News
The South Korean sector of a UNESCO arts education initiative began Monday, with a week-long focus on international dialogue and the possibilities of outreach programs like El Sistema.
Experts from Korea, China, and Japan congress to share policies and programs related to arts and learning from their respective regions, and develop ways to foster young minds. Another main feature of Arts Education Week is a forum that introduces the Canadian chapter of El Sistema, the famous music education that has helped inspire thousands of Venezuelan children in violence- and drug-corroded environments by giving them violins instead of guns, and has helped discover such star conductors as Gustavo Dudamel.
The Canadian branch is recognized as the most successful out of the 31 regional El Sistema programs adopted by various countries around the world. Sistema New Brunswick kicked-off in 2009 and now operates four centers around the country to reach out to legions of children and teens.
Ken MacLeod and Antonio Delgado, the respective CEO and music director of Sistema New Brunswick, will share their vision on May 22 in Seoul, a presentation that will be of particular interest to the Korean music scene, which has recently launched similarly ambitious programs, such as the Lindenbaum Music Festival.
The local project has invited Maestro Charles Dutoit to Korea on several occasions to make music with underprivileged children, and moreover, a 2011 visit Pyongyang to discuss the prospects of forming an inter-Korean orchestra similar to Daniel Barenboim’s orchestra that brings together children from Israel and Palestine to make music.
The El Sistema forum will take place from 2pm to 5pm on May 22 at Ferrum Tower, Jongno, Seoul, and from 1pm to 5pm in Daejeon.
Visit the Korean UNESCO Arts Education Week for more information.
