In 2003 I was responsible for an international Conference/Showcase about Concerts for Young Audiences, called New Earports. It was a collaboration between our Scandinavian sister organizations and Jeunesses Musicales International. The event was supported by EU Culture 2000 funding.

I here quote the welcoming text from the program booklet. I think it reflects very much my view on the necessity to provide music and culture to the growing generation.

You can download the entire program further down.

Welcome to New Earports
Some weeks ago, when preparing this text, the idea was to present different aspects of musical communication between musicians and young audiences. We would touch on ideas about musicians and artists in schools, and speak of the urgent need to introduce young people to the rich and enigmatic world of music. With the appalling death of the Swedish Foreign Minister, Anna Lindh, a tragedy that almost paralyzed a whole nation and echoed throughout the world, suddenly the perspective was changed; reflections about human values and ethical considerations inevitably came more into focus.
We humans have a predisposition for structuring our lives, and we try to explain and understand the world around us with logical and rational thinking. We know much about what is best for us and have developed many sound ideas about how we should act and live together. But too often we do not act logically, and all too often things occur that definitely are not rational. And facing shocking irrationalities, like the murder of a minister or a child, we stand defenseless, incapable of finding reasonable explanations. All our logical thinking doesn’t seem to help much as we try to cope with frustration and deep sorrow. Arts and music cannot undo catastrophes, but music, painting, and dance are unique tools that can help us channel and handle some of these emotions. The arts can help us to conquer the demons inside us that we have to fight.
Of course, music and the other arts have the same potential when it comes to joy and happiness. Music can definitely bring people together and create human links and connections; it can generate exceptional and unbreakable bonds between souls. For us, this is just one of many reasons why it is urgent to introduce young people to a wide variety of art forms, including inspiring music of different kinds - music that can make deeper emotional impacts and that embraces a richness of expression. Our deepest wish, hopefully without seeming too pretentious, is that New Earports, in some small way, can contribute to a more positive set of human values.
Per Ekedahl
Rikskonserter/JM Sweden