During the beginning of November, I traveled with four of my colleagues from the New World Symphony to Medellín, Colombia. New World Symphony partners with the Iberacademy (Read more about Iberacademy here) in Colombia for an educational and cultural exchange between the fellows at New World and the students at the Iberacademy. It’s a partnership that allows the fellows to teach and mentor young musicians in Colombia and also brings students from the Iberacademy to Miami so that they can perform with the New World fellows.
Overall, my experience in Medellin was truly eye-opening. I was able to give lessons, chamber music coachings, and a masterclass (along with my colleagues) to the students of the Iberacademy during my week in Colombia. The students were incredibly curious and self-motivated to learn as much about music as I could provide to them. While I was helping the students at the academy, it made me realize that I could make a difference in other people's lives as well as become a role model for other young musicians across the world.
The first day we were in Colombia, we received a guided tour of the city, including a well known neighborhood, Comuna 13. This neighborhood has been shaped by the arts, including the love for graffiti and hip-hop. Once notorious for gang and drug violence, the neighborhood as since transformed into a livable community through the creative and political expression illustrated in graffiti along the walls. I found this to be incredibly inspirational because it shows the true power of the arts. The arts are supposed to bring us together and unite us to become stronger. And that is exactly what happened in Comuna 13.
This experience also made me reflect on what makes music organizations more diverse, how to make music more diverse in America, and how to empower young musicians and artists from diverse backgrounds to be leaders in the arts.
My experience ultimately taught me that I have the possibility of being a leader outside of my community. It showed me a greater purpose for what I could do to help the musicians all around the world. In all, going to Medellin gave me much more perspective on my life as a musician and how I can continually better the world with music.
Below are some of the pictures I took during my time in Colombia. Thank you as always for reading and think about how the arts could positively transform your community:)
