Salzburg Youth Orchestra performs with Mozart’s violins in the Vatican

By Gudrun Sailer

September 2 was an incredibly special day for a group of young musicians from the Salzburg Youth Orchestra “Bella Musica”.

The Vatican leg of their Italian tour, following in the footsteps of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, had come about rather spontaneously. Then they received an unexpected gift. At the end of the General Audience on September 2, Pope Leo XIV took one of the two original Mozart violins in his hands – the Dalla Costa violin, Mozart’s concert violin from his time in Vienna. The Mozarteum Foundation, which owns it, had brought it to Rome along with Mozart’s childhood violin. 

Anna Honsig-Erlenburg, Linus Klumpner, Pope Leo XIV, Stefan David Hummel, and some of the young female musicians from the Bella Musica ensemble   (ANSA)

Linus Klumpner, Managing Director of the Mozarteum Foundation, described the moment as “a spontaneous reaction. Many people don’t feel comfortable handling such an instrument, which is very fragile. But the Pope was very open to it and immediately took the violin. It is, of course, a great honor for us to have this historical connection because it is, in a way, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s homecoming to Rome after more than 250 years.” In 1770, a 14-year-old Mozart played for Pope Clement XIV on his first trip to Italy with his father, Leopold.

A very moving experience

Due to a highway closure, the young musicians from the “Bella Musica” ensemble—all under 23 years old—arrived in Rome at 2:30 a.m. from their previous tour stop in Arezzo, Italy. A few hours later, they played Mozart’s “Eine kleine Nachtmusik” (“A Little Night Music”) in St. Peter’s Square as the Pope entered the Basilica. Klumpner said, “For us, this was special and outstanding because Pope Leo XIV is a figure who places great value on involving young people. It was very moving for us.”

The orchestra also participated in the General Audience   (ANSA)

In the afternoon, specially organized shuttle buses transported the ensemble and a handful of accompanying sponsors, including members of Rotary, up the green Vatican hill to the location of their concert. There, in the former home to the papal observatory, lies the hall used by Vatican Radio, founded in 1929, for its concert recordings. Also present—by a stroke of luck and in a private capacity—was the Archbishop of Vienna Josef Grünwidl, a trained organist.

Under the direction of Stefan David Hummel, the artistic director of the “Bella Musica” ensemble, the orchestra performed a program, primarily by Mozart, ranging from the “Così fan tutte” overture and the Jupiter Symphony to the “Ave Verum.”

The soloist, Shuxuan Jin, is only ten years old. She gave a brilliant performance of the first movement of Mozart’s Violin Concerto KV 216 in G major on Mozart’s childhood violin in the Vatican.

Shuxuan Jin (10) playing Mozart’s children’s violin, with conductor Stefan David Hummel in the background

When asked what it was like to play this historic instrument, she said, “It feels like I am Mozart. I enjoy it immensely and have a great deal of joy every time. Every note simply feels wonderful.” Unsurprisingly, Jin, who was born in Shanghai and practices up to four hours a day at home, prefers to play Mozart. Her mother, herself a trained pianist, is accompanying her on the tour.

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Like a true professional, the young soloist seemed unfazed by the opportunity to perform in the Vatican—an experience not every musician gets to enjoy. “It just feels normal,” she explained, “It’s like practicing at home in the living room.”

Ida Gillesberger, 19 years old, played the third movement of Mozart’s Violin Concerto KV 219 on the Austrian composer and musician’s Dalla Costa violin.

“Of course, I was very nervous,” she shared – though you couldn’t tell. “But I still really enjoyed it, because it’s so wonderful to play with this ensemble. I’m incredibly grateful for the opportunity to play what is essentially a huge concert here, which will be broadcast all over Europe.” Vatican Radio, a founding member of the European Broadcasting Union, is offering the concert recording to all its partner stations for rebroadcast starting in mid September. In this way, the “Bella Musica” ensemble will reach millions of listeners.

Particularly for the Vatican, the ensemble had rehearsed a piece that is by no means part of every classical ensemble’s repertoire: an excerpt from “The Sound of Music”—as a tribute to Pope Leo, who has shared this is one of his favorite movies. “He grew up with this film,” said Klumpner. “It truly embodies an iconic quality in the United States. But it also makes him relatable.”

The concert was performed and recorded in the hall within the Vatican Gardens

“The Sound of Music,” released in 1965, stars Julie Andrews. The musical, set in Salzburg, depicts a large singing family, and continues to shape the American perception of Austria. Curiously, it is hardly known in Austria. Nevertheless, playing an excerpt from this 1960s film in a classical concert at the Vatican is not a breach of style, Ida Gillesberger emphasized: “No matter what kind of music you play: if you take all music seriously—whether modern, classical, romantic, or whatever it may be—if you take the music seriously, then it can only be beautiful.”

In the evening, the “Bella Musica” ensemble played in the German-speaking church of Santa Maria dell’Anima in Rome, once again featuring the historic Mozart violins.

With the concerts concluded, the orchestra’s visit marked a historic moment: more than 250 years after Mozart’s own trip to Rome, one of his violins was once again in the hands of a pope.