ASpaceforResonance

Opening Speech – ZYC Prize Winners' Concert — The Contest 2026

Ladies and gentlemen, dear teachers, parents, and everyone who accompanies these young people, dear guests, and most especially — dear prize winners: My name is Andrea Raschèr. I am President of the Förderstiftung Musik Zürich — the foundation that makes Zurich Youth Classical possible and sustains it — and I am Executive Director of Zurich Youth Classical. A warm welcome to a special morning.

Today we celebrate the prize winners' concert of the first edition of Zurich Youth Classical — The Contest 2026. A moment that many of you have worked toward for a long time. With curiosity, courage — and with real passion for music.

If music be the food of love, play on; give me excess of it, that, surfeiting, the appetite may sicken, and so die.

Shakespeare wrote these words as the lament of a lover who needed music to satisfy his hunger. But anyone who truly knows music — who experiences it from within, the way you do — knows: this appetite never dies. It grows. It deepens. It becomes a way of life. That is exactly what we wanted to see at ZYC: genuine feeling, personality, the will to express, and your own musical voice.

The Förderstiftung Musik Zürich created Zurich Youth Classical because we are convinced: musical talent deserves more than recognition. It deserves space — to grow, to be shown, to connect. ZYC is not a classic conventional comparison of achievement. It is a space for resonance. A place where the focus is not on rankings, but on your artistic identity. Every participant chose a program that suits them — their own stage of development, their own personality. That takes courage. And it is exactly this courage that deserves its big moment on stage today.

This first edition of ZYC was only possible thanks to an extraordinary team. As artistic supervisor, Oliver Schnyder assembled the jury and shaped the entire process — from pre-selection to this very moment — with his personal touch. For that, I thank him and all the members of the jury most warmly. As Head of the Artistic Office, Valérie Probst organized everything and, working behind the scenes, made it possible for this day to become what it is today. A performance of the highest caliber — thank you very much. And a very special thanks goes to you — the teachers and parents who accompany, encourage, and support these young musicians every single day.

And now: let us listen to music. Let us experience what happens when young people step onto the stage and truly want to say something.

I hereby declare the ZYC prize winners' concert — The Contest 2026 — officially open.

Thank you very much.

Closing Speech – ZYC Prize Winners' Concert — The Contest 2026

Ladies and gentlemen, dear guests, and most especially: dear prize winners.

What a morning. I believe I speak for everyone in the hall when I say: today we experienced something that will stay with us. Not only because of the musical quality — though it was extraordinary. But because of the attitude we saw on this stage. Because of the presence. Because of the courage to truly be there.

The first ZYC — The Contest has thus come to a close. A milestone for the Förderstiftung Musik Zürich — and, I hope, for you personally as well.

What remains after this day? The experience of having stood on a great stage. The knowledge that your music moved something. The moment when you felt: I have something to say — and people are listening. That cannot be taken away. That belongs to you. ZYC does not end today. It is only just beginning.

My heartfelt thanks go to you, dear participants — for your courage, your work, and your music.

Until we meet again — at the next ZYC.

And now I warmly invite you all to the reception. Enjoy the conversation, celebrate these young musicians — and the music that connects us all.

Thank you very much.