Mexican Children's Orchestra to Perform in New York

Music of the Americas is pleased to support the Esperanza Azteca Youth Orchestra, a project of the Fundación Azteca that draws on the power of music to influence and transform the lives of children. Esperanza Azteca will perform in New York on Wednesday, September 25 at 6:00 p.m. at St. Peter’s Church on Lexington at 54th Street and at the Clinton Global Initiative Closing Ceremony on Thursday, September 26. 

Over the past decades, following the lead of Venezuela’s famous Sistema Nacional de Orquestas Juveniles e Infantiles, the potential of sustained musical practice to improve the lives of children has been tapped by organizations across the Americas and beyond to great effect. Esperanza Azteca offers low-income students with interest and potential in music between the ages of seven and 18 the opportunity to participate in symphonic and choral music-making. More than 13,000 children make up 55 orchestras in 29 of Mexico’s 32 states and in El Salvador, working with professional instructors for four hours a day. In addition to providing a comprehensive music education and a love for music, the program seeks to instill life-changing lessons including the value of teamwork, dedication, discipline, self-esteem, and passion.

Inspired by Venezuela’s Sistema, the Esperanza Azteca Youth Orchestra program is made possible through the support of Fundación Azteca in partnership with local, state, and federal governments. In 2012, Esperanza Azteca opened its national headquarters at the former Constancia Mexicana plant, a historic facility built in 1835, located 6 miles from Puebla. The factory, in operation until 1991, was taken over by the state government in 2001, and was restored and rededicated as a cultural center that includes classrooms, libraries, rehearsal spaces, and serves as the administrative center for the whole system. Since 1997, the Fundación Azteca has fulfilled Grupo Salinas’ corporate social responsibility through work on social and environmental awareness and change.

To see Esperanza Azteca's work, visit their YouTube channel, including this very young trumpet soloist, and follow them on Facebook.