The project provides emerging musicians with invaluable skills and professional experience that complement their formal training, and can help them boost their career at the international level.

The vision of the EPIC project is to:

Prove the value and impact of auditioned youth music ensembles for the professionalisation and internationalisation of careers
Improve the training of emerging professional
Foster the creation of new ensembles across Europe

Exceptional 2020

Despite challenges from the COVID-19 pandemic, the EPIC project has carried on, adapting many events for an online format. EuroChoir 2020, due to take place in Ireland, however, had to be postponed, and now incorporates a full programme, including Ireland and the EUROPA CANTAT Festival in Slovenia in summer 2021.

Learn more about the project

EPIC will test and validate new approaches that could be eventually disseminated and implemented at a larger scale, to benefit the mobility of artists in Europe over a generation.

This project is supported by an action plan articulating five main lines:

1. A data collection, mapping the career path of former members of auditioned youth ensembles (orchestras and choirs)

2. An involvement of the EuroChoir and the World Youth Choir as laboratories for providing new skills through capacity building, active networking with stakeholders and with peers

3. The networking of existing and potential National Youth Choirs’ organisers, to exchange best practices and cooperation opportunities. We’ll set up specific ateliers gathering the singers themselves in an international context

4. Online capacity building sessions for emerging artists

5. Dissemination of the results along events gathering relevant stakeholders.

Collective music making is a powerful tool to bring people and nations together. As Europeans, we have a duty to foster the circulation of the next generation of artists in a sustainable, systemic way and the EPIC project is a first milestone along this promising path.

PAST EVENTS

National Youth Choir Round Table 1 and 2 (Online)

This meeting was due to take place in person at the 2020 General Assembly of the European Choral Association – Europa Cantat. Due to the pandemic, this was not possible, but taking advantage of the opportunity, we instead held two online round tables for national youth choir managers on 29 June 2020 and 19 January 2021. They were a chance for managers to share their practices, support the EPIC data collection and get all the latest information for national youth choirs for the Europa Cantat festival.

World Youth Choir Reception (Online)

This reception was due to take place in the frame of the festivities of the Beethoven Anniversary Year in Bonn. The World Youth Choir would have joined the National Youth Orchestra of Germany (BJO) for a programme with Beethoven’s 9th Symphony and the world première of the new piece “Nine” by Tan Dun. As this event was cancelled, we made the decision to hold an online reception instead, which took place on 16 September 2020, welcoming guests from all over the world to hear more about the choir and hosting a WYC session.

UPCOMING EVENTS

EuroChoir 2021 (Ljubljana, Slovenia)

From 11 to 22 July 2021, the EuroChoir 2021 session will take place in Slovenia with an Irish twist under the direction of one of the emerging talents of the European scene, Yuval Weinberg, in collaboration with the award-winning conductor, Bernie Sherlock. For more details on this session, see the EuroChoir 2021 page. The EuroChoir is organised by EPIC project partners JSKD and Sing Ireland.

EPIC at EUROPA CANTAT 2021 (Ljubljana, Slovenia)

The EPIC project contains several sessions and events at the Europa Cantat festival, taking place in Ljubljana 16-25 July 2021:

Ateliers for national youth choir singers
PULSE programme sessions (online):
- Beyond Talent – Career Development for Musicians
- Silicon Harmonies – What can choir leaders learn from high-tech startups
Marketplace and presentation of first results of data collection on careers of past participants in auditioned music ensembles

The festival is organised by EPIC project partners JSKD, with support from the European Choral Association – Europa Cantat.

Event on Data Collection (Brussels, Belgium)

The data collection carried out as part of the EPIC project will serve as an example at this JMI event that looks to promote the practice of collecting data in the cultural sector and to demonstrate how you can use data collection in your advocacy and marketing. This event is organised by EPIC project partners Jeunesses Musicales International.

Online Round Table of National Youth Choirs 3

The last in our series of round tables for national youth choirs, it provides an opportunity for choir managers to exchange and learn from each other.

Conference on the Data Collection and Project in General Assembly 2021 (Lyon, France)

The last event in the EPIC project, this conference will take place at the European Choral Association – Europa Cantat General Assembly. It is planned for Friday 19 November 2021.

Webinars in the Frame OF THE EP:IC PROJECT

During the project, so far, we have been planning four webinars for developing the skills and knowledge of young choral professionals:

1. How to audition for a national & international (youth) choir, led by Josep Vila i Casañas.

2. Raise your voice: Partnering up with media for singing, led by Inari Tilli.

3. Choose and be chosen: how to get into the world of professional choirs, led by Laura Lopes, coordinator of TENSO Network, in conversation with Jennifer Reineke and Julia Reckendrees.

The fourth webinar of the series will be announced soon.

PROJECT partners

The project is coordinated by the European Choral Association in partnership with: