The Baltic Sea Philharmonic’s international reputation as a boundary-busting, free-spirited ensemble has got the best and brightest musicians wanting to be a part of this Nordic success story. This year the orchestra is seeking out the Nordic region’s top musical talent, and with its Talent Tour 2020 will hold auditions in Berlin (22 June) and St. Petersburg (29 June) during the orchestra’s ‘Midnight Sun’ tour of Germany and Russia. Applications for the Talent Tour are now open, and musicians have until 15 April 2020 to apply.
This year’s Talent Tour follows a major recruitment drive in 2019, when the orchestra auditioned some some 100 musicians aged 18 to 28. Successful applicants joined the Baltic Sea Philharmonic membership pool of outstanding players, and have had the opportunity to tour under the visionary leadership of conductor Kristjan Järvi, performing inspirational music from memory in some of the most renowned concert halls in Europe.
The Baltic Sea Philharmonic is a uniquely innovative ensemble, renowned for playing from memory and for pioneering immersive concert experiences, and musicians applying to join the orchestra can expect an equally innovative auditioning experience. Applicants will have the opportunity to shine in a solo first round, and, at the Talent Day in Berlin, will also be able to join a full orchestra rehearsal. The joint rehearsal will be open to the public, so all interested musicians are invited to listen, even if they are not auditioning themselves. For young conservatoire players eager to learn more about the Baltic Sea Philharmonic, such a rehearsal is like a window on the orchestra’s world, and is an amazing chance to see how this ensemble works with Kristjan.
The Talent Tour is just as empowering for the orchestra’s musicians as it is for the players auditioning, in that the Baltic Sea Philharmonic principals are the ones choosing their future colleagues. The orchestra’s principal musicians will lead the nine-strong audition panel for the first-round auditions, and along with Kristjan will help make the final selection decisions. Therefore the players themselves have a major role in the orchestra’s evolution. And in doing so they further develop their leadership skills.
Principal violist Marzena Malinowska, from Poland, explained the positive philosophy at the heart of the Talent Tour auditions: ‘We are trying to get players out of their comfort zone not in search of failure or perfection, but to see who they really are as people. We let them do what they love, to show and share their passion, and then we ask them to do things they might have thought they couldn’t do, to show that crossing mental boundaries is fun. When the audition itself becomes an experience that teaches you something and lets you discover new things in yourself, then the final official result doesn’t matter so much.’
String, wind, brass and percussion players who want to apply for the Talent Days in Berlin on 22 June or St. Petersburg on 29 June must be between the ages of 18 and 28; hold a passport from Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Poland, Russia or Sweden; and be enrolled in a music academy anywhere in the world. Alternatively, applicants can be international students enrolled in a music academy in one of the ten countries of the Baltic Sea region. Erasmus students enrolled in a music academy in one of the ten above-mentioned countries are also welcome. The application deadline is 15 April 2020.
For full details of the Talent Tour audition process, rules and regulations, and how to apply, see www.baltic-sea-philharmonic.eu/talenttour2020/
