The Contemporary Music Academy of the JONDE

(Doce Notas/Preliminares magazine, Issue 16. Madrid, December 2005)


The eminently pedagogical nature of the Spanish National Youth Orchestra (Joven Orquesta Nacional de España, JONDE) would be incomplete if its objectives did not include a balanced focus on contemporary musical creation. Thus, the "ideal" program for an orchestra session includes, alongside a symphonic work and a soloist concert piece from the traditional repertoire, two contemporary works: one drawn from the 20th-century core repertoire and another, necessarily more current, by a living composer. Whenever possible, the composer is invited to participate in the session for several days, acting as a professor of analysis and interpretation of their own work. This includes guiding the sectional rehearsals and actively participating in the general rehearsals in close coordination with the conductor.
It is in this latter case that a youth orchestra finds its full purpose. While, under normal circumstances, a repertoire piece is worked on progressively, with the work initially overseen by sectional tutors before the guest conductor addresses interpretive matters in the tutti rehearsals, this approach becomes indispensable for contemporary works. For young musicians, most of whom have had little exposure during their formal studies to music outside the traditional repertoire, many technical, musical, and even notational aspects of contemporary works are unfamiliar.
Professional orchestras, as one might expect, dispense with this initial phase of tutored preparation, often tackling each new weekly program with very limited rehearsal time. While this may suffice for conventional symphonic repertoire, it is wholly inadequate for contemporary works -particularly world premieres or pieces being played for the first time by a specific orchestra. In such cases, the programmed work is as new to a youth orchestra as it is to a professional one. The difference lies in the faster preparation expected of the latter, given its members' greater resources and experience.
In addition to the instrumentalists and their varying capacities to approach new repertoire, it is also worth noting that the composer often plays an active -and, many times, decisive- role in the preparation of a new work. Drawing on my experience both as a composer who has frequently faced this situation with professional orchestras and, for several years now, as the artistic director of a youth orchestra, the JONDE, I can attest to the invaluable role of the composer in these settings. The JONDE frequently programs new works, with the composer actively involved in their preparation.
This allows me to speak to the enthusiasm with which composers, without exception, immerse themselves in and deeply engage with this unique experience. The process involves "guiding the work by the hand" from the moment it is placed on the stand for the sectional tutors to begin unraveling its complexities to its final, fully honored performance during the concert tour that concludes each session.
Thus, with the same rigor applied over the past five years to JONDE's performances of the symphonies of Brahms, Mahler, Bruckner, or Sibelius, and the major works of Strauss, Debussy, Stravinsky, or Bartók, the orchestra has also delivered exemplary renditions of some of the most iconic pieces of 20th-century repertoire and even more recent contemporary works. Examples include Schoenberg's Chamber Symphony No. 2, Messiaen's L'Ascension, Lutoslawski's Symphony No. 3, Grisey's Les espaces acoustiques, and Boulez's Rituel in memoriam Bruno Maderna.
In addition, many Spanish composers of various schools have had the "luck of the draw" to be programmed by JONDE and, as a result, to live and work with the orchestra for a few days. Among them are Jordi Cervelló, Ángel Oliver, Ramón Lazkano, Joan Guinjoan, Alejandro Civilotti, Gabriel Erkoreka, Agustín Bertomeu, Josep Soler, Antón García Abril, Francisco Lara, Pilar Jurado, and Roberto López, among others -all within the past five years.
Although orchestra members initially show some reluctance toward contemporary music -undoubtedly a result of a musical education skewed almost entirely toward classical and romantic repertoire-, it is both gratifying and hopeful to observe how exposure to new repertoire gradually wins them over. Not only has resistance to programs featuring new works become rare, but some proposals have sparked overwhelmingly positive reactions from the musicians. One such initiative is the Contemporary Music Academy.
The Academy was established in early 2003 through an initiative by INAEM's Center for the Promotion of Contemporary Music (CDMC). It proposed a collaboration with the Spanish National Youth Orchestra to create a chamber ensemble of 15 to 25 musicians, drawn from current and former members of the orchestra. The aim was to offer these musicians further training in 20th-century repertoire interpretation while laying the groundwork for a future professional ensemble that could provide a stable alternative to the existing groups, which largely consist of orchestral players sporadically engaging in secondary activities centered on this repertoire.
In its first year, the Academy's musical direction was entrusted to Arturo Tamayo, with CDMC managing the organizational side, while JONDE provided the musicians and, in some cases, the instruments themselves (harp, celesta, percussion, double basses, etc.). From the start, the Contemporary Music Academy generated significant interest, a success confirmed by its debut concert in February 2003 at the National Music Auditorium's Chamber Hall, followed by other meetings and concerts in Madrid, Vienna, and Graz. During this first year, several tutors also participated in the final concerts, including Salvador Espasa (flute), Juanjo Guillem (percussion), and Giovanna Reitano (harp).
The challenging repertoire for the various concerts was executed effectively by the group of tutors and students, ensuring the initiative's continuation. However, it soon became clear that CDMC lacked the necessary organizational infrastructure to sustain an activity of this nature. Consequently, the roles were reversed: JONDE assumed responsibility for the technical and artistic management of the training activities -since they involved its musicians and instruments- while CDMC took charge of organizing some of the concerts on the final tour.
From 2004 onward, the Contemporary Music Academy became one of JONDE's most significant activities, following the same educational approach as the orchestra itself. The Academy was restructured as a pedagogical program in the form of teaching sessions, each led by a different conductor specializing in the programmed repertoire. Since then, the Academy has convened at least twice a year. In both instances, the repertoire is prepared through sectional rehearsals with specialized tutors, followed by ensemble rehearsals under the direction of the conductor appointed for that session. Each session concludes with a short tour of two or three final concerts.
The first annual session takes place in collaboration with the Composition Camp organized by the Ministry of Social Affairs' Youth Institute (INJUVE) every July in Mollina, Málaga. This camp hosts a significant number of young Spanish and Latin American composers, tutored by internationally renowned composition professors. For this activity, the Academy performs a concert featuring works by the camp's faculty, alongside a professional ensemble that interprets the pieces composed by the students.
The second annual session is held during the first half of December at Castillo-Palacio de Magalia in Las Navas del Marqués. In 2005, this session was conducted by Juan José Olives and featured works by Franz Schreker, David del Puerto, Sofia Gubaidulina, and Anton Webern.
The repertoire for Academy sessions and concerts spans representative 20th-century works, such as Schoenberg's Chamber Symphony No. 1, Stravinsky's The Soldier's Tale, Varèse's Octandre, and Xenakis's Anaktoria, as well as more recent pieces by Roman Haubenstock-Ramati, José Mª Sánchez-Verdú, José García Román, Gonzalo de Olavide, Jorge Fernández Guerra, Rafael Reina, Salvatore Sciarrino, and James Dillon. It also includes compositions by resident composers associated with JONDE, such as Xavier de Paz and the aforementioned David del Puerto.
Since its full integration into JONDE, the Contemporary Music Academy has been considered an extraordinary activity, meaning participation is entirely voluntary for young musicians. Unlike JONDE's purely symphonic activities, this initiative invites not only current members but also alumni, offering them an opportunity to deepen their expertise in this repertoire while maintaining a connection with the orchestra.
Contrary to expectations, securing the necessary musicians for each session has not been a problem. On the contrary, the number of applicants far exceeds the available spots -more than 60 applied for the latest session, which required a maximum of 24 musicians. This high level of interest reflects the exposure to contemporary music that members gain during their time in the orchestra and the opportunities it opens for them to explore a repertoire that was previously unknown.
In this sense, the Contemporary Music Academy plays an essential role, enriching the training of its participants and promoting a diverse repertoire that is, in any case, indispensable knowledge for young musicians who must embrace the music of their time.

José Luis Turina
Artistic Director of JONDE