"Nuestro primer objetivo no es crear músicos profesionales. Nuestro objetivo es salvar a los chicos", dice Xavier Moreno, del sistema de orquestas juveniles de Venezuela, uno de los modelos de desarrollo humano más aclamados internacionalmente.
It was great to see (and hear) the Simon Bolivar Orchestra (Orquesta Sinfónica Simón Bolívar) at the Proms a few days ago. Much has been written about El Sistema in Venezuela as a long running social project broadening access to classical music training and building one of the best youth orchestras in the world.
You can hear more about the Simon Bolivar Orchestra broadcast by the BBC during the interval here. Unfortunately not available on the iPlayer.
Esta es la primera Orquesta Sinfónica Rural de Guatemala. Los músicos son jóvenes pertenecientes a la etnia maya K'aqchiquel que habitan en las comunidades de Zet y Santa Fe de Ocaña al sur de la capital guatemalteca. En esta zona está el Centro de Desarollo Artístico Infantil, que busca brindarle a las niñas y niños entre 6 y 17 años el derecho a tener acceso al arte y la música. PHOTO: BBC Mundo
It's great to hear about a new initiative by World Vision in Guatemala to create the orquesta sinfónica rural.
"Los músicos son niños y niñas indígenas de la etnia K'aqchiquel que dedican varias horas de su tiempo a desarrollar su talento musical. Tras poco tiempo de su existencia, la orquesta ya interpreta importantes piezas de la música clásica."
There are more photos here on the BBC Mundo website along with a short audio report in Spanish.Background
Observer article - "Simon Rattle describes him as 'the most astonishingly gifted conductor he has ever met'. And yet 26-year-old Gustavo Dudamel grew up in poverty in Venezuela. Ed Vulliamy tells the story of El Sistema - a remarkable youth project which uses Beethoven and Brahms to save the children of the barrios"
Review of the Proms Concert - Independent
BBC Mundo feature on the Simon Bolivar Orchestra with video, photos and loads of articles and interviews
