The language of music unites people. And leads us, humanity, to new shores, tracks, and journeys every time. Discover. Your path. is the motto of the Western Balkans Youth Orchestra project in 2025. The aim of this year’s project is to bring young people from 14 European countries closer to this wonderful region through new, exciting musical and human paths in the Western Balkans.
Collaborating and conveying their message with full strength requires a significant amount of effort from all parties. The WBYO and its director, Desar Sulejmani, a German pianist and conductor with Albanian roots, rely on colorful programs in which the music of their home countries is always integrated, as can be experienced this summer in several countries of the Western Balkans.
The concert program carries the audience on a musical journey of discovery that spans different eras and styles, beginning with Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's opera The Magic Flute. With the world premiere of Entropic Freedom by the young composer and percussionist Maximilian Kilchert, the WBYO is setting new artistic accents, which at the same time also represent a better understanding of the important role of peaceful coexistence in general.
Before the break, the audience is taken into the fascinating sounds of Alexander Rimski-Korsakov, a notable Russian composer who impresses with his profound and emotionally charged compositions, followed by the passionate world of Georges Bizet's Carmen opera, which is characterized by energy, expressiveness, and passion.
Afterwards, the audience is treated to the colorful and lively works of the Mexican composer Moncayo, adding a cheerful and dance-like note to the program. The Western Balkans Youth Orchestra concludes this year‘s concert programme with the famous Bacchanale from the opera Samson et Dalila by the other French composer Camille Saint-Saëns, whose works often offer a fascinating mixture of virtuosity, exotic melodies, and powerful rhythms.
This program invites us all to follow our musical path and embark on a breathtaking journey of discovery, experiencing the diversity and beauty of the orchestral literature.
Program
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756 - 1791)
Overture of the opera The Magic Flute
Maximilian Kilchert (*2003)
Entropic Freedom (2025)
Nikolai Andreevich Rimski-Korsakov (1844 – 1908)
Cappricio Espagnol Op. 34
BREAK
Georges Bizet (1838 – 1875)
Symphonic movements of the opera Carmen
Les Toréadores
Prélude
Aragonaise
Intermezzo
Habanera
Chanson du Toréador
La Garde Montante
Dance Bohème
José Pablo Moncayo Garcia (1912 – 1958)
Huapango
Camille Saint-Saëns (1835 – 1921)
Bacchanale from the opera Samson et Dalila
Western Balkans Youth Orchestra
Desar Sulejmani, Conductor
Concert Date | Activity | City |
24.07. - 03.08.2025 |
Master classes and orchestra rehearsals |
Shkodra (AL) |
04.08.2025 |
Orchestra Concert | Shkodra (AL) |
06.08.2025 |
Chamber Concert | Ulqin (MNE) |
07.08.2025 |
Orchestra Concert |
Kotor (MNE) |
09.08.2025 | Orchestra Concert | Prishtina (RKS) |
10.08.2025 | Orchestra Concert | Skopje (NMK) |
13.08.2025 | Orchestra Concert | Novi Sad (SRB) |
Lecturers |
Önder Baloğlu
Lecturer of the 1st Violins and Strings, Dortmund, Germany
Bianca Adamek
Lecturer of the 2nd Violins, Dortmund, Germany
Boris Brezovac
Lecturer of the Violas, Belgrade, Serbia
Aleksandar Latković
Lecturer of the Violoncellos, Belgrade, Serbia
Gjorgji Cincievski
Lecturer of the Double Basses, Skopje, North Macedonia
Cem Önertürk
Lecturer of the Woodwinds, Ankara, Türkiye
David Bonet Piris
Lecturer of the Brass, Barcelona, Spain
Vera Seedorf
Lecturer of Percussion, Essen, Germany
Samia Bousbaïne
Lecturer of the Harp, Brussels, Belgium
Dinka Migić-Vlatković
Psychotherapist & Mental Coach, Croatia / Austria
Desar Sulejmani
Artistic Director & Conductor, Essen Germany
Orchestra lineup
First Violins
AYHAN, Furkan, Türkiye
BILGET, Duygu Defne, Türkiye
BONET MARTINEZ, Alba, Spain
BUTARU, Sofia, Romania
DEMIRTAŞ, Dide Naz, Türkiye
ERYILMAZ, Eylül, Türkiye/Germany
HATELLARi, Tedi, Albania
JOVIKJ, Jana, North Macedonia
NDREKA, Estera, Albania
Second Violins
ALAŞ, Serdar Burak, Türkiye
ALKAN, Fatma Nur, Türkiye
BAJRAMI, Aiola, Kosovo
HOCHSTRAT, Laura Katharina, Germany
KRTALIĆ, Ela, Bosnia and Herzegovina
LILO, Koreta Faith, Albania
MEYER, Eike Eamonn, Germany
ÖZCANOĞULLARI, Gülbahar, Türkiye
Violas
BARAN, İrem, Türkiye
BAYRAM, Irmak, Türkiye
GENCAL, Talia Ashat, Türkiye
KORUK, Özge, Türkiye
POLAT, Suna, Türkiye
UÇKUNER, Taha, Türkiye
Violoncellos
ÇAKAL, Efe Oğul, Türkiye
CRNOJEVIĆ, Stefan, Serbia
KARAHAN, Doğa, Türkiye
LINNEMANN, Katharina, Germany
MAVAŞOĞLU, Dora, Türkiye
UYSAL, Erdem, Türkiye
Double Basses
PEŠUT, Mihailo, Montenegro/Italy
TIRYAKI, Atilla Doruk, Türkiye
VELJANOV, Jovan, North Macedonia
YAMAN, Kemal Kaan, Türkiye
Flutes
GEROSKI, Nina, Serbia
JANSEN, Amelie, Germany
SINANI, Erika, Kosovo
Oboes
DESPIĆ, Sofija, Serbia
KIESS, Elisa Katharina, Germany
ORAL, Cenkay Başar, Türkiye
Clarinets
HASKIĆ, Adnan, Bosnia and Herzegovina
OBERŞTERESCU-HARŞİAN, Vlad, Romania
RUSKA, Mario, Greece/Netherlands
Bassoons
ENGLBRECHT, Moritz Jakob, Germany
GÜNGÖR, Selin, Türkiye
OGNJANOVSKI, Zlate, North Macedonia
Horns
AKBULUT, Çağan Kemal, Türkiye
BERIŞÁ, Kağan, Türkiye
BOLAT, Efe, Türkiye
GERBESHI, Rrezart, Kosovo
Trumpets
DE NADAI, Fabrizio, Italy
FEDERICI, Samuel, Italy
SCARPINA, Simone, Italy
Trombones
DEMIREL, Bozok, Türkiye
DINÇER, Gülnur Ada, Türkiye
MOLINA, Christian Manuel Tomas, Spain/Netherlands
Tuba
GÖKER, Çinar, Türkiye
Harp
MARKOVIĆ, Olga, Serbia
Percussion
ÇANAKÇI, Ege, Türkiye
DWORCZAK, Lennart, Germany
HRISTOVSKA, Kalina, North Macedonia
KILCHERT, Maximilian, Germany
NECHITA, Ioan, Romania
Artistic Director, Chief Conductor
Desar Sulejmani, Germany