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The Ensemble seeks to connect and inform all people who are committed to ensemble music education for youth empowerment and social change.

EDITORIAL
The Sound of the World

09-04-2024

National and international youth orchestra and choir festivals instill a collaborative mindset in their participants and provide all attendees with powerful, lasting memories. But they are time-consuming to organize, requiring logistical know-how and well-considered, family-flexible safeguarding policies for the children and young people. It’s not only tiring; it’s expensive. And program leaders know firsthand that students progress with or without these national or international festivals. So why bother? What do they offer to young people that their own programs can’t provide?

My answer, in a word: perspective.

National Seminario Ravinia: Orchestras For All

09-04-2024

On the evening of July 10, the Ravinia Festival’s historic Pavilion stage glowed with the combined talents of the 130 students of National Seminario Ravinia. It was the final night of the 2024 Seminario, just in its second year. Students aged 11–18 from 43 El Sistema-inspired organizations around the world—including those from 17 U.S. states, Mexico, Canada, Greece, and Sweden—had gathered for four days of intensive orchestral training and mentorship from members of the Seminario Orchestra Partner, the National Orchestral Institute + Festival (NOI+F). For many of the students, it was their first time having such an experience. 

Atlanta Music Project Crowned Category Winner at World Choir Games

09-04-2024

The Atlanta Music Project capped off their first international tour with a crowning achievement by their Senior Youth Choir at the World Choir Games.

World Orchestra Week at Carnegie Hall

09-04-2024

Carnegie Hall’s World Orchestra Week festival in August was a week of one “WOW!” after another, as seven youth orchestras from five different continents joined forces in and around Carnegie Hall to play for and with each other, to share singular musical works and ethos from their countries, and to show us all what the next generation’s Wishes for Our World might be.

Sistema Toronto Students Release Hip-Hop Track ‘Earth’

07-10-2024

A recent project by Sistema Toronto offers an impressive example of how young people are committing to environmental stewardship.

The El Sistema USA National Symposium: A Report from a First-Timer

07-10-2024

As a first-time attendee at the El Sistema USA Symposium, an annual event that brings together people from across the U.S. who are involved in Sistema-inspired work, I didn’t quite know what to expect. But the experience was invaluable. It took place June 13-15, and I am still buzzing with inspiration and excitement about being part of the El Sistema community. 

YOLA Gives ‘Collective Composition’ New Meaning

07-10-2024

We know that many programs use collective composition as a creative boost for students. But an experiment at the Los Angeles Philharmonic’s YOLA Institute Children’s Orchestra was a new one for us at The Ensemble.

EDITORIAL
A Musician’s Guide to Reaching for the Stars

06-05-2024

A year ago, I received a phone call asking me if El Sistema USA® wanted to partner with a commercial mission to space called Polaris Dawn. I was as surprised to get this call as you probably are to hear about it. My first thought was: Why El Sistema USA?

Funding Opportunity for Contemporary American Music Performances Worldwide

06-05-2024

The Aaron Copland Fund for Music is accepting applications to fund professional performances of contemporary American concert and jazz music.

Music Therapists Mitigate the Effects of Homelessness on NYC Children

06-05-2024

With a sharp rise in families migrating to an increasingly expensive New York City, many children in the city are living in homeless shelters.

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