MIAGI youth orchestra

Freedom was in the air at the Berlin Philharmonic concert hall Sunday (29.06.2014) as the first part of the Young Euro Classic series concluded. A 100-strong youth orchestra from South Africa called MIAGI - standing for: Music Is a Great Investment - delivered a powerful concert. The evening celebrated the end of apartheid in South Africa, which occurred 20 years ago.

The young talents on stage knew how to pull off an anniversary celebration. The concert kicked off with "Suite for Jazz Orchestra No. 2" by Dmitri Shostakovich - a jazzy, articulate and playful piece incorporating melodies infused with waltz, polka and military marches. The piece allowed MIAGI to show off their technical finesse and mastery of classical repertoire.

In Anders Paulsson's composition "Celebration Suite," the musicians got to delve into their country's musical roots. Borrowing from traditional and popular South African music as well as anti-apartheid protest songs, the work is a musical rendering of South Africa's recent history.

Paulsson, a tenor saxophone player and composer from Sweden, was on stage to play the generous solos for tenor sax written into the suite. The 42-year-old Swede stood out among the fresh-faced youth orchestra, but visibly had a great time on stage.

Multicultural mission

MIAGI's musicians are in their teens or early 20s, so few can recall anything about life under apartheid. Yet they confront its legacy often in day to day interactions. The orchestra says its mission is to support South Africa along the path toward becoming more inclusive by offering a venue for intercultural dialogue.

The group's concert programming as well as a glance at its line-up bear out that vision. The ethnic diversity of South Africa is reflected in its cast of white, black and Asian members.

Backstage, orchestra founder and singer Robert Brooks can rattle off the story of any musician in the group, saying, "That one over there - she's a teacher. Him? He works as a professional musician. Most would like to be to earn their living with music, but for almost everyone, it's their second job."

If the young players are disappointed about that fact, it certainly wasn't evident in the enthusiasm in Berlin both on stage and off, where some of the young women started spontaneously dancing.

'Til next year

Despite well-received performances in the first half of the concert, the mood rose once clarinetist and composer Tshepo Tsotetsi took the pult. Tsotetsi is a MIAGI musician who created an off-shoot, experimental orchestra called the New Skool.

Tsotetsi's deep connection to his fellow musicians was palpable. Under his graceful direction, a group of performers already in perfect harmony came to life as one voice. The energy of the performance - featuring original compositions by the New Skool - quickly spread to the audience.

The pieces ranged from cool and easy to defiant and proud - alternating between the playful and the somber.

Once the calls of encore died down, the concert even spilled over into the foyer, with both performers and audience members up on their feet, singing and dancing.

This year marked the 15th anniversary of the Young Euro Classic Festival in Berlin. MIAGI is sure to be back wooing music-lovers again next time, bringing a glimpse into the richness of their country's cultural heritage with them.