Long interested in seeking a unique venue for an international music festival, Victor Salvi and his wife, Julia, selected Cartagena for its picturesque charm, excellent concert facilities, ideal climate and rich cultural traditions. These qualities make it an ideal choice. Under the artistic direction of Charles Wadsworth, the first Cartagena International Music Festival took place January 6th to 13th, 2007 in some of Cartagena’s most historic venues. Distinguished virtuoso musicians from nine different countries performed masterworks of the chamber and solo repertoire. They also appeared as soloists in concerts with the festival chamber orchestra.
More than 20,000 from throughout Columbia and as far as the US and Europe attended the weeklong event, the first of its kind in Latin America.
Throughout the festival, guest artists taught masterclasses to gifted young musicians and their teachers from different cities throughout Colombia: Bogota, Manziales, Villavicenco, Cali, Medellin, Ibaque, Bucaramanga, Barrancabermeja and Popayan. These classes were offered under the auspices of Formando Musicá, a social program of Fundación Salvi Colombia with the assistance of Colombian corporations.
In addition, more than 200 young students from all over the country participated in various festival programs. Among them were students from the School of Fine Arts, the Musica por Colombia Foundation, Jesus Maestro School – an orchestra project of the Nelson Mandela district – Confenalco in Cartagena, and other young music students and teachers who attended the festival. The classes were sponsored by various public and private entities.
Lectures by recognized authorities on music were well attended by festival visitors.
As a result of the first festival a wonderful relationship was established between I Musici Orchestra from Montréal, one of the participating musical groups and the Jesus Maestro School located in the Nelson Mandela neighborhood, one of the most disadvantaged school's within the City of Cartagena. Impressed with the student’s commitment, orchestra members gathered together after the festival to find ways to assist the school. They bought strings and metronomes for the school's orchestra and sent two clarinets, a trumpet, sets of reeds, strings and printed materials on study methods. Francois Morin-Lyons, violinist, Mark Simons, clarinetist and Jacques Proulx, violist with I Musici, later returned to Cartagena to spend additional time working with these children on stringed and woodwind instruments. I Musici is planning a concert in Montreal to raise funds for the Nelson Mandela Neighborhood in Cartagena.
Through the master classes offered during the festival, the student quartet from the Juan N. Corpas University was invited by the St. Lawrence String Quartet to participate in the 2007 Chamber Music Festival at Stamford University. This experience provided quartet members a unique opportunity to further their professional abilities. Three members of the quartet will continue their advanced studies at Southern Methodist University in Texas. All students enrolled in the festival’s master classes received letters of recognition for their participation.
“More than an event for beginners, the Cartagena International Music Festival is taking shape as a cultural and educational project of a deep social importance,” says Eduardo Arias, “Puente entre dos mundos,” Bridge Between Two Worlds,” - SEMANA magazine.
An important part of the mission of Fundación Salvi Colombia is to provide educational music opportunities to gifted and talented young musicians, the majority afflicted by war or poverty. The foundation's goal is to reach more than 150,000 children through its programs designed to improve music education, improve teacher training, expand access to musical instruments, provide instrument maintenance and repair and support the National System of Colombia's Symphony and Batuta, the children’s orchestra. In the future, Fundación Salvi Colombia plans to expand its programming to include a Suzuki harp program for children.
It is the hope of foundation directors that in the years to come, this festival will become an important part of the cultural life of the country and will be carried on by the people of Colombia for future generations to enjoy.
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