“When I first conducted the Infantil Orchestra three years ago in Caracas, I could not believe that children as young as nine and never older than 14 could not only play all the notes, but also could make such wonderful music. It is exhilarating and life-enhancing. This is, quite simply, the future of music. Those of you lucky enough to hear the concerts will see why.” Simon Rattle —– PROGRAM: Gershwin: Cuban Overture; Ginastera: Danzas de Estancia; Gustav Mahler: Symphony No. 1
Salzburg Festival 2013: White Hands Choir Venezuela
As part of the 2013 Salzburg Festival, the visionary and exemplary project El Sistema – The Miracle is presented for the first time in a larger context and in its full diversity outside of Venezuela. Salzburg Festival has invited not only the Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra – the orchestral training programme’s flagship, but also five of El Sistema’s other ensembles. The selection of ensembles, especially the invitation of the White Hands Choir (which unites children and teenagers with various disabilities), makes it clear that El Sistema is primarily a social project, which does its utmost to integrate as many social groups as possible, instead of excluding anyone.