RIAM was delighted to nominate violinist Katie Mercer to participate in the Erasmus Orchestra, an ensemble made up of student musicians from the 27 EU states. We are also looking forward to welcoming the orchestra onto the Whyte Recital Hall stage of the RIAM for a special concert on Friday 6th September, as part of the International Relations Coordinator Conference of the Association of European Conservatoires (AEC).
"It was a real pinch-me moment to end up on the striking stages of Teatro Niccolini in Florence and the Palacio de Congresos in Seville. Just one month earlier, I would not have believed it to be real.
This February, following on from a nomination from RIAM, I was thrilled to receive an invitation to participate in two performances with the Erasmus Orchestra. The orchestra was made up of students from conservatoires all around Europe. I was very excited to travel to Florence and Seville with them - two cities I had never been to before and both extremely beautiful!
We had an exciting programme for both concerts - featuring music from Carmen, Don Giovanni, the barber of Seville and many other beautiful works. One of my favourites was Intermezzo from Cavalleria Rusticana - it was a nerve-tingling piece to perform.
We performed at the opening of two EU events and one of the speakers managed to sum up the orchestra in a single sentence: we spoke many different languages, but we had one universal one - music. There was something really magical about playing with musicians from so many different conservatoires.
I met so many amazing people and musicians during the two projects! I am very grateful to Erasmus+ Indire and RIAM for making this wonderful experience possible.
It is very exciting news that the Erasmus Orchestra is coming to Dublin in September 2024. I can't wait for the fantastic performance brought to Florence and Seville to come to RIAM."