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  • WDCH
  • LOS ANGELES PHILHARMONIC, IN PARTNERSHIP WITH EL SISTEMA USA AND THE LEAGUE OF AMERICAN ORCHESTRAS, PRESENTS THREE-DAY SYMPOSIUM - COMPOSING CHANGE: YOLA AND THE EL SISTEMA MOVEMENT
  • May. 6, 2010
  • MAY 6-8, 2010
    EXPO CENTER, LOS ANGELES AND WALT DISNEY CONCERT HALL

    The Los Angeles Philharmonic, in partnership with El Sistema USA and the League of American Orchestras, presents a three-day symposium, Composing Change: YOLA and the El Sistema Movement. The symposium, which takes place May 6-8, 2010 at EXPO Center and Walt Disney Concert Hall, will focus on a global perspective on El Sistema-influenced programs taking root beyond the borders of Venezuela, utilizing the YOLA Expo Center Youth Orchestra Program and one of the ultimate icons of El Sistema, Gustavo Dudamel, as the case study. The three-day event features a visit to the Expo Center, roundtable discussions, an invitational rehearsal with the YOLA Expo Center Youth Orchestra at Walt Disney Concert Hall, and a conversation between Gustavo Dudamel and LA Phil President & CEO Deborah Borda.
    Two and a half years ago the LA Phil held the first symposium on YOLA to announce the El Sistema-inspired initiative and to convene a discussion around starting a youth orchestra movement in Los Angeles. Today, YOLA is part of a larger budding movement of El Sistema-inspired programs across the United States.  The symposium is intended to share what has been learned and to support the national El Sistema movement. Leaders, practitioners, and pioneers in the field will meet to broaden the conversation and become inspired to create a musical and social revolution in the U.S.

    PLEASE NOTE - a limited number of events are open to the media as outlined below:
    DATE:  FRIDAY, MAY 7, 2010
    LOCATION:  EXPO Center, 3980 S. Menlo Ave., South LA

    8:15 a.m.          Press Registration

    9:00 a.m.          LA Phil Welcome and YOLA Film

    9:15 a.m.          Plenary, led by Eric Booth: El Sistema in the US, a Budding Movement
                            What are the main transferable elements of El Sistema we are seeing so far in the U.S.? Participants will examine these and main lines of inquiry through YOLA and the YOLA Expo Center Youth Orchestra program as a case study, and explore them through other programs and points of view.

    9:45 a.m.          Venezuela’s El Sistema Through the Lens of the Abreu Fellowship
                            Facilitator: Eric Booth
                            Mark Churchill, Stephanie Scherpf, and the Abreu Fellows report back after a two-month residency that included intensive study, observation and participation in nucleos throughout Venezuela.

    11:00 a.m.        YOLA – Learning Through a Case Study
                            Gretchen Nielsen and Leni Boorstin of the LA Phil, with EXPO Center and Harmony Project partners tell the story of YOLA, what they have learned about partnership, engaging stakeholders, program design, building and supporting a faculty, and more.

    DATE:  SATURDAY, MAY 8, 2010
    LOCATION: WALT DISNEY CONCERT HALL

    1:00 p.m.          Press Registration - Lobby

    1:30 p.m.          Interview: Deborah Borda, President & CEO of LA Phil interviews Gustavo Dudamel, LA Phil Music Director

    2:00 p.m.          Invitational Rehearsal: Gustavo Dudamel Conducts YOLA EXPO Center Youth Orchestra

    A full agenda of symposium events is available at the following link:
    http://www.laphil.com/pdfs/education/yola-symposium-draft-3-15-10.pdf
    For further information, please visit www.LAPhil.org/Symposium
    YOLA is the Los Angeles Philharmonic’s initiative to provide access to exceptional instrumental and orchestral education in order to promote youth development. Central to YOLA is the LA Phil’s plan to build, with community partners, youth orchestras in underserved communities throughout Los Angeles.  The aspiration that every child has access to the experience of playing in an orchestra is shared by a community of music education providers. The LA Phil brings these diverse organizations together to think big in service of children, recognizing that we can accomplish more together than we can on our own. YOLA is inspired by El Sistema, the Venezuelan music education system that nurtured the Los Angeles Philharmonic’s Music Director, Gustavo Dudamel. El Sistema annually provides a quarter million children from all walks of life with free musical instruments and music instruction so that they may play in youth orchestras throughout Venezuela. www.laphil.com/yola
    The Los Angeles Philharmonic Association, under the vibrant leadership of Gustavo Dudamel, presents the finest in orchestral and chamber music, recitals, new music, jazz, world music and holiday concerts at two of the most remarkable locations anywhere to experience music – Walt Disney Concert Hall and the Hollywood Bowl. In addition to a 30-week winter subscription season at Walt Disney Concert Hall, the LA Phil presents a 12-week summer festival at the legendary Hollywood Bowl, summer home of the Los Angeles Philharmonic and home of the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra. In fulfilling its commitment to the community, the Association’s involvement with Los Angeles extends to educational concerts, children's programming and community concerts, ever seeking to provide inspiration and delight to the broadest possible audience.

  • Contact:

    Sophie Jefferies, 213.972.3422, sjefferies@laphil.org; Lisa Bellamore, 213.972.3689, lbellamore@laphil.org; PR Office, 213.972.3034