Winter 2024/2025: "Western Balkans meet Beethoven" - Residency and tour

• 17.01.2025: Deutsche Welle, "Finally, Bosnians may enter Kosovo without visa" - this allows the Bosnian members of WBYO to participate in performance in Pristina, video report (2:29', in German)

Autumn 2024: "Mendelssohn & Friends" - Residency and tour

(Complete list of 13 press reports and mentionings)

• 21.11.2024: WAZ Essen (regional newspaper): "A testimony to the power of music to unite peoples" - concert review by Pedro Obiera¹
• 05.11.2024: Rheinische Post (regional newspaper, Duisburg Edition): "Joint message of peace" - concert review¹

Summer 2024: "Western Balkans go Pop & Rock" - Residency and tour

(Complete list of some 40 press reports and mentionings)

• 01.08.2024: radiosarajevo.ba, "Western Balkans Youth Orchestra put on a spectacle: See part of the atmosphere at the National Theatre", report on Sarajevo concert, with photo gallery (in Serbo-Croatian) 
• 11.08.2024: TOP-CHANNEL.TV - largest private TV channel in Albania, "Western Balkans Youth Orchestra" in context with concert in Durres, report in the evening news (1,54', in Albanian)

May 9, 2024: "Europe is here" - Concert on Europe Day in Tirana

• EU Delegation to Albania: "Europe Day concert: Young artists from the Western Balkans and EU unite in Tirana for an unforgettable performance" (concert report, with quotes of orchestra members)
• Euronews Albania, "Inside Albania": "Joining Western Balkans Youth Orchestra", 36’ report by Alice Taylor, who participated as a guest violonist, including interviews with musicians and Desar Sulejmani (in English, with Albanian subtitles)
• EU Delegation to Albania: "Western Balkans Youth Orchestra, breaking barriers and bringing people together" (concert announcement) 
• Facebook-Posting by EU Delegation to Albania

Summer 2023: "Western Balkans go dance" - Working phase + concert tour

(Complete list of more than 40 press reports and mentionings)

Germany, concert in Essen

• WAZ (regional german newspaper): "Orchestra plays for international understanding: Sabre dance in Essen", critique (paywall¹)

Germany, concert in Berlin

• Süddeutsche Zeitung (german newspaper), "Making music in the name of the European idea", article (paywall¹)

Serbia, concert in Novi Sad

• EU Portal in Serbia, text

North Macedonia, concert in Skopje

• Deutsche Welle, Serbian-language channel, interview with harpinist Bujana Ameti, video
• Deutsche Welle North Macedonia, interview with harpinist Bujana Ameti in Macedonian

Montenegro, concert in Kotor

• Pobjeda news portal, interview with Desar Sulejmani, text

Kosovo, concert in Pristina

• KOHA news portal, text
• Deutsche Welle, Albanian-language channel, video

Bosnia and Herzegovina, concert in Sarajewo

• Radio Sarajewo news portal, text
• BHRT news portal, text
• Bosnainfo news portal, text

Albania, rehearsal phase and concert in Durres

• 29.07.2023: Euronews Albania, "Western Balkans Youth Orchestra brings musicians from 15 nations to Durrës", 21’ report by Alice Taylor on concert in Durres, with numerous interviews with musicians and Desar Sulejmani (in English)
  
  
• In albanian language:
• • TV AdriaNet about rehearsals and concert in Durres, video
  • NTV Televizion, video
  • Bulevard News, video
  • Portali DurresLajm, video
  • Euronews Albania about concert in Durres, video
  • DurresLajm, text and video
  • Deutsche Welle, Albanian-language channel, video
  • SOT news portal, Albania, text
  • Shqiptrja.com news portal, text and video

Summer 2022: "New Ways" - Working Phase and concert tour, part Germany

• 25.08.2022: Deutsche Welle (Germany's international broadcasting channel), "Western Balkans Youth Orchestra with anti-war music", review of the Essen concert on August 21 (in Albanian)

• 24.08.2022: Deutschlandfunk Kultur (German radio channel), "Conductor Desar Sulejmani: Music as peace project", interview with Desar Sulejmani, 34' podcast (in German)

• 22.08.2022: WAZ (newspaper of the Ruhrgebiet region), "Youth orchestra in Essen: how music makes foes to friends", review of the Essen concert on August 21 (paywall¹, in German)

• 21.08.2022: Aachener Zeitung (Aix-la-Chapelle newspaper), "Musical message for peace in Ukraine", review of the Aachen concert on August 20 (paywall¹, in German)

• 21.08.2022: Deutsche Welle (Germany's international broadcasting channel), "An orchestra that sends a message of peace and tears down barriers", 6' feature on Summer Project 2022, including interviews with Desar Sulejmani, several musicians and and audience in Königswinter/Germany (in Serbo-Croatian)

• 17.08.2022: WAZ (German newspaper of the Ruhrgebiet region), "Essen conductor unites young musicians for a peace orchestra" (in German)

• 16.08.2022: Generalanzeiger (German Newspaper of the Bonn region), "European peacekeeping force with violin bows" (in German)

• 05.08.2022: Deutschlandfunk Kultur (German Radio Channel), "Making music together as a political statement", Interview with Desar Sulejmani, 7' podcast (in German)

Summer 2022: "New Ways" - Working Phase and concert tour, part WB

• 30.07.2022: RTK 1 (Kosovo TV station), Art Tema, 7' report with interviews and concert clippings of WBYO, from minute 10:14 (in Albanian)

• 28.07.2022: RTK 2 (Kosovo TV station), Interview with Milica Simić (violoncello), 4'

• 27.07.2022: Portal Analitica (Montenegro), "Sulejmani: Music can lead to a change in the way of thinking in society" (in Montenegrin)

• 23.07.2022: CIVILMEDIA (news portal of NGO in North Macedonia), "We play the future - concert of the Youth Orchestra of the Western Balkans in Skopje" (in Macedonian)

• 23.07.2022: Europe House (provides information on EU in Kosovo), "Art breaks Barriers: Western Balkans Youth Orchestra start their tour in Pristina", including some testimonials of participants (in English)

• 22.07.2022: Radio-televizija Vojvodine, "Young musicians from the region will show their artistic skills in Novi Sad", 4:38' interview with Milan Vracar, Kulturanova  (in Serbian)

• 21.07.2022: BalkanInsight (Balkan-wide news portal), "In Tune: Young Western Balkan Musicians Ready for Regional Tour" (in English)

• 19.07.2022: ATV (Kosovo TV station), Interview with Desar Sulejmani, Vilson Guri (violin) and Alkesta Gllogjani (viola), 9' (in Albanian)

• 19.07.2022: Radio K4 (radio station operated by KFOR), "Western Balkans Youth Orchestra -  Synonym with passion for music and professional work that overcome all barriers" (in Albanian) 

• 18.07.2022: RTK 2 (Kosovo TV station), Interview with Milutin Radulović and Nataša Đaković (both violin), 10' (in Bosnian)

• 17.07.2022: kultplus (Albanian culture portal), "Energetic young people from the Youth Orchestra of the Western Balkans, ready to give a magical concert" (in Albanian)    

• 15.07.2022: RTK 1 (Kosovo TV station), Interview Desar Sulejmani and Hana Abdullah (violin) on upcoming concert in Pristina, 12' (in Albanian)

May 9, 2022: "Better together" - Concert in Novi Sad on Europe Day

• 10.05.2022: DEUTSCHE WELLE (Germany's international broadcasting channel), "Create peace in the Western Balkans - with music", 3 minutes video report about concert in Novi Sad on May 9, 2022 (in German) 

• 09.05.2022: Autonomija (a Serbian news portal), "The orchestra that unites us: We are better together", article and 2,5 minutes video report about concert in Novi Sad on May 9, 2022 (in Serbian) 

• 07.05.2022: DER SPIEGEL (a German weekly political journal), "How a young orchestra plays for peace" (in German, paywall¹) 

• 28.01.2022: Autonomija (a Serbian news portal), "Playing for the future" - Interview with Desar Sulejmani and Pierre Weber (in Serbian) 

October 2021: "Building Musical Bridges" - Working phase and concert tour

• 31.10.2021: Interview of Desar Sulejmani for Europe House NewsBlog "Through culture we aim to unite the youth of Western Balkans" (in English, Albanian and Serbian)

• 22.10.2021: ARD (1st channel German TV), Weltspiegel, "A young orchestra against old conflicts", 10 minutes Youtube stream (in German) 

• 17.10.2021: ARD (1st channel German TV), Weltspiegel "A young orchestra against old conflicts", 6 minutes broadcasting (in German, link will be available only limited time)

• 17.10.2021: Albanian TV, program MAGDA, 2' clip about the Tirana concert, in Albanian, including interviews with Reinhard Goethe, Arsim Gashi, Suel Shtalbi, Boris Živanovic

• 16.10.2021: MPT 2 (2nd national TV channel in North Macedonia), program Motiv, "The Western Balkans Youth Orchestra - an initiative that aims to bring young people together giving peaceful messages", 12' feature of the Skopje concert, in Albanian, including interviews with Desar Sulejmani, Entela Qarkagjia, Dea Nicaj, Boris Živanovic, Enis Alji

• 15.10.2021: RTK2 (Kosovo TV, channel for Serbian minority), morning show "Dobro jutro" (in Serbian), Interview with Desar Sulejmani, Senka Vejzovi´c (2nd Violins, BiH) and Boris Živanovic (double bass, Serbia) 

• 14.10.2021: RTK1 (Kosovo TV), morning show "Mirëmëngjesi Kosovë" (in Albanian), Interview with Desar Sulejmani, Dea Nicaj (2nd Violins, Montenegro) and Enis Alji (Violoncello, North Macedonia)

• 13.10.2021: ATV (TV channel in Kosovo), morning show "Alarm" (in Albanian), Interview with Desar Sulejmani and Hana Abdullahi (2nd Violins, North Macedonia)

2020: First steps

• 27.02.2020: WDR (German broadcasting channel), Radio Program COSMO, Interview with Desar Sulejmani on Project WBYO (in German)

• 06.02.2020: Aachener Zeitung (Newspaper of Aachen/Germany), "Konzert: Ein Orchester für den Westbalkan" (in German)

¹  We regret that this article is behind a paywall. Should you be interested to receive the full text please contact info@wbyo.org.