Lithuanian and Latvian music school teachers visit Bocholt

The city of Bocholt has welcomed a group of music school teachers from the Lithuanian twin town of Akmene and the neighbouring Latvian towns of Auce and Dobele to LernWerk Bocholt. The three-day stay from 3 to 5 November 2025 was used for professional exchange, joint orchestral work and the planning of a possible European music project for 2026.

The visit was largely organised by the Bocholt-Isselburg music school, together with the Akmene art school, which raised funding for the project in Lithuania.

The focus was on joint visits to lessons, rehearsal observations and discussions about orchestral work in the respective music schools. The participants from Bocholt included music school director Claudia Borgers, her deputy Guido Schrader, the team leaders and numerous teachers. The youth string orchestra also opened its rehearsal to the international guests.

On Tuesday, 4 November 2025, First Deputy Mayor Elisabeth Kroesen officially welcomed the group to LernWerk. She praised the exchange as "living Europe in Bocholt" and emphasised: "Music connects people across language and national borders. I am very pleased that our town twinning with Akmene and our relations with Latvia are being further deepened by this exchange of skilled workers." The reception was accompanied by the city's European Affairs Officer, Petra Taubach.

Sustainable result of the European Youth Camp 2025

The visit follows on directly from the European Youth Camp, which took place at LernWerk in July 2025. Under the motto "Music for 80 Years of Peace and Freedom", young people from several partner cities brought together music and European ideas. Music school director Claudia Borgers emphasised the importance of the exchange: "Thisvisit shows how sustainable European encounters can be. We now have the chance to turn an idea into a joint orchestra project for 2026." The guests bid farewell on Wednesday after a tour of the city and a final meal together - with many new impressions and plans for further collaboration.