Hosted by SONG Sistema Lombardia together with Fondazione Pasquinelli, the gathering brought together organisations and practitioners from across Europe to share experiences, ideas and practices around music and social action.
The programme was developed within the framework of the Erasmus+ KA153 Mobility for Youth Workers project and featured contributions from all the countries involved. It offered a valuable opportunity to learn from different contexts and approaches, strengthen collaboration across the network and celebrate the power of music as a tool for social change. The project was co-funded by the European Union.
As part of the programme, Ron Davis Álvarez led Storytelling, Gesture and Creativity in Orchestra, an interactive workshop for orchestra conductors, music educators and teaching artists.
Drawing on the Dream Orchestra Learning Model, participants explored how storytelling, imagery, gesture and creativity could become powerful tools in rehearsals and performances. The workshop offered practical approaches to inspire musicians, communicate artistic ideas more effectively and create deeper engagement through narrative and imagination.
It also invited participants to see conducting as an act of communication, connection and transformation - helping create meaningful musical experiences for both musicians and audiences.
The gathering created a special moment for the whole network to meet, exchange, learn from one another and strengthen connections across Europe.
For Dream Orchestra, these conversations were closely connected to what happened in our rehearsals every week: creating spaces where people could learn together, take responsibility, build relationships and grow through music.
We were happy to bring our experience into the conversation - and to bring new ideas back to our orchestras.