Czech Youth Orchestra

Czech Republic

The Czech Youth Orchestra dates back to the year 2000 when it was founded on the joint initiative of the Young Euro Classic Festival and the European Federation of National Youth Orchestras (EFNYO). It was in the same year that the orchestra made its first appearance at Young Euro Classic in Berlin.

The ensemble is made up of 80 to 100 musicians between the ages of 15 and 27 who are students at Czech academies and conservatories. The orchestra, which can trace its origins back to the Prague Student Orchestra that was established in 1956 by Vlasta and Mirko Škampovi, meets several times each year for intensive rehearsals.

The focus is on some of the most popular Classical and Romantic works as well as pieces by one of the musicians’ favourite composers: none other that Leoš Janáček. Four times each year the orchestra presents joint concerts with the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra with the aim of attracting younger audiences to classical music.