Open to young musicians being in their academic education and aged between 18 and 27 years old our orchestra qualifies as a “Philharmonic Orchestra” with a repertoire of classic music of the outgoing 19th and beginning of the 20th century performing major symphonic works for large orchestras.

Our orchestra members are showing a large diversity of nationalities and are originating from all continets. Their common denominator is the fact that they are studying at a music university or academy to their majority in “greater Europe” including Russia. A special focus is given to orchestra members coming from Central and Eastern Europe.

We believe in the bridging and uniting power of music which can overcome and let forget separation, conflict and isolation.

As a complement to their university music education Animato Academy and Concert Tour should support Orchestra members to bridge the gap between their academic world and the one of their future professional life as a player in a professional orchestra. In addition having played so far usually in a university-orchestra Animato`s European wide concert tour with all its attraction of playing in famous concert halls, visiting and sightseeing  new European cities but also with the hardships of time constrained, potentially stress and travel challenges should provide participating young musicians with a new insight of a facet of their future career as Orchestra player.

In bringing our young orchestra members to leading European music centers and let them play – usually for the first time – in some of the most prestigious and historical music halls of the whole continent the particular spirit of the European classical music tradition should be provided to them.

Founded in 2005 by Animato Foundation, Switzerland, our orchestra shares the objectives of other international youth orchestras to bring together the best young musicians from different nationalities and to form a project orchestra being trained by outstanding conductors and coaches and to be able to give public concerts on a semiprofessional level.

Through its promoter – the Animato Foundation as a charitable institution– the Animato Orchestra is not depending on professional or financial support and therefore not exposed to involvement neither artistically not administratively from any public institution or private / commercial enterprise. This is distinguishing this youth orchestra from many others with similar objectives and programs.

Since 2006 the Animato Foundation has so far realized and successfully completed until 2018 seven Animato Academies & Concert Tours and more than 600 participating music students have become members of the Animato Foundation Orchestra. The cities visited included Bratislava, Berlin, Bern, Budapest, Graz, Istanbul, Karlsruhe, Ljubljana, Munich, Prague, Salzburg, Vienna, Zurich and others.

Major classical works performed by the Animato Foundation Orchestra at the public concerts included:

• Dvorak Symphony No. 8 (2006)
• Mahler, Symphony No. 1 (2008)
• Prokofjev, Romeo and Juliet (2010)
• Shostakovich, Symphony No. 5 (2012)
• Berlioz, Symphonie fantastique, op. 14 (2014)
• J. Tschaikovski, Symphonie Nr. 4 (2016)
• N. Rimsky-Korsakov, Scheherazade, op.35 (2018)

• Ralf Weikert, 2006
• Howard Grifftihs, 2008 – 2010 – 2012
• Thierry Fischer, 2014
• Pierre Bleuse, 2016
• Kevin Griffiths, 2018 – 2020

The key task to contact and fin music students qualified to become an Animato Orchestra member is supported by a number of leading European Music Academies and -universities by making their participation timewise possible. Some of these music academies and – universities are involved in the selection process by applying an internal auditios which is replacing the otherwise mandatory Animato Virtual Audition. Animato Foundation maintains such cooperation links with a number of Music Academies and Universities already for several years.