News from Berlin

News from Berlin - Freedom was in the air at the Berlin Philharmonic concert hall on Sunday, June 29th 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.

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 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 along with them.

News from Berlin - Berlin Global