ECCO
ECCO (European Contemporary Composers Orchestra) is an ECSA project dedicated to performing and promoting contemporary art music as well as reaching new audiences. It operates as a network of active ensembles, orchestras and young professionals, supporting the creative dialogue between composers and performers and offering young professionals the opportunity to develop their skills with ensembles experienced in performing contemporary music on an international level.
History
The initial idea of ECCO came from ECSA’s first Secretary General and President of the European Composers’ Forum Klaus Ager. The idea was to set-up an orchestra purely dedicated to the orchestral repertoire of contemporary classical composers working in Europe.
Over the years the ECCO project developed away from an orchestra towards a series of concerts of different ensemble formations. Nowadays, ECCO aims at identifying today’s brightest emerging European composers, championing already established as well as yet less known composers and thus stimulating creativity and the emergence of a new, transnational repertoire for various types of ensembles all over Europe.
The first ECCO concert was performed by the Chamber Orchestra of Soloists of the Society of Slovene Composers in the framework of the "European Night of Composers". It took place in the Vienna Museumsquartier on 21st June 2011. The second ECCO concert was organised again in Vienna in the framework of the celebrations of 100th Anniversary of the Austrian Composers Society ÖKB. The performing orchestra was the Silesian Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra. With the support of Creative Europe from 2015 onwards, and the commitment from the ECF Committee members of ECSA it has been possible to organise the ECCO concerts in a regular interval mostly in the framework of ECSA’s General Assemblies.
The ECCO-System grants
From 2022 to 2024, ECSA coordinated the ECCO-System grants. The grants (financial support to third parties) were funded through the support of the Creative Europe programme for European Networks of Cultural and Creative Organisations. ECSA members were invited to apply for this funding opportunity to organise an ECCO concert in collaboration with an ensemble.
Through the ECCO-System, ECSA continued to promote contemporary European composers and their works across national borders and empower its members to organise the ECCO concerts in their respective countries. In these concerts, the repertoire of contemporary composers for previous ECCO concerts were further performed. The aim was to increase the active involvement of ECSA members in the ECCO project and to enhance its outreach by organising concerts in more European countries as well as providing more opportunities for the re-performances of contemporary art music, including in established festivals and concert programmes.