Monday March 6, 7:29 p.m
General

MIDDLEBURG – A successful kick-off educational program is the new part of the Zeeland Classical Festival.

MIDDLEBURG – Allowing young people to interact with traditional music and performing arts in a broader sense without putting them immediately in the concert hall. That is the purpose of the Impression Education Program. So students of CSW van de Berre’s VWO-5 spent Monday listening to composers such as Claus, Caplet and Mendelssohn. Why? Because they challenge!

As part of the education component of Festival Zeeland Classic 2023 (June 30 to June 9), secondary school students across Zeeland are challenged to perform their own adaptation of a piece of classical music. Entries will be judged by a professional jury consisting of representatives from the classical, pop and academic fields. Finalists will be announced in mid-June and will be able to present their own entries at the festival concert on July 6. Winners will be announced there. First prize is €250, second €100 and third €50.

Impression’s organization is in the hands of the Friends of Chamber Music Zeeland Foundation, which also organizes the festival. The project is partially supported by the province of Zeeland and several local and national funds. Besides this first meeting at the school in Middleburg, there will be a kick-off this week in Vlissingen. The advertising campaign is supported by ‘Urban Umbrella’ from Middleburg.

own impression
The aim of the program is to introduce the youth to a wide range of classical music and performing arts. The festival’s foundation and artistic director, accomplished violinist Lisa Jacobs, believes putting students in a room and simply letting them listen won’t work, but sees greater engagement by allowing them to actively participate. That is the essence of ‘impression’. The organization tells the students to create their own impressions by pre-presenting them with three pieces of music chosen by the artistic director. It can be a musical expression, but also one in word, drawing, image or dance. The pieces in question that will definitely be heard during the concert on July 6 are: Claus – Quartet Chats, Caplet – Le Conte Fantastique, Mendelssohn – String Quartet in F Minor Op. 80.[n]