We vieren de Dag van Europa op 9 mei met #Ode2Joy

Europa Nostra roept op om 9 mei als Europa Dag te vieren met een korte uitvoering van de tune van Ode an die Freude / #Ode2Joy 

Europa Nostra en Dag van Europa: 9 mei

Zutphens stadsbeiaardier Frans Haagen speelt Beethovens ‘Ode an die Freude’ voor 9 mei Europa Dag / Europa Nostra ‘Ode2Joy’

#Ode2Joy Challenge

Europa Nostra and its President Maestro Plácido Domingo are inviting citizens from the whole of Europe to participate in the #Ode2Joy Challenge ahead of this year’s Europe Day which will be celebrated on 9 May 2019. Launched at the beginning of the European Year of Cultural Heritage 2018, this creative initiative celebrates our shared cultural heritage and values as a positive and cohesive force for Europe and its citizens.

Participants are encouraged to make their own Ode to Europe by sharing on social media their reinterpretations of Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy” recorded at a meaningful heritage site. Maestro Plácido Domingo has also shared his own contribution: he conducted a performance of the “Ode to Joy” sang by a powerful chorus of 40 rising opera stars recorded in the historic Opera theatre of Sao Carlos in Lisbon, Portugal, during the rehearsals for the final gala evening of the 2018 Operalia’s World Opera Competition.

Since it kicked-off on 9 May 2018, over 130 contributions to the #Ode2Joy Challenge have been shared online from over 25 countries across Europe and beyond. A wide variety of convinced Europeans have accepted the challenge: from many enthusiastic citizens, but also to renowned artists (such as Maltese Tenor Joseph Calleja or Portuguese Fado singer Katia Guerreiro), famous choral ensembles (such as the RTÉ Philharmonic Choir), schools (such as the Natolin Choir of the College of Europe), and European policy-makers (such as European Commissioner for Culture Tibor Navracsics).

The participation of several European networks (e.g. ERIH , E-FAITH or the European Historic Houses Association) gave a particularly symbolic European dimension to the challenge, which also reached countries outside of the European Union and other continents through the large network of European delegations.

The #Ode2Joy Challenge will again culminate on the symbolic day of 9 May 2019 with the new contributions being revealed. Not only this is Europe Day, but also the day when EU leaders will discuss the Future of Europe at a European Council to be hosted by the Romanian Presidency of the European Union, in the historic city of Sibiu, just two weeks before the European Elections.

All contributions to the #Ode2Joy Challenge can be viewed via the dedicated YouTube playlist.

You can download promotional guidelines and social media material here.

How

• Everybody can do it and any creative initiative is welcome: e.g. a musical performance of Beethoven’s and Schiller’s original score or a reinterpretation, a photograph, a video, a drawing, a cartoon, an app, a game, design, a story or a poem. The participation of schools is also strongly encouraged;
• Record your creation at a heritage site which matters to you: a small chapel, a famous historic theatre, a garden in your village, a museum in your town, or in front of a beautiful landscape, the choice is yours!
• Share it on 9 May (Europe Day) on social media (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube) – using the hashtag #Ode2Joy and mentioning Europa Nostra’s social media account. It is also possible to submit your contribution by email to odetojoy@europanostra.org (it will be published by Europa Nostra).