Ever the rebel, Esa-Pekka Salonen balked at his mother's request that he take piano lessons when he was a boy. Ultimately, though, he learned to play the French horn and then studied conducting and composing at Finland's Sibelius Academy, where he enjoyed the freedom to pursue his passion for the avant-garde.
Gustavo Dudamel was 4 when he joined El Sistema (the System), the Venezuelan orchestral training program that has transformed the lives of hundreds of thousands of children. Through its classes and concerts, he received his first violin and conductor's baton, what he has described as "my gifts from heaven."
Now, spurred in part by the crucial role that education played in the careers of its current music director and his designated successor, the Los Angeles Philharmonic is embarking on an ambitious multiyear mission to develop aspiring performers and composers. Another impetus: a desire to use what Philharmonic President Deborah Borda calls "the great bully pulpit" created by the orchestra's surging popularity since Walt Disney Concert Hall opened in 2003.
"We asked, 'How can we leverage our new civic platform to make a difference?' " Borda says. "We decided we could help bring music to the children of L.A. But we knew no one institution could do this alone, so we also decided we had to be a community organizer and a convener."
The result is the Young Musicians Initiative, a series of partnerships and fellowships designed to, as Borda puts it, "connect the dots" in the sprawling local music education scene. The initiative's centerpiece will be Youth Orchestra L.A., a campaign to start orchestras in underserved areas. Eventually, by working with dozens of schools, public and private agencies and arts organizations, the Philharmonic hopes to give every child in the county the opportunity to play an instrument.
More immediately, to kick off the initiative -- and offer proof of its potential -- the Philharmonic is preparing to host its first International Youth Orchestra Festival. The three-week event, beginning Tuesday, will feature Disney Hall appearances by some of the world's finest young orchestras and several local orchestras, as well as free community concerts.
An international lineup
