REGION – Musicians from Westborough and Southborough were members of the Boston Philharmonic Youth Orchestra (BPYO) that performed in a European tour in mid-June.
Southborough junior Aaron Wu and Westborough senior Jasmine Liu were violinists in the orchestra, which featured musicians under the age of 25 and played five concerts. Led by conductor Benjamin Zander, the tour stretched from Basel, Switzerland, to Berlin, Germany.
“We got to show people that we’re a youth orchestra, but that doesn’t mean we have to sound like a youth orchestra. We got to share our experience with the world. We got to share the music that we make. We got to show people in Europe that there are people in America who can do great things,” Wu said.
Zlatomir Fung, 25, was the soloist on the tour. Fung grew up in Westborough and is the youngest cellist to win first prize at the International Tchaikovsky Competition and has toured worldwide with a variety of different groups.
“This tour was a really special thing for me because it’s not often that one gets to tour, and also that one gets to spend so much time with young people who are at a very exciting phase of their lives,” Fung said. “Many of them were in the last few years of their high school experience or just early in college and the direction of their lives is still taking place. To have these shared musical experiences with them was very meaningful.”
Fung has firsthand experience regarding the importance music can hold in the lives of young people.
“I don’t remember a time not playing,” Fung said. “I started to play when I was three, so in all of my memories of myself as a human being I’ve also been a cellist.”
Fung said the most important part of music for him is the connections formed between himself and others.
“At the beginning of the tour I only sort of knew everyone, but by the end I got to know most of them on an individual level. I was able to walk on stage and make eye contact with them. It was very special to know we had this shared experience together,” Fung said.
Furthermore, the enthusiasm from the players enhanced the tour.
“Playing with a youth orchestra is very special,” Fung said. “I’ve played with professional orchestras, but with a youth orchestra there’s the sense that everyone really, really wants to be there. They don’t see it as a job; they see it as fun. When that’s the case, music making and collaboration is always the most soul enriching and meaningful.”
Wu has been playing since he was three years old and after gaining a competitive teacher in eighth grade, Kyoko Horowitz, his skills have skyrocketed. Part of Wu’s special appreciation for the group was its repertoire for this tour. They played Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No. 5, which is a special piece for him.
“His fifth symphony is this outpouring of joy and love, which is Mahler’s excitement to be married to his wife, Alma. It’s been an absolute privilege to play. Mahler is my favorite composer by a longshot and Mahler five is one of my favorites,” Wu said.
The second piece the group performed was Robert Schumann’s cello concerto, which featured Fung as the soloist. Wu remembered a moment on tour when Fung was in the midst of a horrible cold and yet got on stage in front of thousands of people and continued to play flawlessly. Wu described that experience as “inspiring.”
“He’s a fantastic cellist. He actually played chamber music with my teacher when he was my age, which is mind boggling to think about,” Wu said. “He has definitely made an impact on my life.”
Liu joined the orchestra due to all of the benefits it offered her as a musician.
“I thought it was a great opportunity to be involved in a community of talented musicians and also get to learn more about leadership in music,” Liu said.
Liu attended the tour to South Africa in 2023 and participated in exchange programs with students in the area.
“It really shows that in this orchestra music is a way to bring people together as opposed to a means of competition,” Liu said. “I found it really eye opening how music is able to extend beyond language barriers.”
Musicians on the European tour were also able to play with other musicians, performing with local youth groups.
“We got to visit some of the greatest concert halls in the world and play there too,” Wu said. “We got to meet some of the people there who are awesome; there’s a lot of courtesy in Europe. It was important for us to learn about the world and we got to share our music with the world. It was incredible.”