How do you get young people into concert halls? Invite piano duo Lucas and Arthur Jussen along with a pair of brilliant percussionists!

As part of this year’s Prague Spring Festival, we organised a public dress rehearsal for children from across the Czech Republic. On 3 June at the Rudolfinum, their musical guides were pianists Lucas and Arthur Jussen, the outstanding percussion duo Alexej Gerassimez and Emil Kuyumcuyan, and presenters Klára Boudalová and Tereza Dubsky. For most of the nearly 500 children in attendance, it was their very first concert. And we would happily bet that it won’t be their last!

Many thanks to the pupils of Kyjovice Primary School for their wonderful feedback!
🎶 Thank you so much – it was really exciting. I’ve never been to a better concert.
🎶 My favourite thing about the trip to Prague was the concert, especially the drums.
🎶 Thank you for letting us come to the concert. I really liked the quieter parts.
🎶 I was really looking forward to the trip to Prague, and the concert was the best part. The piano playing was absolutely amazing – I wish I could play like that. I also loved how the percussionists performed with the little robot.
🎶 I really enjoyed the chats with the musicians.
🎶 It was awesome that we got to hear the best piano duo in the world live.
🎶 I loved how perfectly together all the musicians were.
🎶 My favourite bit was when the percussionists were playing all sorts of different objects.
🎶 Dear musicians, I loved everything, but my favourite part was Alex and Emil’s drumming. I liked how they played with toys and all kinds of different things. I really, really enjoyed it. From B.
🎶 Thank you for the dress rehearsal!
Dear drummists and pianists, Lucas and Arthur. You really rock on the piano! Alex and Emil, the things you come up with are incredible. A mixer, a wind-up toy – honestly, how do you even think of that? Thank you for the whole concert. We’re from the Czech Republic, and even in Ostrava we don’t have audiences as well behaved as this one. Your concert moved me so much I almost cried. With great admiration, MK

The project was organised in cooperation with the Helping Schools Succeed programme, which forms part of the activities of The Kellner Family Foundation.