Here’s an imaginative depiction of how people in Europe enjoy music at home: Parents and children play instruments together. Children naturally learn music by observing their parents play instruments or sing. Often, those who learn music at home from early childhood continue playing throughout their lives. Their social lives frequently revolve around music. This is also why the audience level is high in Europe.
I discuss the charming city of Dordrecht, the annual venue for the Wijnhaven Festival, an amateur chamber music festival held every September with support from the ACMP (Associated Chamber Music Players). This year marks the festival’s 10th anniversary. The Van Baerle Trio and other professional musicians, who also serve as teaching staff, kicked off the event with an enchanting opening concert. Seventeen ensembles took part in the festival, fostering musical camaraderie through four lessons and a concluding concert. The coaching standards are exceptionally high, necessitating participants to have prepared adequately prior to their arrival in Dordrecht. The participation fee is reasonable; in fact, some musicians participants/organizers open their home with their piano, which helps save classroom rental expense. During the weekend, musicians of different generations share their passion for music by playing together, which professional musicians appreciate a lot.

In order to explain how amateurs practice began in the past, I give an overview on music practice in the 19th century in Europe : women played an important role to develop home music practice by the salon concerts…etc. In bourgeois families, they had a piano at home and women gave lessons to children.

In order to play chamber music, it is necessary to see musicians regularly. In case of the Netherlands, a small country, it is quite easy to organize between musicians. That is probably the reason why the Dutch amateur chamber musicians play very actively.

In the final part, I mention two important points hoping Korean music professionals take them in consideration :

– Learning to playing music by reading scores is to be considered at the same level of learning to read books, because music is human-being’s common heritage, to be shared together. An amateur music festival is probably one of the best ways of sharing it.

– Music playing help people understand and listen to one another, so it contributes to a better social life. And it also contributes to level up the concert hall audience’s ear and professional classical stages by consequence.

FRom the Music Journal, Korea by Marine PARK, Paris, FRancE