Neapel Ischia - La Mortella Gardens
As part of the 2022 Festival of Youth Orchestras, our performance will take place on Thursday, July 28, at the Gardini La Mortella. https://www.lamortella.org/musica/calendario-eventi/Eventi/1050-orchestra-sinfonica-giovanile-matteo-goffriller The Festival of Youth Orchestras https://www.lamortella.org/musica/festival-per-le-orchestre-giovanili When William Walton died and the world lost one of the greatest composers of the 20th century, Lady Walton decided to stay on Ischia and fulfill her husband's greatest wish: to help talented young musicians. She began organizing an annual choral masterclass, where aspiring professionals, selected by the most rigorous selection, received three weeks of vocal and stage presence training from a team of specialists. The ages of these young talents ranged from 7 to 25, and the courses were fully funded by the Foundation. Subsequently, a program of chamber music concerts was launched in collaboration with prestigious music schools, which continues to this day. The last major achievement, chronologically speaking, was the Greek Theater, inaugurated in 2006 on the occasion of Lady Walton's 80th birthday. The first of the Youth Orchestra Festivals took place in 2007. At its inauguration, the giant Sir Neville Marriner and ten budding orchestras were enthusiastically celebrated by audiences and critics, so much so that La Mortella was dubbed the "Salzburg of the Mediterranean for youth orchestras." The programs, of course, included some of William Walton's most beautiful music. This new event is intended to offer numerous Italian and foreign youth orchestras the opportunity to perform before an esteemed and knowledgeable audience, as has been the case for years with the chamber music concerts organized by the William Walton and La Mortella Foundation. Italy, in fact, offers few opportunities for young musicians to perform in public, as the usual circuits tend to favor well-known professionals who exert greater appeal, and there are very few events interested in playing a role in discovering new talent. The festival therefore aims to fill a gap, bringing together an attentive and interested audience and young musicians with enormous artistic and technical potential. The festival also offers young performers the opportunity to have a particularly important and formative experience by being able to play on the stage of such a fascinating and evocative venue as the Greek Theatre in the gardens of La Mortella. The gardens are imbued with the spirit of composer William Walton, who lived and worked here. The musicians, composers, and concert performers who have visited agree that they are sources of inspiration and intense artistic emotion. The festival also aims to be a meeting place and exchange of ideas for young musicians, advancing their training and development as professionals, artists, and citizens through understanding and discussion: contact with the lives and experiences of others is always a stimulus for growth and understanding. For the young artists, this event offers their first contact with the Mediterranean world, the environment and history of this island, as well as the immense archaeological and cultural heritage of Campania. Considering that the majority of youth orchestras come from Northern Europe and the United States, one can only imagine the impact and fascination that Ischia's climate and landscape must have on young orchestral musicians accustomed to the long winters and northern fog.The festival therefore also contributes to the promotion of the island and its role as a tourist attraction by attracting cultured, informed, and highly specialized visitors and supporting the development of sustainable tourism.
