Young musicians from both banks of the Dniester/Nistru River perform together in Chisinau

CHISINAU, 4 February 2015 – Young musicians from Chisinau, Tiraspol, Bender, Ribnita and Pervomaysk performed today together at the Chisinau National Philharmonic Concert Hall in a concert organized by the OSCE Mission to Moldova.

“Music encourages dialogue and it has been used as a way to bring people together, promote reconciliation in post-conflict societies and build new ties between communities,” said Michael Scanlan, Head of the OSCE Mission to Moldova. “This is why we support this concert,” he added.

During the concert, young musicians from music lyceums from Chisinau and the art schools from Tiraspol, Bender and Pervomaysk had the opportunity to perform for the first time in their careers with professional musicians from the Chisinau Symphonic Orchestra.

Irina Martiniuc, a senior musicologist and organizer of the event, was impressed by their talent. “It was overwhelming to see those young artists dancing, playing and singing with a professional orchestra. They were proud to be on the stage, and very enthusiastic about making new friendships across the river,” said Martiniuc.

About 400 children from different schools accompanied by their relatives and teachers enjoyed the concert, including from Transdniestria. The OSCE is organizing a second concert in Tiraspol involving young students from both banks later this year. The OSCE has been supporting such joint concerts since 2011.