The dream of Latin American integration made music

(Lima, November 02, 2000).- Héctor Anori is 18 from Bolivia; Sergio Trujillo is 20 from Colombia; Carla Loaiza is 22 from Peru; Hugo Quimbita is 23 from Ecuador; and Yolena Orea 18 from Venezuela. They all have something in common: they are young, musicians and part of the Andean Countries Youth Symphony Orchestra.

Two years were sufficient to make an ambitious dream come true: the creation of an orchestra of young people from the five Andean countries, which is living testimony of development and integration. This achievement was the fruit of the enthusiastic and firm belief of CAF and the long experience of the State Foundation for the National System of Youth Orchestras of Venezuela, in a joint effort with the Batuta Foundation of Colombia, the Youth Symphony Orchestra of Ecuador, the National Conservatory of Music of Peru and the Bolivian Vice Ministry of Cultural.

The result of this initiative was not long in coming. In the debut of the group, last June in the Teatro Teresa Carreño in Caracas, this vibrant reality appeared before the world to display the new face of the continent. “It was in the spirit of encouraging new generations as the voices of a message of integration between the peoples of Latin America through the music created by the Andean Countries Youth Symphony Orchestra.” In the words of CAF President and CEO Enrique García, the integration and development of the region show their human side and are actively participating in the transformation of communities by exalting the ethical and moral values of societies, transcending the economic sphere.

Music - message without borders Members of the "Andean Countries Youth Symphony Orchestra" come from all corners of Andean geography. From cities and remote villages, young musicians took part in a rigorous audition process where the members of its five delegations (32 per country) were selected. It is difficult to imagine but José Adan Uraeza is convincing proof of this . This young Bolivian is 16 years old, plays viola and comes from the remote Urubichá in the La Paz province of Guarayos. His village has 4,000 inhabitants, a church and a rural school; there is no electricity and at night, as he says, "there’s nothing to do."

But this did not prevent José, together with another 300 villagers, from teaching themselves to play various instruments to a high level. He is now a member of the Bolivian delegation in the Orchestra. "I never thought I could be selected. What I like most is music and going to Caracas was like a dream come true", he says filled with emotion.

Although they know they are fortunate to have this experience, these young people fully assume their commitment to the times they are living in; a case in point is Peruvian Espartaco Lavalle, native of Trujillo, whose form of protest is composition. "In Peru we are not sure about the future and my way of expressing this feeling is through my compositions," he says.

Long, exhausting hours of rehearsals were needed to put together a musical ensemble of this size. However, the enthusiasm is there for all to see, as Venezuelan Dietrich Paredes, first violin and leader of the orchestra, says, "we worked hard to be here, but what joy it is to hear the work of one’s country played by musicians from our brother countries."

Promoting sustainable human development For CAF, the performance by the "Andean Countries Youth Symphony Orchestra" is the realization of a dream cherished over the years, and an innovative way of achieving its objectives in favor of sustainable human development, as García says.

In recent years CAF has intensified its role in the dissemination of Latin American artistic expressions as a vehicle for strengthening regional integration. García is enthusiastic about this objective, "similar initiatives are certain to come to fruition which bring sustainable development to the people more directly supporting other areas related to education, science and technology and investment in the invaluable wealth of human capital we possess in our region."