Houston Symphony Orchestra & Filarmónica Joven de Colombia Team Up to Provide Training to Young Musicians

HOUSTON (December 2, 2014) - Today, the Houston Symphony announced a partnership with the Filarmónica Joven de Colombia (FJC) that will send fourteen Houston Symphony musicians to Colombia in June 2015 to mentor young musicians. Following this mentorship opportunity in Colombia, the Houston Symphony will host the Filarmónica Joven de Colombia in Houston for a 10-day residency that will include two side-by-side concerts for the young musicians with their Houston Symphony mentors playing Carmina Burana, conducted by Houston Symphony Music Director Andrés Orozco-Estrada. The residency offers the young musicians of the FJC access to a professional orchestral environment and to personal attention and coaching from the virtuoso musicians of the Houston Symphony. Additionally, it extends the Houston Symphony's educational mission internationally, building bridges to the Colombian music community, and providing exceptional training to these talented young musicians with the high level artistic stamp of the Houston Symphony. With the partnership, Andrés Orozco-Estrada seeks to help FJC's young musicians realize their full musical potential, grow the appreciation for classical music in his home country of Colombia, and expand the Houston Symphony's educational reach internationally. "Investing in bringing Houston Symphony musicians to Colombia to teach and mentor young musicians is crucial to the development and growth of classical music in Colombia," said Andrés Orozco-Estrada. "I'm very proud and inspired by the Houston Symphony's commitment to the development and training of young musicians; it underscores the importance of music in our youth's developmental years." "Giving young musicians the opportunity to share the stage with our talented musicians is a hallmark of the Houston Symphony's commitment to transformational education programs," said Mark C. Hanson, executive director/CEO, Houston Symphony. "With the dual residency, we have the unique opportunity to foster a mutually-beneficial relationship between our two organizations and countries that will contribute to the ongoing musical training of these talented young Colombian musicians and that will engage and inspire diverse audiences throughout Greater Houston through the power of classical music." The Houston residency will include several local performances by the FJC, including a concert during the Houston Symphony's annual free Day of Music, a 10-hour festival showcasing Houston's diverse musical landscape. Established in 2013, Day of Music highlights Houston's diversity and rich multicultural heritage, drawing audiences of all ages and demographics from throughout the region. The culminating event of the residency is a pair of concerts on an extended stage at Jones Hall during which the Filarmónica Joven de Colombia will play side-by-side with the Houston Symphony, Houston Symphony Chorus and Houston Children's Chorus in performances of Carl Orff's epic Carmina Burana, one of the most enduring and beloved masterpieces of the 20th century. Both Day of Music and the Carmina Buranaconcerts will be conducted by Andrés Orozco-Estrada, the Houston Symphony's new music director, who is also an artistic advisor for the FJC. About FJC Launched in 2010, Filarmónica Joven de Colombia (Colombian Youth Philharmonic -FJC) has become an icon in Colombia and the region. FJC has performed eighty-three concerts throughout sixteen cities in its home country. Moreover, it has been showcased for the last two years as the academic program centerpiece of the Cartagena Music Festival, has led international tours that included presentations in venues ranging from Sala Sao Paulo to the New World Center in Miami, and has been the subject of several broadcasts of NPR's From The Top. FJC is a private social project led by Fundación Bolívar Davivienda in its interest to promote culture and support the construction of artistic life projects for more than 250 thousand talented musicians. FJC presents a unique social initiative in Colombia and strives to be a prominent symbol of national musical culture abroad. The orchestra has grown significantly due to its high artistic aspirations and the multiple alliances established with international institutions such as Youth Orchestra of the Americas (YOA), Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, Mahler Chamber Orchestra, Orchestre des Champs Élysées and Escuela Superior de Música Reina Sofía, and today proudly with the Houston Symphony. For more information, please visit www.filarmonicajovendecolombia.org. About Houston Symphony The 2014-15 season marks the inaugural year for Music Director Andrés Orozco-Estrada as the Houston Symphony enters its second century as one of America's leading orchestras. The Houston Symphony is one of the oldest performing arts organizations in Texas, with a full complement of concert, community, education, touring and recording activities. The orchestra's first performance was held at The Majestic Theater in downtown Houston on June 21, 1913. Today, with an annual operating budget of $29 million, the full-time ensemble of 87 professional musicians is the largest performing arts organization in Houston, presenting more than 286 performances for 300,000 people, including 82,000 children, annually. For tickets and more information, please visit www.houstonsymphony.org or call 713-224-7575.

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