The EACD 2024 Annual Meeting, with the Bruges Concert Building as its main venue and its theme: “Composing a new symphony – Challenging times, new collaborations”, can only start in one possible way: an Opening Concert. This concert will be led by conductor Dirk Lievens, the Youth Orchestra for Strings and include children from the region with and without disabilities. The concert will be preceded by 1.5 years of preparation, allowing children with and without disabilities, who may otherwise have never met, to get in contact with each other to make music together. The goal is the journey, the journey is the goal. The children made music together with their schools – including Dominiek Savio (Gits/Bruges) and De Kade (Bruges), choirs and orchestras from the region. This brings them to a final climax: the concert and dance performance at the Concertgebouw on Wednesday May 29th, 2024.

Improved accessibility to music and art activities and events is one of the long-term impact intentions of the EACD 2024 Impact Task Force. We hope that this Opening Concert will be the start of a long-term collaboration, and a new musical boost in the region for everyone regardless of their (dis)abilities, but all with their own unique talents.