DUEN – the national team of young skilled string players
DUEN – Danish National Youth Ensemble – consists of 25 highly skilled string players.
The core repertoire of the ensemble is classical music. Since 2004, when DUEN was founded, it has played more than a 100 concerts in Denmark and abroad.
The experienced conductor and artistic leader, Morten Ryelund, energetically inspires the members of the ensemble. The orchestra is popular and has a wide public appeal.
The members of DUEN are selected from amongst the most talented string players in Denmark. They have all passed the rigorous test that allows them to become part of the ensemble.
The string players meet regulary for musical projects, always with a common ambition about performing at the highest level. The keyword among the members of DUEN is an inspiring musicality at a very high tecnical level.
Most of DUEN’s string players study at the Danish academies of music. Since 2004, several hundreds of musicians have been members of the ensemble.
Today many of them have made a career by playing in the professional symphony orchestras.
Ancient and contemporary music
The repertoire of DUEN is a mix between baroque, classic, romantic string serenades and complex works by modernist composers like the Austrian Arnold Schönberg. Moreover, the orchestra has played pieces by the outstanding Danish contemporary composers Anders Koppel, Ib Nørholm and Per Nørgård.
In 2015, DUEN is celebrating the Danish composer Carl Nielsen and the Finnish composer Jean Sibelius, both would have turned 150 this year. The celebration features concerts in Denmark and in the Netherlands with music by the two famous composers.
The ensemble will also record a CD called ”Nordic Sound” with works by Nielsen an Sibelius.
Regularly, the Danish Radio broadcasts concerts with DUEN, and the ensemble has appeared in six TV programmes. Playing live music examples, DUEN put the classical master pieces of the 20th century into a historical context.
At the famous Roskilde Festival for rock and pop music and at the Copenhagen based festival of electronic music called ”Strøm”, DUEN has inspired new audiences to listen to and appreciate classical music.
Great soloists on stage
DUEN has accompanied some of the most talented Danish soloists from the classical music scene, e.g. the young cellist Andreas Brantelid and the recorder player Michala Petri. Moreover, DUEN has made exciting co productions with prominent musicians from the rock and pop scene. Most recently, the ensemble played with the Danish electronica orchestra called ”Panamah”.
From DRUEN to DUEN
Originally, DUEN was named DRUEN, being founded by the Danish Radio.
For economic reasons, The Danish Radio ceased to support the orchestra back in 2011. Donations from The Danish Arts Foundation, Bikubenfonden, Den Obelske Familiefond, Augustinus Fonden, Færchfonden a.o. have made it possible to continue the work of the ensemble. From the very outset, Morten Ryelund has been the charismatic and enthusiastic leader of DUEN.
Since 2012, DUEN has represented Danmark in The European Federation of National Youth Orchestras (EFNYO). This membership gives the ensemble a great opportunity to network with other youth ensembles, both in Scandinavia and in the rest of Europe.
Striving for perfection
The young musicians in DUEN are focused on performing the most demanding pieces of the classical music literature. They constantly strive for perfection. As a group the ensemble is very succesful at playing at a very high standard, often beyond the expectations of the individual musicians when they first join the ensemble.
With 20 years of experience in coaching young string players, Morten Ryelund has an inspiring teaching style that nurtures and develops the young talents individually while at the same time providing them with a deeper understanding of the music as a whole.
