Musicians of the Berlin Philharmonic Want to Continue Supporting the National System of Musical Education and Harmony Music School

from La Nacion Newspaper

 Wolfgang Duenschede, flutist of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, assured yesterday that he and his fellow musicians wish to be part of the effort called the Central American Youth Orchestra, for which they plan to return year after year to support. Duenschede is impressed with the results achieved after the first effort in 2008, for which he plans to continue supporting this project of the Ministry of Culture.

 Equally excited was Gabor Tarkoevi, trumpet player of the Berlin Philharmonic. After three hours of witnessing that which is happening in the country with the Central American Youth Orchestra, he assured that he was “surprised and enthusiastic.” For the trumpet player it is gratifying to see hundred of students, bright-eyed with satisfaction with the opportunity to play with the professional musicians. For his part, Wolfgang Duenschede stated that he was surprised by the advances made by the National System of Musical Education (Sinem, for its initials in Spanish). Despite being a governmental initiative, this project has made great progress.

 During this second visit to the country, the flutist insisted that the effort made by both the European musicians and the youth orchestra is yielding results. In 2008 the orchestra was made up of 95 young men and women; this year, that number has increased to 133. “We see the seed of our work growing. Also, Sinem opened more schools. I see success because we see young people... that is the spark that we need,” added Deunschede. For the European musicians, it is difficult to measure the influence of their work with these young people, because they know that the group is made up of young men and women with varying levels of experience and skill. But what is most important is for them is to see the children as a pyramid, with some students at the point and others at the base. Notable is the fact that they work together perfectly. As part of the effort to inspire the young students, the musicians will play with them in concerts this weekend. This experience, according to Tarkoevi, will be very special, because although the students aren't professionals, they perform with great energy, and as a result, they'll have the opportunity to play with like professional musicians.