European Youth Music Alumni
European Youth Music has a history spanning over 50 years with over 2,000 participants. We have a strong alumni global community, and in 2022, we celebrated our 50th anniversary by reuniting alumni for a special performance. Performers ranged from the early days when we were known as Anglo-German Music with Jeff Babb to more recent participants. We're proud of the international musical community we've created, which includes a few weddings among past participants! Join us in celebrating decades of music, memories, and friendship.
Hear from Craig, our Alumni Engagement Coordinator, about staying connected through our alumni network and supporting future generations of Music Week.
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Behind every rehearsal, every concert, and every young musician's journey is a community of supporters. Your donation helps us create unforgettable musical experiences and keep our courses accessible to talented young people across Europe.
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The music lives on
INSPIRE THE NEXT GENERATION
Browse photographs, concert recordings and personal stories from alumni across the decades. From unforgettable performances to lifelong friendships, discover the moments that make European Youth Music so special.
Read alumni reflections, revisit past Music Weeks and contribute your own memories to help preserve our shared history.
Let the music guide you
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2018
Kieran - 2018
'Another day of rehearsals was topped off with Karaoke night, featuring an eclectic mix of songs and performances, uncovering new talent from amongst the staff, conductors and participants, and introducing all to hits from a list of countries almost as diverse as the people singing them (26 countries and 35 languages represented in total!). While we might – at the time – have been thoroughly thanking ABBA for the music, our throats weren’t the next morning, and luckily we didn’t need our voices in order to reel through Marquez’ raucous Conga del Fuego Nuevo, which snapped us right back into the form needed for the rest of the day’s rehearsals.'
Matty
'It has been one of the greatest experiences I could ever hope for. I have been blessed to have experienced the incredible orchestra and the special refugee choir, both of which have been inspirational.'
'My words cannot not sum up EYMW well enough but what I can say is that is it a week of memories, fun, music and a place where friends for life are made.'
Kate - 2001-2008
'My time at EYMW taught me that good quality music-making is primarily for enjoyment and enrichment. Once I entered the world of "Music College" I began to forget this and take myself too seriously; EYMW brought me joyfully back to reality.'
Julia - 2017
'At breakfast, the demand for coffee increased. Nobody understood how the conductors still looked so happy - we were finding the music so challenging!'
'Our afternoon trip to Aachen was spent in the sun, visiting coffee shops and the Cathedral. In the evening, there was much chatter and laughter.
At the Chamber Music Concert, Andy the conductor started playing "Bohemian Rhapsody" on the piano to silence us, but we all started singing along.'
Udo Stampa
Udo Stampa played trombone in the very first EYMW (then known as the Anglo German Youth Music Week (AGYMW). Her story shows the importance of the course in building relationships between two countries formerly at war.
I attended the course in 1968 and 1972. The very first Anglo-German Music Week took place in surroundings with truly historical implications: Trent Park. During the Second World War it was a Prisoner of War camp for German officers, and was now being used as a meeting place for young musicians from the formerly hostile nations. I still remember the night sky appearing a carroty orange colour on account of many London street lanterns.
​The year was 1968, a feeling of awakening everywhere and the hair grew longer. Under the leadership of Norman Hearn, the first music director of Cambridge College of Arts and Technology, we had premiered a large-scale work for choir and symphony orchestra. Furthermore there were lots of rehearsals: choir, orchestra and chamber music. The standard was high and the final concert lasted until half past one in the morning!
I was 14 year old those days, the baby of the course, and got lost right at the beginning. I had to take a taxi, but the cabby did not know where Trent Park was and brought me at first to the police, who likewise did not know anything about an Anglo German Music Festival, and then delivered me to a YMCA Hostel. But the other side had meanwhile investigated, where their baby was and as I had just fallen asleep I was woken up by a German speaking person who told me I was being picked up now. I will never forget the reception at Trent Park: Having had no food for more than 24 hours I got a wonderful English meal. Meat (cooked in water), vegetables (cooked in water) and potatoes (cooked in water). Delicious! A revelation!'
Tell Us Your European Youth Music Story
We invite you to share your own story and photographs with us. Please contact us if you’re interested. Please note that any information you provide will be used in a public setting. We may edit or remove content, especially if it is deemed sensitive.
