An unusually young and lively audience filled the impressive concert hall of the Grosses Festspielhaus on Thursday morning: with the support of the Salzburg Chamber of Commerce, Elisabeth Fuchs and the Salzburg Philharmonic Orchestra organized a rousing classical music concert for teenagers at the beginning of 2025.

With a lively mix of mambo, musicals and famous classics, the orchestra's innovative programming took Salzburg's schoolchildren and apprentices into the world of symphonies, dances and marches. The concerts are specially designed for young people who have had little or no previous contact with classical music. The impressive concert hall of the Grosses Festspielhaus was deliberately chosen as the venue in order to break down any barriers to the supposedly remote world of high culture.
The program was led by Elisabeth Fuchs, conductor and director of the Salzburg Philharmonic, who gave short introductions to all the pieces of music and entertained the young audience with entertaining insights. "This format could be a door opener for young people to perhaps go to a classical concert more often and to see this as an alternative to other leisure activities," says chief conductor and initiator Elisabeth Fuchs: "With our offer, we would simply like to expand the range of possibilities."
To ensure an intensive and lasting concert experience, some interactive parts were also integrated into the program, in which participants were allowed to sing and play along - an opportunity that was also actively used.
Elisabeth Fuchs and the musicians of the Philharmonie Salzburg are certain that the Pupils' & Apprentices' Concerts are an important investment in the musical and artistic education of our young people.

© Photos: Philharmonie Salzburg

Classical music for teens: Mambo meets Beethoven
Student & apprentice concert at the Großes Festspielhaus

Program:
BERNSTEIN - "Mambo" from "West Side Story"
L. BERNSTEIN - "Somewhere" from "West Side Story"
L. BERNSTEIN - "I like to be in America" from "West Side Story"
L. BERNSTEIN - Overture from the operetta "Candide"
L. v. BEETHOVEN - Symphony No. 5, C minor, "Symphony of Fate", 1st movement, Allegro con brio
L. v. BEETHOVEN - Symphony No. 5, C minor, "Symphony of Fate", 4th movement, Allegro
L. v. BEETHOVEN - Excerpt from Symphony No. 9, "European Anthem" - to sing along to
TANZER - "Bozner Bergsteigermarsch" - to play along to
P. PRADO - "Mambos"

Elisabeth Fuchs - Conductor
Salzburg Philharmonic Orchestra

DO - January 9, 2025 - 10:00 a.m.
Großes Festspielhaus, Salzburg

Query note for the press:
Dr. Sylvia Paulischin-Hovdar
Salzburg Philharmonic Orchestra
+43 664 4200605