NL

House of Europe

Unique international song project about Europe as a home

Diverse and colourful performance of new music by students from six conservatories, along with new residents in Utrecht. A unique international song project about Europe as a home. For the people who are living there – and those who will be soon.
House of Europe: sounds like this is a performance that unites people, cultures and stories. The show is the result of a week-long collaboration between 24 young people from 12 different countries who worked on new music at HKU Utrecht Conservatory. Twenty of them are students from six conservatories across Europe, including 4 students from HKU Utrecht Conservatory. Four are newly arrived residents in Utrecht from outside Europe. Together, they will share their music in a full-length show throughout the evening.

The participating students had never met before and all come from different backgrounds and experiences. But they also have similarities: they all live in Europe, they are all young and share one common language, which is music. The students composed the new music together with three newly arrived residents, who are staying in the refugee shelter at the Joseph Haydnlaan in Utrecht.

Young people from 12 countries composed the music for this performance together. Participating students from HKU come from the Netherlands, Greece and Nepal. Other students are affiliated with conservatories in Estonia, Finland, Italy, Austria and Spain. The music students are joined by four young people staying at the refugee shelter on Joseph Haydnlaan in Utrecht, after leaving their home countries of Afghanistan, Eritrea, Iran and Venezuela.

House of Europe: sounds like this is a musical exploration that seeks to answer the question: what is home? And how is Europe a home to us? Which stories, ideas and experiences does it bring together? Questions that, given the recent events at Europe’s eastern borders, are currently more relevant than ever.

House of Europe: sounds like this is the finale of a multi-year international partnership project between six European conservatories. In addition to the final show, the project consists of (online) clinics about, among others, intercultural cooperation and the music industry from an international perspective.

Details

House of Europe: sounds like this
Fr 8 April 19.30-22.00
ZIMIHC Theater Zuilen
Prinses Christinalaan 1, Utrecht

Listen to 'On the ride', one of the songs that were written for House of Europe in Utrecht.

'You are Loser'

In April 2024, conservatoire students from all over Europe gathered in Viljandi, Estonia. Ukrainian Uliana Olhyna wrote ‘You are Loser’ together with three other students: Laura Morelli, Leonardo Celsi and Angela Perez Pere. She performed the song at the annual festival Laima Rendezvous Jūrmala in July 2024. Uliana wrote a new orchestral arrangement especially for the festival.

Watch 'You are Loser'.

Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or National Agency. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.