It all began with an after-dinner chat. Wouldn’t it be a great idea, someone suggested, to bring youth orchestras to Berlin in the summer and give them the chance to show the public what they can do? The idea became a project, and that in turn became an unusual new festival. Ever since 2000, the “young.euro.classic” has been attracting young musicians to the German capital. Many of them are still students. They play contemporary music from their homelands – and receive standing ovations from enthusiastic audiences.

This year on August 3 it kicked off in Berlin and there will be an innovation to finish with: the young.euro.classic German-Chinese Festival Orchestra, composed of musicians from the Shanghai Conservatory and the Junge Deutsche Philharmonie and conducted by Tang Muhai, will give guest performances in Berlin and six Chinese cities. It’s no coincidence that LANXESS is supporting the tour; after all, represented in some of these cities.