The city of Medellin is hosting the country’s First International Chamber Music Festival, in which over 100 city youth will be provided with instruction by acclaimed musicians, according to the city’s culture department.
Medellin Festicamara 2011, which kicked off this past weekend and runs through April 25, was made possible by the Medellin city government and consists of workshops and instrumental classes provided by 13 international music professors to 166 students from the Youth Orchestra of the city’s Network of Music Schools.
Sixteen talented students from the network have been chosen by Professor Scott Yoo to receive particularly intensive classes and instruction from various professors over the course of the festival, at the end of which these students and the teachers will present to the city a series of three concerts.
The purpose of this year’s festival is to reinforce the musical capabilities of the youths who have benefited from the city government’s program. In next year’s festival, organizers hope to include participants from the whole country
Chamber music was chosen as the theme of the event because it is considered one of the most difficult musical forms to interpret, requiring a great deal of individual competency and diligence.
With regards to the chosen music, Yoo said, “One could argue that by developing good chamber musicians, we are not only developing good musicians, but also good citizens.”
The Medellin government works with the city’s Network of Music Schools to foster creativity by providing greater opportunities to the students as part of the large-scale social development project “Medellin: Obra con Amor.”
Earlier this year, the government donated 410 new musical instruments to the most under-resourced schools in the network.