YOUTH
FESTIVAL

Conductor: Daniel boico
Celebrating South Africa’s greatest talents

9 AUGUST | ODEION | 19:30

COMING UP

Youth Festival Concert

Saturday, 9 August 2025

This bi-annual event brings together South Africa’s greatest young soloists for an unforgettable evening of music. Performing alongside the FSSO under the baton of Daniel Boico, these soloists will showcase a rich and varied programme featuring instrumental and vocal works.

Gérard Korsten and Ben Schoeman

13 & 14 September 2025

Haydn: L’Isola disabitata
Ravel: Piano Concerto in G major
Mendelssohn: Symphony No. 3

Ho Chung Yeh

Saturday, 18 October 2025

Mozart: Overture to the Marriage of Figaro
Wang Chenwei: Thaipusam
Schumann: Symphony No. 2

Symphonic flair

Experience a night of brilliance with the Free State Symphony Orchestra under the baton of
acclaimed conductor Avlana Eisenberg, joined by internationally renowned pianist Ilya Friedberg.

Free state symphony orchestra

The Orchestra

The Free State Symphony Orchestra (FSSO) Company is home to the Free State’s only professional symphony orchestra and orchestral training programme and music-educational pipeline. Its mission is the seamless integration of music education and professional performance in the context of a symphony orchestra. The FSSO Company supports two orchestras: the Free State Symphony Orchestra (FSSO), and the Free State Youth Orchestra (FSYO).

Community & Education

The Free State Youth Orchestra (FSYO) is a key component of the FSSO Company. It acts as feeder orchestra for the FSSO and is an essential element of the music-educational pipeline. Its membership comprises senior learners as well as university students. Normally it rehearses every week and presents about two concerts per year. The FSYO also has other activities such as weekend ‘camps’ and tours.

Symphony for Life

This is the primary fundraising initiative of the FSSO, launched in June 2016. After many years in which the FSSO reliably received generous multi-year funding grants from the Lotto (the National Lotteries Commission), supplemented by an annual grant from the NAC (National Arts Council), these public funding sources have become rather uncertain.

experience full-length concerts on YouTube

Immerse yourself in the full concert experience by watching our complete recordings on YouTube. Don’t miss out on these unforgettable performances – click now to watch the full concerts!