Novelty for Youngsters
Attending performances, taking part in workshops, encountering Festival mentors: these are just some facets of the colourful programme jung & jede*r.
A children’s opera, a musical theatre work and the premiere of a play, participatory projects, mobile performances throughout the state of Salzburg, a professional development programme for young vocalists, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera. jung & jede*r, the Festival’s youth programme, once again offers multiple incentives for young audience members to visit the Festival. Furthermore, 6,000 tickets will be offered at discounts of up to 90 percent for audience members under the age of 27.
The first premiere is Zeitzone JETZT: directed by Benjamin Truong, accompanied by piano and clarinet, this features two teenagers who have little time for feelings between school, sports and social media. When the mailman starts bringing them strange letters, it turns their daily lives upside down – and makes them think about love, friendship and loss, with songs by Mozart, Bach, Schubert, Loewe and others.
The opera programme features Die Kluge, an adaptation of the fairy-tale The Wise Farmer’s Daughter by the Brothers Grimm. The original composition is by Carl Orff; Wilfried Hiller and Paul Leonard Schäffer have now created a reduced version. The opera will be conducted by Anna Handler at the Schauspielhaus Salzburg – she has led several Festival productions, including the previous jung & jede*r children’s opera Das Kind und die Zauberdinge. Most recently, she was the Dudamel Fellow of the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra; starting in September, she will be the assistant conductor of the Boston Symphony Orchestra for two years.
Plays for Children. Die Kluge is directed by Giulia Giammona, who also staged Das Kind und die Zauberdinge last year. The performers will be members of the Young Singers Project, depicting the story of a man wrongfully imprisoned by the King, and of his clever daughter. The performances will be preceded by workshops during which children can get to know the characters, texts and music.
The third premiere is Liebe Grüße … oder Wohin das Leben fällt, a play for children by Theo Fransz. In it, a boy is given the chance to meet his mother as the child of his own age which she was many years ago. Together, they get to the bottom of a family secret. Since the spring of this year, the Salzburg Festival has presented Zeitzone JETZT and Liebe Grüße… at schools and cultural centres throughout the state of Salzburg, including workshops on music and theatre education.
Making high culture accessible is also the idea behind the Festival mentorships. Experienced Festivalgoers become mentors for young people aged 16 to 26, accompanying them during their first Festival visit. In the ideal scenario, both parties benefit. Overall, jung & jede*r offers introductory talks, insights into the works and productions, and artist conversations.
Young people interested in furthering their own artistic creativity can attend the drama and opera camps. The Drama Camp Sternstunden der Menschheit offers sessions in theatrical improvisation, stage performance and creative writing. Participants also rehearse for a final performance. Opera Camps this year are dedicated to Capriccio, The Idiot and Les Contes d’Hoffmann.
Those already on their way to a professional career in music are supported by the Young Singers Project. Since 2008, every year young vocalists have come to Salzburg, where they receive a scholarship and comprehensive training programme during the Festival. The “Young Singers” also participate in Festival productions every year; this year it will be the jung & jede*r production of Die Kluge, among others. Young conductors, on the other hand, can apply for the Herbert von Karajan Young Conductors Award. Last year, the Korean conductor Hankyeol Yoon was chosen as the winner from among more than 320 applicants; therefore, this year he will conduct a concert with the ORF Radio Symphony Orchestra Vienna.
Theresa Steininger
Translation: Alexa Nieschlag
First published on 11.05.2024 in Die Presse Kultur Spezial: Salzburg Festival