2010 YOLA Symposium

“I feel that [El Sistema] is the new face of youth education and development;
for health and well-being in every community."
– Symposium Attendee

Summary

From May 6—8, 2010, the LA Phil hosted an international symposium in partnership with the League of American Orchestras and El Sistema USA entitled Composing Change: YOLA and the El Sistema Movement. Over 200 music education advocates from 27 states and 6 countries gathered in Los Angeles for the three day event, which featured Youth Orchestra LA as case study for how El Sistema can be adapted outside of Venezuela. United in a spirit of inquiry and collaboration, participants were excited to connect, share and explore what El Sistema might mean in their own communities and organizations.

The symposium featured open discussions, panels and presentations about the intricacies of El Sistema-inspired work. Highlights included a presentation from the Abreu Fellows, who recently returned from two months of field work in Venezuela's núcleos, and showcases from each level of the YOLA EXPO Center Youth Orchestra program, a partnership of the LA Phil, the Harmony Project, and the EXPO Center, a City of Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks facility. These showcases included: a preschool presentation, a beginner solfége class and the Walt Disney Concert Hall debut of the YOLA EXPO Center Youth Orchestra in an open rehearsal with Gustavo Dudamel (video below).