The Santiago Sabina Orchestramade up of young people from the Barrios Orquestados music-social project, celebrates its next solidarity concert on Friday, May 5, at 7:30 p.m., at the IES La Laboral in La Laguna, with a repertoire of great soundtracks from American cinema.
The proceeds from the event will go to AFES Salud Mental, a non-profit organization founded in 1982 to respond to the personal, social and community needs of people with mental health problems, family members and friends. Tickets-donation, with a single cost of five euros, can be purchased on the web www.entradium.com.
Under the direction of Juan Gonçalves, around twenty boys and girls will take the stage to offer a lively show. They are young people from La Cuesta, Finca España, Ofra and Añaza; students from Barrios Orquestados who will demonstrate their learning, in turn promoting the work of the NGO. Teachers of this project and volunteer instrumentalists also participate, as well as students from IES La Laboral itself. Since 2023, the orchestra has opened its doors to anyone who wishes to join its rehearsals at the Laguna Institute.
The Santiago Sabina Orchestra was born in Tenerife in 2021 by José Brito, director of the Barrios Orquestados music-social project, and Juan Gonçalves, bowed string teacher. It arose in response to the artistic needs of the most advantaged students in the Tenerife neighborhoods, who demanded a space to further develop their abilities. From his name and vocation, the Santiago Sabina Orchestra pays tribute to the excellent musician and composer born in Santa Cruz de Tenerife.
Orchestrated Neighborhoods was conceived in 2011 by José Brito and Laura Brito. It begins in the Gran Canaria neighborhood of Tamaraceite to create an orchestra with girls and boys from vulnerable neighborhoods at a socio-economic level and with difficult access to culture. Since then, it has spread to 16 neighborhoods on four islands – Tenerife, Gran Canaria, Lanzarote and Fuerteventura – and has crossed the Atlantic to Chile and Honduras. Through educational centers, this project offers free musical training and lends an instrument to each student. In this way, music is a tool for inclusion and social development.