The Gustav Mahler Jugendorchester elects new President

(Vienna, 19.11.20) At the general assembly in November 2020, the Gustav Mahler Jugendorchester (GMJO) elected Sarah Wedl-Wilson MA, President of the “Hanns Eisler” Musikhochschule in Berlin and Chairman of the Board of the Salzburg Easter Festival, as new President. Prof. Christian Strenger, board member of several cultural funding institutions, financial expert and founding member of the government commission “German Corporate Governance Code” was elected as the new treasurer.

Both follow on from the long terms of office of former Vice Chancellor Dr. Erhard Busek and Dr. Thomas Angyan, who have been made honorary members of the GMJO.

At the same time a number of important personalities have accepted membership of the Association of the Gustav Mahler Jugendorchester, including Dr. Brigitte Bierlein, former Federal Chancellor and President of the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Austria, univ. Prof. Dr. Clemens Jabloner, former Vice Chancellor and Federal Minister for Constitution, Reforms, Deregulation and Justice as well as President of the Administrative Court of the Republic of Austria, Ambassador, former Federal Minister for European and International Affairs Dr. Ursula Plassnik, management consultants and patrons of the arts Karin and Prof. Dr. h.c. Roland Berger, and many others.

Sarah Wedl-Wilson and Christian Strenger on their new appointment: “The Gustav Mahler Jugendorchester is an important milestone for young artists on their way to a professional musician career, a golden cord between student performance and the professional stage.

We are respectful of our responsibility to develop the legacy of Claudio Abbado for the future, to secure the passing on of musical traditions from one generation to the next: we accept this honour with great pleasure."

The Gustav Mahler Jugendorchester (GMJO) was founded by Claudio Abbado in Vienna in 1986 and is considered one of the world's leading institutions in the field of fostering young musicians’ talent. Together with major conductors and soloists, the GMJO is a regular guest at leading concert halls and festivals in Europe and around the world. Numerous former members can be found in all major orchestras, such as the Vienna and Berlin Philharmonic or the Staatskapelle Dresden, with which there has been a close partnership since 2012. The Gustav Mahler Jugendorchester has also been ambassador to UNICEF Austria since 2012.

The Gustav Mahler Jugendorchester would like to extend its thanks for the long-term granting of subsidies to: