This summer, no fewer than nine youth orchestras take to the stage at the Concertgebouw, showcasing top talent from around the world!

Enjoy performances by renowned ensembles like the Concertgebouw Orchestra Young and the Gustav Mahler Jugendorchester, as well as exciting musicians from further afield, such as the Havana Lyceum Orchestra and the Australian Youth Orchestra. With star soloists such as Renaud Capuçon and Anna Fedorova, these concerts in Amsterdam promise a thrilling blend of passion and youthful energy!

A selection of concerts by youth orchestras from around the world

Here are some of the youth orchestras performing this summer:

Down under with Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto & Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 4 (July 23)

Still younger than many members of the Australian Youth Orchestra, seventeen-year-old sensation Christian Li is already one of the brightest stars of his generation. He takes centre stage with Mendelssohn’s lyrical and energetic Violin Concerto. The Australian Youth Orchestra is a familiar and celebrated guest at the Concertgebouw. This time, the young talents take on Tchaikovsky’s deeply personal Symphony No. 4 - a dramatic work brimming with longing and exuberance. The programme also features Earth Cry by Australian composer Peter Sculthorpe, with William Barton on didgeridoo. His haunting performance is a powerful plea to reconnect with the spirit of the land and the voice of Mother Earth.

Prokofiev's Romeo and Juliet (August 10)

The National Youth Orchestra of the Netherlands, led by German conductor Elias Grandy, brings a dazzling programme of love, rhythm and drama. From legendary love stories to body percussion, this concert showcases the full emotional power of a young orchestra at its best. Come and enjoy Prokofiev’s most stirring dances from Romeo and Juliet and Wagner’s sweeping Vorspiel und Liebestod from Tristan und Isolde. And in Anna Meredith’s HandsFree, the musicians astonish without playing a single instrument, using only claps, snaps, and other forms of body percussion to create an electrifying rhythmic experience.

Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto and Stravinsky’s The Firebird (August 20)

Star violinist Alina Ibragimova solos in Tchaikovsky’s passionate Violin Concerto, crowned by its exuberant finale. As The Guardian noted, “The directness and honesty of Ibragimova’s playing has the remarkable ability to dissolve any sense of distance between performer and listener.” Under the baton of Hungarian maestro Iván Fischer, the European Union Youth Orchestra also plays Stravinsky’s dazzling The Firebird. It’s a fantastical tale of good versus evil. A brilliant score and richly orchestrated musical fairytale about the battle between two magical forces: the radiant Firebird, a symbol of good, and the dark sorcerer Kashchei, the embodiment of evil.

Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 5 & Renaud Capuçon plays Mozart (August 28)

Manfred Honeck leads the Gustav Mahler Jugendorchester, recognised as one of the world’s finest youth orchestras, in Tchaikovsky’s powerful Symphony No. 5 - a sweeping work of deep emotion, haunting melancholy and a triumphant finale.

Star violinist Renaud Capuçon performs solo in Mozart’s beloved Violin Concerto No. 3, bringing grace and vitality to this exceptional work, which shines with youthful jubilance and masterfully conveys the art of complex musical writing that sounds beautifully simple.

Are you already feeling the summer vibes? 

There are over 80 concerts to choose from! As extras this summer, you can enjoy a pink gin and tonic in the interval and attend the Meet & Greets after many concerts, or hit the dancefloor at an afterparty with a DJ. The SummerConcerts are powered by VriendenLoterij.

For the complete programme, visit the Concertgebouw website.

Reserve your SummerConcerts tickets

Buy your tickets now and celebrate your summer with music at the Concertgebouw! Browse the Concertgebouw website for more details.