El Sistema

 
The Ensemble seeks to connect and inform all people who are committed to ensemble music education for youth empowerment and social change.
 
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In Chicago, One Piece of Music Brings a City Together

Christine Taylor Conda, Executive Director of Education & Community Engagement, Ravinia Festival

06-04-2025

During the two magical years I spent in Jamaica as a child, my aunt would visit our house every Thursday evening after work. I remember our family spending dinnertime on orange pleather cushions, listening to broadcaster Leonie Forbes recite poetry on the radio as classical music played in the background. That dinner table is where I first fell in love with Beethoven’s 7th Symphony, and my family still talks about those Thursday nights we spent together.

Now, as Ravinia searches for inventive ways to reinvigorate interest in great musical works, those Thursday evenings come to mind.

Now, as Ravinia searches for inventive ways to reinvigorate interest in great musical works, those Thursday evenings come to mind.

The Arts of Dream Begin with Children’s Dreams

Kim Kibun, actor and arts educator

06-04-2025

In both Korean and English, the word dream carries layered meanings. It can refer, first, to the images and sensations we experience during sleep; second, to the hopes and ideals we wish to realize; and third, to a fleeting illusion or unrealistic fantasy.

When I was designing the framework for the Theater of Dreams last year, I leaned into the second meaning—the kind of dream filled with high ideals.

Agents of Change

Loukia Lazarou, Teaching Artist and Project Manager, Sistema Cyprus

05-07-2025

The idea of hosting volunteers had two purposes: one, the additional staff would be an immense help for our organization, and two, they would provide relatable young role models for our students—especially important for those from vulnerable backgrounds. We wanted to create a structure that nurtures leadership, social responsibility, and cultural exchange, both for the young people in our orchestra and for the volunteers.

EDITORIAL
Teaching Artistry: West Meets East in Potential

Eric Booth, Co-founder, The Ensemble; Co-founder, ITAC; Senior Faculty, Academy for Impact through Music

04-02-2025

Teaching artistry is the sleeping giant of social change. 

And that giant is waking up. At least that’s what I claim, in my relentless advocacy for the global field. 

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. 

EDITORIAL
Reflections on the 50th Anniversary of El Sistema Venezuela

Rodrigo Guerrero, Staff Specialist for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at Babson College, Massachusetts, USA; former Associate Director of International Relations and Institutional Development, El Sistema Venezuela

02-05-2025

The Venezuela of 1975 is in sharp contrast to its current reality. Fifty years ago, the country was fully reconstructed after an oppressive military dictatorship and on track for economic growth. That was the context in which a young, brilliant composer and conductor, who also happened to be a gifted politician, used his combined talents to convince the government to support something that felt out of place to officialdom, but, in his vision, right at home.

In His Words: Ron Davis Alvarez, Founder/Director, The Dream Orchestra

Ron Davis Alvarez, in conversation with The Ensemble

12-11-2024

Ron Davis Alvarez, Director of The Dream Orchestra in Gothenburg, Sweden, was nominated as one of the five finalists in the 2024 CNN “Heroes” contest sponsored by the United States-based multinational Cable News Network (CNN). The contest features “inspiring people who have found unique ways to help others,” and aims to elevate awareness of inspirational work by people around the world.

The Ensemble Executive Editor Patrick Scafidi recently interviewed Ron via email.

EDITORIAL
Universal Design for Learning: A Natural Fit for El Sistema-inspired Programs

Graciela Briceno, teaching artist and Foreign Service Officer, Accra, Ghana

10-02-2024

Imagine that you are walking up a staircase that leads to a school entrance, and you notice a sign that says, “ramp located at the back door.” Okay, so the sign and the ramp make the building technically accessible—but a person who can’t use stairs has to go all the way to the back of the building, locate the ramp, and hope that the door is open.

What if, instead of a staircase in front and a separate ramp in back, the architect had created a walkway that incorporates stairs and ramps all in one place?

This is the foundational metaphor of Universal Design for Learning, or UDL.

Vánimo Children’s Orchestra Performs for Pope Francis

10-02-2024

National Seminario Ravinia: Orchestras For All

Isaac Sinnett, Senior Associate Director, Ravinia Reach Teach Play

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. 

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