Young musicians from three nations came together last week for the second Triorca international youth orchestra residential in Norfolk.

Triorca is an innovative musical project that brings together musicians from Norfolk, Koblenz in Germany, and Novi Sad in Serbia; the twin cities of Norwich. The project, which launched in 2011, gives young musicians the opportunity to attend residential courses and give concerts in each country, sharing their experiences and different cultural backgrounds.

In 2018, 65 musicians aged between 15-25 met in Norfolk and performed two concerts, conducted by Nicholas Daniel and featuring the soloist Julia Hwang who performed Korngold’s Violin Concerto.

The orchestra also had the opportunity to visit the Royal Albert Hall in London for the BBC Proms. In concert, they also performed classic works including Tchaikovsky’s 5th Symphony and Prokofiev’s Peter and the Wolf, which was narrated by Nicholas’ son Alistair Daniel.

The first concert – at OPEN, on Friday 27 July – took place in the presence of the Leader of Norwich City Council, CLllr. Alan Waters, and Chairman of Norfolk County Council, Cllr. Margaret Stone, among many others. Alan was really complimentary, and Margaret said she was “bowled over”.

The second concert – Saffron Hall, Essex, 28 July – was in the presence of the new Serbian Consul, several Essex Mayors & Deputy Mayors, and the Master of St. John’s College, Cambridge (a mentor of the soloist Julia Hwang).

Volunteer trustee, Robert Rickard, said: “You only have to hear this lot for 10 seconds to know the standard young people from three linked European city regions can achieve.”

“I was delighted on completing the second complete 3 year cycle of Triorca – such a challenging project, obviously; as an Education Participation & Partnership Service officer, proud of what the Norfolk contingent (nearly half the orchestra on the second night) achieved, musically, and in terms of educational development, in a professional concert hall; though also of the furthering of their wider international educational understanding – and links. The Germans have asked for an A level exchange!”

The Triorca project returns to Koblenz in 2019, Norwich in 2020, and Novi Sad in 2021 – when it is European City of Culture.