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Young Musicians Celebrate Sephardic-Latino Connections

12-03-2025

Over 1,000 students will perform on December 8 with the Los Angeles Jewish Symphony for the closing concert of the multi-week program “A Patchwork of Cultures: Exploring the Sephardic–Latino Connection.”

From an Empty Airport to Downtown Berlin, a Music Program Still Soars

Tricia Tunstall, Co-founder and Advisory Editor, The Ensemble

12-03-2025

In a white-walled, sunlit room with arched ceilings, an El Sistema-inspired youth orchestra plays Gustav Mahler’s well-known “Bruder Martin” (“Frère Jacques”) theme—the third movement of his Symphony No. 1—under the direction of teaching artist/conductor Leila Weber. The two double bass players are six feet tall, around sixteen years old; the youngest cellist might be seven, and this is the second time she’s held a cello. Embedded among the second violins is a guest teaching artist from an orchestra based 500 miles away.

An Upstate New York Community Connects through Myanmar’s Music

Andrew Borkowski, Director of Education, Buffalo String Works

12-03-2025

During the 2022-23 academic year, Buffalo String Works began asking the question: “How can we be more intentional about the music we’re asking our students to learn and perform?” Over the course of attempting to answer this question, the BSW Music Library Development Project was born—resulting in the commissioning and composition of a brand-new work for student string orchestra: “Aka” by Wai Hin Ko Ko.

Chiquinha Gonzaga Orchestra: Building a Culture of Peace Through Music

Diogo Pereira, Executive Director, Harmony Project Phoenix; Consultant, Instituto Brasileiro de Música e Educação (IBME)

11-05-2025

The Brazilian Institute of Music and Education (IBME – Instituto Brasileiro de Música e Educação) was launched in 2011 with just 15 students. Today, it serves more than 4,000 young people and continues to grow. Among its many talented ensembles, one stands out: the Orquestra Sinfônica Juvenil Chiquinha Gonzaga, an all-female youth orchestra that celebrates the intersection of Brazilian classical and popular music.

Sinfónica Azteca: Empowering Young Musicians Across Mexico, the Americas, and Beyond

Adrián Nájera-Coto, Sinfónica Azteca Project Manager, Orchestra of the Americas Group

10-01-2025

The story of Sinfónica Azteca begins about five years ago, when the world was just beginning to reemerge from the COVID-19 pandemic. Across the globe, music programs and youth orchestras were struggling to survive. The need to restore trust in live music and reignite enthusiasm among young musicians had never been greater.

In Mexico, this posed a double challenge, since we had always lacked a national youth orchestra capable of uniting the country’s young musicians in high-caliber, immersive artistic experiences.

In Oregon, a More Neighborly Approach Brings Joy

Neal Spinler, Executive Director, BRAVO Youth Orchestras

09-03-2025

The majority of the population is in Portland, at the northern border, with most everybody else residing along the “I5 Corridor”—Interstate 5, a major north-south highway that runs from Portland to California. BRAVO serves a region at the very northern tip of Portland; JOY serves students in Yamhill County. North Portland is a diverse blue-collar area with shipyards, warehouses, and port terminals; Yamhill County is the heart of Oregon’s famed Willamette Valley, a region known best for its fabulous wineries. But while the county boasts fancy vineyards and tasting rooms, it is also filled with farms and the hardworking farmhands and families.

Just 46 miles apart, our landscapes could not be more different. And yet the work we do could not be more aligned.

Superar Suisse Featured at Inaugural Zurich Festival

06-04-2025

A brand-new music festival in Zurich will feature Superar Suisse as their opening act.

Collaboration Across Cultures—and Genres—in São Tomé and Príncipe and Guinea-Bissau

Eduardo Lála, Conductor and Technical-Pedagogical Coordinator, The Rizoma Project

02-05-2025

When the Rizoma Project launched in 2022 in São Tomé and Príncipe and Guinea-Bissau, I knew we were embarking on an ambitious journey. Our goal was clear: to establish social orchestras in communities with limited resources and significant social challenges. 

In Harmony Liverpool and the Till Approach: A New Perspective on String Pedagogy

Alex Dunn, Deputy Artistic Director, In Harmony Liverpool, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, UK

02-05-2025

Ten years ago, violinist Sophie Till was in Scotland working with players from the Scottish Chamber Orchestra and the Royal Scottish National Orchestra. I was there too, attending her sessions and participating in a lesson. When I returned to In Harmony Liverpool, I did so feeling that Sophie’s work would soon change the way we taught our young string players.

Boston String Academy Performs for the UN

02-05-2025

As 2024 drew to a close, the Boston String Academy celebrated the 79th Session of the United Nations General Assembly with a performance at Carnegie Hall alongside Boston Conservatory’s Venus Quartet.

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