Next Station: from first notes to YAMaward 2025

News | September 29, 2025

By String Quartet Meraki

When we began our project Next Station, we never imagined that it would lead us to a stage in Viljandi, Estonia, holding the YAMaward 2025 for Best School Concert. What started as an experiment within the MERITA Platform became an adventure that changed the way we make music and the way we connect with audiences, especially young ones.

Discovering a new world
In Serbia, where we live and work, the field of live music created especially for children and young audiences is still very small.
When MERITA invited us to think about performing for this audience, it felt like stepping into completely new territory. Could a classical string quartet really speak to children without words? Could we create something that would keep them fully engaged?
Our mentors through MERITA, Violaine Fournier (stage direction) and Francesca Bonato (choreography), encouraged us to say yes to those questions before we knew the answers. With their guidance we began to rehearse from memory, to move, and to tell a story only with music and gesture. Each rehearsal showed us a new side of ourselves: not just musicians, but performers, actors, and storytellers.

The support of MERITA
MERITA made all of this possible.They connected us with ProQuartet in France, paired us with our mentors, and supported us at every stage, organizing residencies, checking in when challenges came up, and creating a network of ensembles across Europe. Their belief in dialogue and collaboration gave us the freedom to take risks and to grow.Our residency in Ambronay, France was a turning point. Day after day we memorized scores, built choreography, and searched for a natural flow between music and movement. Slowly Next Station took shape: a 35-minute journey through “stations” of emotion – meetings, disagreements, reconciliations – told entirely without words or stage technology.

Performing for Young Audiences
Bringing Next Station to children quickly became the most rewarding part of the project.
We were amazed to see toddlers and teenagers alike sit in rapt attention from the first note to the last. Their reactions were spontaneous and honest – gasps, giggles, wide eyes. Parents often told us afterward that it was their family’s first classical concert, and that it felt alive and accessible.
These moments taught us that classical music can be direct and powerful without explanations or screens. It only needs to be played with heart.

YAMsession in Estonia
In September 2025 we travelled to Viljandi, Estonia, for YAMsession, the international gathering for music for young audiences where the YAMawards are presented.
The atmosphere was inspiring from the first day. We met artists, producers, and educators from around the world – people working with jazz, pop, traditional music, multimedia, and more. Sharing ideas with so many creative minds was as valuable as performing itself.When it came time to present Next Station, we knew we were the only production in the showcase built entirely on classical music. No projections, no special effects – just four musicians, four chairs, our instruments, and a story told through movement and sound. The show was especially complimented for keeping the audience’s attention throughout, without any special effects. We were so glad to hear that, as it highlighted the power of music, movement, and storytelling alone to engage listeners of all ages.

The Moment of the Award
When the winners were announced and Next Station was named Best School Concert, we were stunned and overjoyed.
We thought of every rehearsal, every mentor, and every child who had listened so intently in our earlier performances. The award felt like a celebration of everyone involved: our quartet, our mentors, the MERITA network, and all the people who encouraged us to keep saying yes.

Looking Forward
Winning the YAMaward is not just recognition of what we have done; it is an invitation to continue. We hope this award will help us bring Next Station to more children and families, and encourage other musicians to explore new ways of performing for young audiences.
We are deeply grateful to MERITA, to Violaine and Francesca, and to everyone who believed in us. Most of all, we thank the children who listened, laughed, and showed us that classical music can speak directly to every heart – without words, without effects, just music and movement.
Later in December, we will return to Paris for several performances of Next Station, continuing to share this journey with new audiences.

Photo credits: Silver Tonisson