Anita Walker Will Host 'El Sistema Greater Boston' Spring Showcase

Eight revolutionary music programs will join forces for The First Annual El Sistema Greater Boston Showcase on June 1st at the Franklin Institute in the South End. Anita Walker, Executive Director of the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency that promotes excellence, access, education, and diversity in the arts, will host the afternoon portion of this monumental performance for the blossoming El Sistema movement. The event, sponsored in part by the Free For All Concert Fund, will begin with an afternoon "performathon" of musical offerings from each of the eight programs. It will culminate in an evening Gala Concert featuring the Boston Philharmonic Youth Orchestra, led by maestro Benjamin Zander and Conservatory Lab Charter School's advanced Dudamel Orchestra, under the baton of Adrian Anantawan. The event is organized by Conservatory Lab Charter School and the Boston Philharmonic Youth Orchestra.

Three years ago, Conservatory Lab Charter School became the first program in Boston to offer 2.5 hours of daily El Sistema music instruction to all of its 146 elementary school students, incorporated into the regular school day. Since then, seven more programs have taken hold in the Greater Boston Area, offering free, excellence-driven, daily music instruction in underserved communities. These programs, also featured in the June 1st event, include Bridge Boston El Sistema, El Sistema Somerville, Josiah Quincy School Orchestra Program, Margarit Muñiz Academy El Sistema Program, The Roxbury Youth Orchestra, Youth and Family Enrichment Services, and Kids4Hamony of Pittsfield, MA.

The El Sistema movement came to Boston from Venezuela, initially through the efforts of Mark Churchill, founder and director of El Sistema USA. For 38 years the Venezuelan network of youth orchestras has offered intensive, ensemble-based music education to that country's underserved children. Playing together in orchestra fosters cooperation, self-confidence, and perseverance, transforming youth culture and promoting higher graduation rates. In recent years El Sistema has spread throughout the world, transforming the lives of untold numbers of children and young people. El Sistema is the leading expression of the international "social action through music" movement.

While the Venezualan youth orchestras have become famous for rousing renditions of Leonard Bernstein's "Mambo" and the passionate conducting of alumnus Gustavo Dudamel, the chief aim of El Sistema is not to produce professional musicians but to change lives through the power of music.

Seven master teachers from El Sistema in Venezuela will be in residence during the week prior to June 1. They will assist in the preparation of the concert, visiting all of the programs, and give open workshops and presentations in the El Sistema approach to teaching music and nurturing young people.

The El Sistema Greater Boston Showcase marks the culmination of a two-month exchange program between the BPYO andConservatory Lab Charter School that includes mentoring, teaching assistance, and attendance at concerts and rehearsals.

The Boston Philharmonic Youth Orchestra's motto is "Shaping future leaders through music." An artistic institution of the 21st century, the BPYO provides an environment for musical excellence and leadership development that strengthens communication and deepens the human experience for 120 outstanding young musicians, ages 12 to 21. The BPYO recently concluded an enormously successful Boston season and will embark on a major five concert tour to the Netherlands this coming June.

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