European Union Baroque Orchestra's Move to Belgium Not About Brexit

BroadwayWorld reported in February that the European Union Baroque Orchestra was moving to Belgium because of Brexit.

However, we are now learning that it may be more about money and finances than visas.

According to the EU Baroque Orchestra page:

The European Union Baroque Orchestra is unique: EUBO nurtures and supports young baroque music performers through the challenging transition between conservatoire study and the music profession.

The activities of EUBO are an integral part of the EUBO Mobile Baroque Academy (EMBA), a Creative Europe co-operation project 2015-2018 co-funded by the European Union.

From the EU Youth Orchestra page:

The EUYO is funded with support from the 28 member governments of the European Union.

With the support of the Creative Europe Programme of the European Commission

It doesn't seem all that remarkable to us that EU funded projects would like to remain in the EU in order to maintain their EU funding.

Because the European Union pays for these orchestras, then are based in the EU. After Brexit, the UK won't be in the EU, so the orchestras can't be based there.

Read more here.

The European Union Baroque Orchestra's modus operandi since its foundation in 1985 has been to audition and select new personnel annually. EUBO's ephemeral existence makes its concerts special: live performances enjoying all the technical accomplishment of the best young baroque musicians in Europe, allied to an infectious undimmed sense of discovery and enjoyment. "The young EUBO musicians play with a captivating freshness and vitality that is hard to match, though they are also as technically accomplished as the members of much more experienced groups." (Early Music)

Members of EUBO come from all over the EU to gain performing experience, working together with some of the world's finest baroque music specialists who nurture and influence the young EUBO musicians with their individual charismatic mixture of leading, educating and performing. Under the inspirational guidance of Music Director Lars Ulrik Mortensen and other leading baroque musicians EUBO performs throughout the EU. Margaret Faultless, Ton Koopman, Roy Goodman, Rachel Podger, Alfredo Bernardini, Paul Agnew, Gottfried von der Goltz and Stefano Montanari have all been guest directors in recent seasons. Over the years EUBO has recorded several CDs, the last four under the direction of Lars Ulrik Mortensen. The most recent release features Vivaldi's Four Seasons with four EUBO alumni as soloists, and Vivaldi's rarely recorded sonnets spoken in the original Italian.

Tours take the talented young orchestra to all corners of Europe - from celebrated city concert halls, to seaside summer festivals, to monasteries nestling in autumnal forests, and to winter celebrations in beautiful churches. And at the centre of these great arcs of European travelling EUBO has established residencies in several cities, most notably as 'orchestra-in-residence' in Echternach, Luxembourg, where, with the support of its local partners, it is creating a centre of excellence for baroque music. EUBO's touring programme is assisted by sponsorship from The Early Music Shop.

EUBO is delighted to be partnered by nine European organisations within a co-operation project 'EUBO Mobile Baroque Academy' with co-funding from the Creative Europe programme of the European Union. The project addresses the unequal provision across the EU of baroque music education and performance in new and creative ways. EUBO has been honoured with the status of Cultural Ambassador for the European Union in perpetuity.

Photo Credit: (c) EUBO

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