrumentalists from the Eastern Partnership countries, such as Poland, Ukraine, Azerbeijan, Moldavia, Belarus and Armenia. The young conductor Ilyich Rivas stated that the coming together of so many different individualities from various contries can really provide the chance of creating a unique and new project. The chaperone of the ICO's second edition, Marshall Marcus commented:
Musicians from Azerbeijan and Armenia are seated next to one another. And although these two countries are currently in conflict, the young musicians cooperate together and communicate well. It is a proof of the fact that culture reaches places that politics fails to do.
Marcus would love to teach these musicians to search for their own means of expression, "Our aim is to create a new quality in the I, Culture Orchestra, not an imitation. We are not interested in copying boring schemes. If we provide these young artists with the tools, they will be able to create this quality over the short period of two weeks and carry it onto their future careers"
Another significant part of the project, which is already underway, is an internet platform that allows for musicians to get to know one another and search for musical tutors and means of cooperation. It is the only platform of its kind, integrating the orchestra's facebook profile, a chat communicator and a multimedia platform. Marshall Marcus was thrilled to find that only 1 day after he posted on the orchestra's platform, his comment was read by 60 people. Both the chaperone and the young conductor are hoping that ICO instrumentalists will continue to use the service after their residency and touring is finished.
The 19 year old Rivas revealed some details of the work he is doing within the ICO project: "I am the peer of these musicians, and yet I am teaching them. I want them to feel at home during the reahearsal process and the performance in Lublin. I hope that they will perceive me as a partner and a colleague, not only a teacher."
Following the fortnight of workshops, the I, Culture Orchestra performs concerts of music from Tchaikovsky, Dvorak, and Szymanowski. The programme of all the concerts features Pyotr Tchaikovsky's Ouverture-fantasy Romeo and Juliette, Ottorino Respighi's Fountains of Rome, Karol Szymanowski's Etude b-moll, op. 4 nr 3 and the VIII Symphony G-dur by Antonin Dvořak. The first evening in Lublin is already a sold-out show. The subsequent showings are scheduled in Warsaw, Minsk, Kiev, Kishyniev, and Tbilisi.
Although the two conflicting countries, Armenia and Azerbeijan refused to host concerts that would feature instrumentalists from the antagonist country, the project's manager, Ewa Bogusz-Moore, emphasised that it is a great achievement to have received funding from the Armenian and Azerbeijani governments.
I, Culture Orchestra is a project authored by the Adam Mickiewicz Institute, and it enjoys the honorary patronage of the President of the Republic of Poland, Bronisław Komorowski.
The first edition of the I, Culture orchestra project took place as part of the Cultural Programme of the Polish Presidency of the EU Council in 2011. The ensemble visited Europe's major concert halls and met with an enthusiastic reception from critics, audiences, and government officials alike. The Adam Mickiewicz Institute plans a tournee of the orchestra across Scandinavia in 2013, and a tour of European capitals in 2014.
Concert details:
24th of August, 2012 - Lublin Philharmonic, Lublin
26th of August, 2012 - National Philharmonic, Warsaw
27th of August, 2012 - Belarussian State Philharmonic, Minsk
28th of August, 2012 - Ukrainian National Opera, Kiev
29th of August, 2012 - General Assembly Square, Kishyniev
1st of September, 2012 - Djansug Kakhidze Tbilisi Ccenter for Music and Culture, Tbilisi
Editor: SRS