An exhibition dedicated to the first stage of the Lisbon Youth Symphony Orchestra (OSJL) in Ponta Delgada, 30 years ago, is on the south side of the Igreja Matriz in Ponta Delgada, until Monday.
The exhibition “Orquestra Sinfónica Juvenil de Lisboa, 30th anniversary of the 1st summer internship – 1991-2021” consists of photographs of the first stage of the aforementioned orchestra in the Azores and testimonies from participants, which highlight the importance of the initiative. for OSJL or for the Regional Conservatory of Ponta Delgada (CRPD).
“This internship ended up being the flame that started my future professional life as a violist”, confesses Susana Cordeiro, former CRPD student and professor at the Conservatório de Música do Porto.
Rui Fernandes, a former member of OSJL and Director of the Lisbon Academy of Music, recalls the anxiety for the plane trip and “the music, the rehearsals, the conductor, the passages to study, new friends, new flavors and steak of shark”.
Since 1991, OSJL has held internships in national territory during the summer, mainly in Ponta Delgada.
“The islands provide almost ideal conditions for this type of activity for several reasons. First, the fact that we are in the middle of the Atlantic effectively translates into a guarantee of 100% attendance at the rehearsals (…). Secondly, it gives many Portuguese young people the opportunity to see a part of their own country that they otherwise would not know. And the fact that we are close to the sea with typical holiday conditions (beach, natural pools, etc.) teaches young people the important distinction between work and play”, says Christopher Boachman.
The conductor and composer adds that “the fact that we can work intensively with several rehearsals a day and in consecutive days makes the work much more profitable”.
During internships, OSJL has opened its doors to the inclusion of Azorean youth, providing an important additional experience for their training as musicians and instrumentalists, fostering a rapprochement between young musicians from the islands and those from the mainland, and strengthening ties with universities and higher schools where these young people can pursue their musical studies.
The Lisbon Youth Symphony Orchestra’s National Internship in Ponta Delgada, in partnership with the Regional Conservatory of Ponta Delgada and with the support of the local authority chaired by Maria José Lemos Duarte, ends with three concerts: on 12 August, at 9 pm , in the Church of Nossa Senhora das Neves da Relva; on August 13, at 5 pm, at the Church of São Nicolau das Sete Cidades; and on August 14, at 9.30 pm, at the Igreja Matriz de São Sebastião.
Works by Jean-Philippe Rameau, Domenico Scarlatti, Henry Purcell and Jean Sibelius will be presented. The repertoire to be presented at the Stage of the Orchestra will be as follows: Deux piéces, by Jean-Philippe Rameau; Sonata K380, by Domenico Scarlatti; Five Pieces for String Orchestra, by Paul Juon; Fantasy nº 2, by Henry Purcell, Sérénade, by Joseph – Guy Ropartz; Wolf’s Serenade – Ferrari; Romance op. 42, by Jean Sibelius.
