The kids of the Santa Fe Youth Symphony will be given unique access this month to some distinquished professional musicians. The Harlem Quartet, currently in residence at London's Royal College of Music, will lead a week-long series of workshops for the young musicians along with Cuban composer and pianist Aldo López-Gavilán. The week culminates on March 3 in a collaborative concert in Santa Fe, a benefit for the Youth Symphony Association.
There will be a number of opportunities for the kids to interact with the guests, to "be taught by them and rehearse with them," says Andrea Cassutt, SFYSA's Executive Director. In addition to their technical skills, "professional musicians bring a lifetime of experience with them that they can share with youth -- here's how I got where I am. And those stories apply whether the kids decide to become professional musicians or not."
The Harlem Quartet and Aldo López-Gavilán have dedicated their careers not just to performing but also to creating diversity in classical music. "It's very important for me that our students get an opportunity to work with a diverse array of people, people who look like them," says Andrea in this more complete version of the conversation. "It's been shown that kids respond well to seeing themselves represented and mirrored in professional, successful people."
