On Sunday 15 October, the young musicians of the The Harmonie Foundation orchestra opened the season with a concert at the Švanda Theatre in Prague. The children's and youth orchestra, Young Leaders chamber orchestra and the teachers quartet offered the audience a chance to see the various levels of achievements.It was a great pleasure to welcome on the stage Julie Krejčí, our former student and currently the Prague Conservatory student and member of the Pilsen Philharmonic.
Julie started playing cello with the Harmonie Foundation orchestra at the age of 11. She says: “Originally, I wanted to play the contrabass. But the cello is good too. In fact, I know of no better instrument.” As she had always enjoyed playing the cello, she decided to study cello at the Conservatory. She is now in her 4th year and still enjoys playing the cello and believes she will always enjoy it. “There are days when I do not play the cello at all, but there are days when I play 7 hours a day and still feel it is not enough.” According to Julie, the main difference between playing in the Conservatory orchestra and the Harmonie Foundation orchestra is the feeling of joy. “I have always enjoyed playing in the Harmonie orchestra more than the symphonic play course at the Conservatory.”
The concert ended with the composition Chamambo by Venezuelan composer Manuel Artés. This piece is popular with musicians of all ages and is regularly played at El Sistema events and concerts. At the end of the concert, the audience was moved by the beauty of music that can affect and change people's lives. This is the shared secret of the power of music, which knows no boundaries or barriers.
