El Sistema makes history at the Salzburger Festspiele
In 2013, the Salzburger Festspiele hosted six ensembles from El Sistema in what was the largest presentation of El Sistema ever seen outside of Venezuela, and the most ambitious project for Askonas Holt up to that point.
The challenges of arranging logistics for such vast numbers of children and adults across a variety of performances and events were many. The residency saw a total of 15 concerts performed by over 1200 young Venezuelan musicians – some as young as six. El Sistema’s flagship orchestra - the Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra of Venezuela - was joined by the Teresa Carreño Youth Orchestra of Venezuela and the Youth Orchestra of Caracas, as well as the National Youth Chorus, White Hands Choir, Simón Bolivar String Quartet and the Sinfónica Infantil.
The three-week residency was opened by Gustavo Dudamel conducting the Simón Bolivar Symphony Orchestra with Mahler’s aptly named ‘Symphony of a Thousand’ (Symphony No.8). The Teresa Carreño Youth Orchestra was led by Christian Vásquez and Diego Matheuz, who both came up through the orchestra’s ranks, and the Youth Orchestra of Caracas performed under fellow Sistema musician Dietrich Paredes.
For the Simón Bolivar String Quartet - comprised of the four section leaders from the main orchestra – and the Venezuelan Brass Ensemble, this was their debut at the Festival. Making their first appearances outside of Venezuela were the National Youth Chorus and Sinfónica Infantil, which was conducted by 18-year-old Jesús Parra, in collaboration with Sir Simon Rattle, who led the orchestra in a performance of Mahler’s Symphony No.1.
This was also the first international appearance of the White Hands Choir, formed in 1995 with the objective of integrating children, youth and adults with functional diversity or physical and cognitive disabilities into artistic activities. This remarkable ensemble is split into two sections: the Vocal, made up of children and young adults with visual and cognitive deficits, motor impairments, learning difficulties, autism, as well as invisible disabilities, and the Gestual, made up of deaf and hard-of-hearing children and young adults who perform a novel form of movement art choreographed to music.
During the residency, the musicians from El Sistema were joined by the Austrian initiative, Superar, which considers itself a “musical bridge” between Western and Eastern Europe. Superar choruses from Slovakia, Bosnia, Romania and Turkey joined forces with the National Youth Choir of Venezuela and the Simón Bolivar Symphony Orchestra for two performances, with a Superar Choral Festival Day bringing together 400 singers, including children and teenagers from Salzburg. Additionally, the Sinfónica Infantil gave a public rehearsal with the Mozart Children’s Orchestra of the Mozarteum Foundation.
VIDEO: The National Youth Orchestra of Venezuela performs the Mambo from West Side Story with Sir Simon Rattle.