Back in full swing post-pandemic, FIM is excited to welcome international groups to its facilities, forging new partnerships and nourishing existing ones.

The Global Music Partnership was designed to foster creative collaboration in a diverse network of performing artists and organizations. It pushes the boundaries between countries, cultures and mediums. GMP projects take place across North America, Europe, Asia and the Middle East in a wide range of performing and recording venues including Carnegie Hall, United Nations, Estudio Uno, City University of New York, National Opera Center America and more. FIM Flint School of Performing Arts hosted a Global Music Partnership event May 24 through 27: the second Festival of Strings. FSPA welcomed string players from Philadelphia, Wilmington, East Lansing and Okemos, and the event also featured the Dort Honors String Quartet and members of the Flint Youth Symphony Orchestra.

Limonest Youth Orchestra, based in Limonest, France, visited FIM in July and collaborated with the Flint Youth Symphony Orchestra. This French-American Youth Orchestra is a 20-year partnership between Limonest Youth Orchestra and FYSO. The collaborative orchestra performed concerts in Flint July 2 and 4 with additional performances through the Communities First Inc. Culture Shock Program.

Limonest Youth Orchestra conductor Anthony Galinier said, “It is above all the chance to discover a new culture, different ways of life and thoughts. It is also the chance to discover and begin to understand a new language. This is an opportunity to live a real human adventure.”

In 2019, Limonest Youth Orchestra visited Flint for the first time with Galinier as conductor. “Making such a trip was very motivating for the young people. Their enthusiasm was great. We were welcomed in a very nice way and the two orchestras quickly united to form one. We really formed a big family for 10 days,” he shared. Gretchen Hill traveled to Limonest as a student in 2016 and her family hosted students from Limonest when they came to Flint.

“Being able to make music with a group of musicians speaking an entirely different language was a magical experience. We were able to read the notes on the page and create beautiful musical expressions by listening and responding to one another. I really enjoyed talking with the clarinet students from France and comparing the different repertoire we were learning and equipment we were using,” she said.

A new international collaboration is blossoming this year between FYSO and Ahrensburg Youth Orchestra, a group based in Ahrensburg, Germany. Ahrensburg Youth Orchestra invited FYSO to a festival in Germany in 2020, but it was canceled due to COVID-19. Then, FYSO was invited the following year, but could not attend, again due to COVID-19. With gratitude for the invitations, FYSO invited Ahrensburg Youth Orchestra to Flint this fall. From Sept. 29 through Oct. 8, the German youth orchestra will visit. This youth orchestra has an older average age than FYSO, so the FSPA students are looking forward to its mentorship during the visit. Flint Youth Symphony Orchestra plans to return the favor and visit Ahrensburg Youth Orchestra in June 2024.

Flint Youth Ballet travels to Austria every few years and traveled to Memphis this year. In Memphis, FYB spent several days with Collage Dance Collective, a Memphis-based ballet company and conservatory on a mission to inspire growth and diversity of ballet. Founded in New York City in 2006, Collage Dance Collec­tive received rave reviews for its 2007 national debut at the Lyric Opera House in Kansas City, Missouri. The company relocated to Memphis in 2007 to take part in the city’s exciting artistic renaissance. Since its move, the professional company has presented 11 full-length seasons in Memphis plus national and international touring. Collage Dance Collective also partners with FIM for The Nutcracker.

Additionally, FYSO has a sister youth orchestra in Paris: the Courbevoie Youth Orchestra. This group will visit Flint in summer 2024. It will be its fourth visit; the last being in 2017. In 2018, FYSO students visited CYO in Paris.

Hill’s mother, Jody Hill, is grateful for her daughter’s international experiences with FIM.

“Thanks to the international partnerships, my children were able to experience traveling abroad. I felt very comfortable sending them overseas knowing Mrs. Torre was so familiar with the places she was taking the students. One of our children has been back to Europe three times. I think her trips with FYSO helped her feel confident in returning on her own.”