Zug, 22nd January, 2021.
Solway Investment Group marks fifth anniversary of Salzburg Festival collaboration with launch of digital platform for young talent and their mentors
As the Salzburg Festival celebrates its centennial year, Solway Investment Group also commemorates its fifth anniversary of collaboration with the festival, with the launch of a new educational online platform based on its @creative.fellowship initiative. This exciting “edutainment” programme aims to engage young creatives from different cultures and teach them about cooperation, critical thinking, problem solving and English language skills through the arts.
The new @creative. fellowship talent showcase platform is a development of Solway’s existing young talent growth strategy run under the partnership with the Salzburg festival, which began in 2017 with residential youth opera camps, and more recently expanded to support jung&jede*r – the festival’s extensive performance scheduling for children and young people.
Ordinarily, @creative.fellowship applicants have the opportunity to experience the Salzburg Festival’s residential youth opera camps, which would be impossible in 2021 due to global travel restrictions. So, in response to the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, Solway has embraced the digital age and completely redesigned its youth initiative. In mid-February 2021, Solway, within its collaboration with the Salzburg Festival, will launch an expansive digital platform based on blending communication tools such as Zoom, WhatsApp, Miro and Notion with the resources of Instagram and TikTok.
In addition to English language tuition, which has always been included within the @creative.fellowship programme, interactive “Art Academy”, a series of sessions, introducing opportunity for cultural exchange, will be offered. The updated format will also include a eight-week music and dance online residency, run under the supervision of experts from the Salzburg Festival’s youth department.
“Collaboration with the Salzburg Festival began as pure philanthropy, and over the years has grown into a full-scale educational initiative which has been integrated into Solway’s ESG plans as one of the company’s education goals,” explained Dan Bronstein, Chairman of the Board of Solway Investment Group. “Our goal is to increase the number of young people and adults in our regions of operation such as Ukraine, North Macedonia and Guatemala, who possess relevant skills, including the technical and vocational skills required to secure employment, good jobs and foster local entrepreneurship.”
“In these unprecedented times for cultural institutions, we are thrilled to have an opportunity to explore the new realities of the digital world together with Solway. This educational journey through the new online universe gives us a powerful chance to reveal the significance of art in modern life. With all these tools on one platform, we can vividly illustrate that art and culture are not solely providers of entertainment but can also teach new generations life skills such as collaboration, communication and creation,” commented Helga Rabl-Stadler, President of the Salzburg Festival.
Full description of the project: https://solwaygroup.com/musiccamp/
Please refer additional questions and requests to the press office: media@solway.ch / +41417400400.
Notes to the Editor:
@creative.fellowship
@creative.fellowship is a voluntary community of philanthropists, educators and creative professionals from opera, ballet, theatre, classical music and visual- and applied arts who share their time and skills to support young artists and make classical arts more accessible to the next generation., .
@creative.fellowship initiative
The @creative.fellowship edutainment initiative is run within a partnership between Solway Investment Group and the world-renowned Salzburg Festival. It enhances the development of skills and competencies that boost creativity and encourages innovation and recognition of the work of young people. The fellowship supports young people living in the economically challenged countries pursue their creative potential, thereby contributing to an improvement in the quality of life.
The programme was launched in 2017 as a seven-month “edutainment” activity featuring virtual English language tuition and a trip to the Festival’s residential opera camp for the most outstanding students. The programme is tailored to support the finalists during their trip abroad and equips them not only with basic life skills such as travelling, food, health, but also exposes them to a variety of subjects connected to music, theatre and opera. During their English studies, @creative.fellowship candidates have the opportunity to interact with their fellow candidates from other countries to discuss the challenges and expectations of the programme. Over four years of the programme, over 200 candidates have completed the language education, 18 have attended the Salzburg Festival residential opera camps, and 3 have gone on to professions related to the subjects introduced during the project.
In 2020, to commemorate the 100th birthday of the world’s largest classic festival, the organisers extended the fellowship programme’s reach by inviting all talented citizens aged 14 to 17 in the regions of Solway’s operation to apply for the scholarship; namely Radovish, Stip and Konce (North Macedonia), El Estor (Guatemala) and Kirovogradky (Ukraine).
2020 was a challenge for the programme. The realities of the COVID-19pandemic and national lockdowns forced the programme to transform into an online education platform. However, this has marked a new chapter for both the organisers and participants; digitalisation of the programme substantially increases the number of young people and adults who have the opportunity to engage with the initiative and learn technical and vocational skills. The programme equips participants with tools such as computer literacy, networking and communications and English language proficiency, increasing prospects of future employment and encouraging entrepreneurship.
Lead donator: Solway Investment Group
Spotlight partner: Salzburg Festival
Educational partners: ZaZa Language School, History of Art Foundation Barcelona, Attitude Studios