The staff of the Erasmus Orchestra is selected through public tenders addressed to European Conservatoriesand Music Institutes, which can participate by communicating students who have lived or are living an Erasmus mobility experience.
In 2023 the project expanded to include students from Conservatoires and Music Institutes across all Erasmus+ countries. For this new development, the Erasmus+ Italian National Agency Indire started an international collaboration with the Association Européenne des Conservatoires, Académies de Musique et Musikhochschulen (AEC).
In November 2024 a new call for EO staff integration (addressed only to selected instruments) has been launched with deadline January 11th 2025 (postponed to January 20th 2025, 23:59 CET).
Selection procedure and results
The application can be submitted only by Higher Music Education Institutions from Erasmus+ countries, on behalf of their students.
Selected students respect the following requirements at the time of submitting the application:
General admission requirements:
to be enrolled in a Higher Music Education Institution in one of the countries taking part in the Erasmus+ Programme;
to be a citizen of one or more countries participating in the Erasmus+ Programme;
to be at least 18 years old.
Specific requirements (mandatory for priority students):
Having completed or currently undertaken an Erasmus+ mobility for study and/or traineeship (inbound or outbound);
Technical-artistic mastery: achievement of excellent results in the mastery of at least one of the instruments indicated in this document, in terms of qualifications and experience, as well as in artistic, theoretical, and practical preparation, including vocal performance in the specified specialties (The respect of this criterium is asked to the Higher Music Education Institutions in their selection of candidates);
Type of instrument family.
The evaluation of the candidates is carried out by the Erasmus+ INDIRE Agency. The selection of suitable candidates for the Erasmus Orchestra performances will take into consideration the technical requirements of each programme / repertoire, taking into account the advice of the artistic director of the project as reported in the call notice.
The procedure includes the creation of two lists of idoneous students to ensure a structured and transparent selection process:
Priority students: Candidates who fully meet the selection criteria outlined in the official call notice (General requirements and Specific requirements) are placed on the “Priority Students” list (Annex A);
Eligible students: Those who meet the General admission requirements but don’tcompletely achieve the Specific requirements are classified as “Eligible Students”, and included in a secondary list (Annex B). This list may be consulted if additional placements become available due to the unavailability of priority students.
The selection of students from both lists for Erasmus
Orchestra performances will take into account the repertoire requirements of
each concert, as well as the students’ level of proficiency, location of the
events and previous participations.
Concert schedules are flexible and not predetermined, as the Orchestra has mainly a promotional purpose. It can be exceptionally requested by institutions and stakeholders of the program on an ongoing basis, without a fixed notice period. However, convocations will be made by direct contact (email) of the EO staff to the selected students at least one month before each event, taking into consideration the recommendations of the project’s technical-artistic director, Maestro Elio Orciuolo (as reported in the call notice).
Following the selection process, the Agency will inform the selected students via email regarding the details of each performance. This will ensure proper coordination of orchestral rehearsals and participation in concerts.
Participation in the activities of the Erasmus Orchestra is entirely free of charge. Travel, meals, and accommodation expenses are covered by the Agency or the organizational partners of each concert, but no financial compensation is provided to the students. Additionally, for each production, the contribution of the selected students’ home conservatories may be requested.
A certificate of participation for the involved students will be issued for each event.