Tags
Related Posts
Share This
Chicago Youth in Music Festival Reaches Out To A Diverse Audience
Chicago Youth in Music Festival Reaches Out To A Diverse Audience
World-renowned cellist Yo-Yo Ma is thrilled that the Orquesta Sinfónica Juvenil Carlos Chávez and the Niños Cantores de Morelia will perform in the 2011 Chicago Youth in Music Festival.
“The Chicago Symphony Orchestra has taken initiative in dedicating a large part of the Youth in Music Festival to music and musicians from Mexico,” said Ma in an email.
This will be the second time that the Niños Cantores de Morelia will sing in Chicago and Ma hopes music lovers from around the city and suburbs come to the performances.
“We hope their glorious voices will resonate with the large population in Chicago that originated from the state of Morelia, and in turn the wonderful choral tradition in Chicago will also inspire these young musicians,” explained Ma.
The Institute for Learning, Access, and Training at the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, in collaboration with 16 Chicago-area music organizations, organized the 2011 Chicago Youth in Music Festival. From May 5–15, the festival features more than 15 free events at Symphony Center and in other venues around the city including the opening performance in the Pilsen neighborhood.
The Youth in Music Festival, directed by CSO Music Director Riccardo Muti and Yo-Yo Ma, builds on the initiative “Mexico 2010,” a year- long celebration of the bicentennial of the Independence of Mexico and the centennial of its Revolution. “Mexico 2010” included 70 events organized by some of the prestigious cultural institutions in the city such as the Art Institute, the National Museum of Mexican Art, and the CSO.
The “Mexico 2010” program offered a unique vehicle to the Chicago cultural institutions to reach out to the Mexican community. As the Latino community continues to grow, cultural institutions in the city need to attract an increasingly diverse market. Otherwise these institutions run the risk of becoming irrelevant in a social landscape of rapidly changing demographics.
The CSO and other U.S. orchestras have studied the musical education system in Venezuela that has proven to be successful in training young musicians —including world-famous conductor Gustavo Dudamel— and connecting with younger audiences.
“I think that what everyone has learned from Maestro Antonio Abreu and ‘El Sistema’ is that where there is a will, there is a way. With love, with dedication, with a great team, with infinite patience and skill, what seems to be a miracle, can happen,” noted Ma.
For his part, Javier Alvarez, president of the Conservatorio de las Rosas, which houses the Niños Cantores de Morelia, pointed out that the chorus will perform a repertoire that includes pieces by Mexican composer Bernal de Jiménez, who founded the choir, and international and traditional Mexican compositions.
“The Youth in Music Festival is a great way to connect classical music with young people while offering a unique platform to young musicians,” said Alvarez.
Los Niños Cantores de Morelia is the flagship ensemble of the Conservatorio de las Rosas in Morelia—the oldest music conservatory in America. The choir currently consists of 40 children from 8 to 14 years of age.
Enrique Barrios, director of the Orquesta Sinfónica Juvenil Carlos Chávez, noted: “Young people are looking for new experiences and they find something new in symphonic music. They want to make music—not only listen to it.”
The Youth in Music Festival will provide a wonderful opportunity for young musicians from Mexico and the United States to better appreciate the musical traditions of each country while offering a unique music experience to a diverse audience.
Alejandro Escalona is a contributing columnist with the Chicago Sun-Times.
FESTIVAL HIGHLIGHTS
• A festival kick-off celebration on Thursday, May 5 in Pilsen featuring a joint performance by the Carlos Chávez Youth Orchestra, Chicago-area high school musicians, and members of Civic Orchestra of Chicago led by Enrique Barrios of the Carlos Chávez Youth Orchestra and Cliff Colnot, principal conductor of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago.
• Two festival symposia focusing on music education and Citizen Musician on May 6 and May 10. On Friday, May 6 at Hibbard Elementary School, three education experts discuss the progress of El sistema-modeled music education programs that are taking root outside of Venezuela. On Tuesday, May 10 at the Chicago High School for the Arts, CSO Judson and Joyce Green Creative Consultant Yo-Yo Ma leads a discussion about citizen musicianship designed to inspire further interest and action from student musicians.
• A free open rehearsal with CSO Music Director Riccardo Muti of the Festival Orchestra, composed of select musicians from Festival partner organizations and members of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago and the Carlos Chávez Youth Orchestra, on Monday, May 9.
• Community performances in the Albany Park and Little Village neighborhoods by the Carlos Chávez Youth Orchestra and Children’s Choir of Morelia on Saturday, May 7, and Thursday, May 12.
• A Celebration of Youth in Music on Sunday, May 15 at Symphony Center with Riccardo Muti and Yo-Yo Ma. The culmination of this year’s festival is an extraordinary multimedia event featuring Riccardo Muti and Yo-Yo Ma, special guest youth ensembles, and an opportunity for the public to learn more about Citizen Musician.
