The Schweizer Jugend-Sinfonie-Orchester (SJSO, Swiss Youth Symphony Orchestra) is a Swiss symphony orchestra of young people, founded in 1969. It is named Orchestre Symphonique Suisse des Jeunes in French, Orchestra Sinfonica Svizzera della Gioventù in Italian, and Orchestra Sinfonica Svizzera della Gioventegna in

Rhaeto-Romance Rhaeto-Romance, Rheto-Romance, or Rhaetian, is a purported subfamily of the Romance languages that is spoken in south-eastern Switzerland and north-eastern Italy. The name "Rhaeto-Romance" refers to the former Roman province of Raetia. The quest ...

. It is organised as a foundation since 1982. It aims to include members from all regions of Switzerland. Musicians meets twice a year for rehearsals leading to tour in Switzerland.

Kai Bumann Kai Bumann (16 August 1961 – 2 June 2022) was a German conductor who led orchestras and opera companies mainly in Poland, such as the Opera Krakowska, Warsaw Chamber Opera and the Polish Baltic Philharmonic. He was conductor and artistic direc ...

was chief conductor from 1998 until his death in 2022. He introduced major symphonies such as Mahler's Ninth.

History

The orchestra, as a youth orchestra for all four language regions of Switzerland, was conceived in the late 1960s by Roman Jann and Christoph Reimann, supported by sponsors. The founding meeting took place in 1969 in Zürich in the Zunfthaus zur Zimmerleuten (carpenter's

guildhall A guildhall, also known as a "guild hall" or "guild house", is a historical building originally used for tax collecting by municipalities or merchants in Great Britain and the Low Countries. These buildings commonly become town halls and in som ...

), with founding members also including the flutist

Dieter Flury Dieter Flury is a Swiss flutist who was the principal flute of the Vienna Philharmonic from 1981 to 2017. He also served as the orchestra's managing director from 2005 to 2014. Early life Flury studied with Hans Meyer and André Jaunet at the Zur ...

. The first rehearsal was held on 29 April 1970, leading to a first concert on 2 January 1971 in the concert hall of the Laudinella hotel in

St. Moritz St. Moritz (also german: Sankt Moritz, rm, , it, San Maurizio, french: Saint-Moritz) is a high Alpine resort town in the Engadine in Switzerland, at an elevation of about above sea level. It is Upper Engadine's major town and a municipality in ...

. The hall has remained the residence for the orchestra for an annual week of rehearsals each spring. The orchestra was first a chamber orchestra, but grew to a symphony orchestra playing in concert halls of Switzerland. Some former members founded in 1999 the . It is one of few cultural institutions for all language regions of Switzerland.

Program

The orchestra members, around hundred young musicians between 15 and 25 from all regions of Switzerland meet twice a year for a session of several days of rehearsals for a tour, once in spring and once in the fall. They study a broad repertoire of

classical music Classical music generally refers to the art music of the Western world, considered to be distinct from Western folk music or popular music traditions. It is sometimes distinguished as Western classical music, as the term "classical music" also ...

. They played a program with music by Schnyder,

Shostakovich Dmitri Dmitriyevich Shostakovich, , group=n (9 August 1975) was a Soviet-era Russian composer and pianist who became internationally known after the premiere of his First Symphony in 1926 and was regarded throughout his life as a major compo ...

and

Othmar Schoeck Othmar Schoeck (1 September 1886 – 8 March 1957) was a Swiss Romantic classical composer, opera composer, musician, and conductor. He was known mainly for his considerable output of art songs and song cycles, though he also wrote a number of ...

at the

Lucerne Festival Lucerne Festival is one of the leading international festivals in the world of classical music and presents a series of classical music festivals based in Lucerne, Switzerland. Founded in 1938 by Ernest Ansermet and Walter Schulthess, it current ...

on 24 August 1991, conducted by

Andreas Delfs Andreas Delfs (born 30 August 1959) is a German Conductor (music), conductor. He is the music director of the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra and conductor laureate of the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra. Biography Delfs was born in Flensburg, We ...

. In a large formation, they performed Mahler's Ninth Symphony at the

Tonhalle St. Gallen Tonhalle St. Gallen is a concert hall in St. Gallen, Switzerland. It is a cultural centre, a venue for concerts, banquets and meetings. It is the home of the St. Gallen Symphony Orchestra. History The concert hall was built between 1906 and 1909, ...

in 2018, conducted by

Chief conductors

* 1970–1971: Hans Rogner * 1972–1984: Klaus Cornell * 1984–1995:

* 1998–2022:

Guest conductors, beginning in 1986, have included

Heinrich Schiff Heinrich Schiff (18 November 1951 – 23 December 2016) was an Austrian cellist and conductor. Early life Heinrich Schiff was born on 18 November 1951 in Gmunden, Austria. His parents, Helga (née Riemann) and Helmut Schiff, were composers. He ...

Nello Santi Nello Santi (22 September 1931 – 6 February 2020) was an Italian conductor. He was associated with the Opernhaus Zürich for six decades, and was a regular conductor at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City. He was focused on Italian reperto ...

, and .

Foundation

A foundation was established on 12 December 1982, based in

Zürich Zürich () is the list of cities in Switzerland, largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zürich. It is located in north-central Switzerland, at the northwestern tip of Lake Zürich. As of January 2020, the municipality has 43 ...

. to promote that aspiring young musicians gain practice in rehearsals and concerts, in order to improve their future professional work. Several former orchestra members went on to be members of orchestras in Switzerland and beyond. Another goal is an inter-language collaboration across the cultural regions of Switzerland. The foundation receives financial support from governments on national, Kanton and city levels, and by companies and a supporting association.

References

External links

* *
Schweizer Jugend-Sinfonie-Orchester
vimeo channel {{authority control 1969 establishments in Switzerland Symphony orchestras European youth orchestras