Performance by Sinfônica Heliópolis in the Muziekgebouw aan 't IJ

On 12 October, the Sinfônica Heliópolis from Sao Paolo, Brazil, will perform classical music in the Muziekgebouw aan ’t IJ, Amsterdam. The Sinfônica Heliópolis consists of young musicians from the Heliópolis slums in Sao Paolo. The orchestra is associated with the Instituto Baccarelli, where young people get the opportunity to make music and new vistas are opened for them, a perspective beyond the problematic existence in the favela.

The Instituto Baccarelli started off in 1996, as an initiative by the Brazilian musician Baccarelli, who was motivated by a huge fire in one of the biggest slums of Sao Paulo. With music, Baccarelli wanted to ease the suffering of many of the residents, especially children. He started off with music lessons at a primary school in Sao Paolo. The Instituto Baccarelli is now famous in Brazil, and annually the music projects reach 1450 young people aged seven and over.

The Instituto Baccarelli uses music as a means to emancipation and social transformation. It is comparable to projects like ‘El Sistema’ in Venezuela. They are the founders of a method of finding a way out of the often impoverished environment through playing a musical instrument. The music gives the children ‘a voice’, brings them into contact with a new world and makes them feel more ‘seen’. In addition, the Instituto Baccarelli gives children with real musical gifts the opportunity to take the first steps along the road to a musical career and to grow professionally through workshops and master-classes.

The Instituto Baccarelli is also in the Netherlands for further discussions with Het Leerorkest (‘The Learning Orchestra’) from Amsterdam Southeast. The Leerorkest wants to collaborate with Baccarelli in the context of the cultural exchange with Brazil. As the Instituto’s Symphony Orchestra of Heliópolis is touring Germany, it is possible to get to know each other ‘while playing’, and to research the opportunities for exchange in the future. This exchange will be supported by the Dutch Fund for the Performing Arts (NFPK) and the Fund for Cultural Emancipation (FCP).