1000+ Concerts: Year One Recap

In its inaugural year, “1000+ Concerts: Innovating Higher Music Education Through Social Inclusion”, set out to reimagine how classical music is taught and shared across Europe. Launched in October 2024 by a consortium of ten European partners, the initiative draws on the Musethica concept, bringing young musicians and their tutors to social institutions to perform for marginalised audiences and communities.

The numbers tell the story

From retirement homes and hospitals to special needs schools and correctional facilities, the project turned daily-life spaces into lively concert halls. Over the course of 12 months, the project hosted 21 Musethica Sessions and two Chamber Music Festivals. 250 concerts was the goal, and it was already surpassed in Year One:

• 224 concerts in 180+ social institutions

• 37 public concerts in concert halls across seven countries

• With the coaching of 18 dedicated tutors, a total of 99 young musicians had the unique opportunities to learn and develop their performance skills

• 13.039 listeners were reached to connect with the music and musicians

For the musicians, it was a chance to deepen their artistry in dialogue with diverse communities. For the audiences, it was often a unique and lasting encounter with live classical music.

“Musethica challenges you to grow in different ways because you constantly find yourself in new situations and environments. I don't know why but the concerts in the prison felt and were different. The power of music was very clear when the room suddenly turned silent, it is not something that happens very often.”

— Klara Kotarsky, violist, Norrköping December 2024

Beyond the stage

While the music was happening inside, the conversation spilled outside. Social-media posts published during the concert weeks alone gathered over 1 million views. With the partners’ joint newsletter articles, the project’s story was shared with over 19.000 subscribers.

Next to 261 concerts, the initiative featured a range of activities to foster music education and cultural exchange across Europe. From a “Career Development Workshop” for musicians to a concert video library, or laying the groundwork for impact evaluation, the first year of the project brought several highlights:

As part of the "New Audience Symposia" series, three digital dialogues among partner organisations and social institutions took place to explore the impact of live classical performances on diverse audiences. Read more about the first-hand experiences and feedback on concerts held in special education schools, psychiatric hospitals, and correctional facilities.

Eleven seminars on “The Art of Practicing” blended lectures with interactive discussion, inviting musicians of all levels to reflect on their approach to daily instrumental practice. From technical routines to mental strategies, these seminars offered new perspectives on the often repetitive nature of instrumental practice. One of these conversations featuring Avri Levitan and Yamen Saadi is available on the Nowa Miodowa Podcast (May edition).

Finally, together with EcoTree, the project made a contribution to support sustainable forestry and the preservation of biodiversity in Europe: For each concert played, we funded the planting of a tree: 250 trees was the goal, and 250 trees were planted!

To watch all concerts past and present, why not have another look at the 1000+ Concerts YouTube channel? It’s filling up fast with new videos of beautiful concert experiences.

Year One was the overture. There is more to come.