Sistema Scotland Adopts Venezuelan Musical Miracle

by Penny Johnson, GGF contributing author


Our readers may recall that in December 2008, we posted a feature story about two El Sistema-inspired projects in Ottawa and New York City.  Titled, “North American Counterparts: El Sistema Inspires Projects in Ottawa & New York,” Tina Fedeski and Anne Fitzgibbon joined me for a three-way interview to discuss their efforts in establishing music education programs for under-privileged children.  Crossing the Atlantic, we find Big Noise Raploch, a children’s orchestra program delivered by Sistema Scotland.  Director, Nicola Killean, has adapted the Venezuelan youth orchestra movement commonly known as El Sistema – founded in 1975 by Dr. José Antonio Abreu, 2008 Laureate of The Glenn Gould Prize – to fit the needs of Scottish children.  In the following article, Killean describes the role played by Big Noise as a vehicle for social change within the community of Raploch.

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Winnipeg Free Press Review of Recent Gould Quartet CD

Further to an article posted on our website in March of this year about the release of an ATMA Classique CD featuring the Alcan Quartet and their performance of Gould's String Quartet, we recently came across a review by the Winnipeg Free Press. To view, please click here.



Upcoming Readings from A Well-Mannered Storm: The Glenn Gould Poems

Kate Braid, author of A Well-Mannered Storm: The Glenn Gould Poems, will be doing several readings this April, May, and June in BC, Alberta, and Ontario. Published by Caitlin Press in September 2008, the book offers a collection of poems as "an exploration of imagined correspondence between one of Canada’s greatest musicians, Glenn Gould, and ‘k,’ an admiring fan." Bassist, Clyde Reed will join Kate for several of the events. The readings are listed below by date and city.

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Final Stages of The Bach Project Now Underway

by Penny Johnson, GGF contributing author

With the production phase of his upcoming documentary, The Bach Project, now complete and the stages of editing fully underway, Maryland-based filmmaker, Michael Lawrence, is putting together the finishing touches on what will surely be a rare treat for lovers of J. S. Bach and Glenn Gould.

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Singer-Songwriter and Multiple Grammy Award Winner, Linda Ronstadt Hails Dudamel & El Sistema

American pop icon, Linda Ronstadt, recently gave a testimony to the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment & Related Agencies.  In a plea for government support of the arts, the 62-year old multiple Grammy award winner praised the achievements of Glenn Gould Prize Laureate, Dr. José Antonio Abreu, and the world conducting phenom, Gustavo Dudamel.  As Ronstadt described in her written testimony, "ACCESS TO QUALITY MUSIC EDUCATION SHOULD NOT BE ONLY FOR THOSE WHO CAN AFFORD IT.  THE BENEFITS ARE TOO GREAT."

With El Sistema-inspired projects springing up around the globe (click here to read a recent article featured on our website about projects in Ottawa and New York City), one cannot deny the significance of Ronstadt and her dedication to providing all children with quality music education.

To read Mark Swed's complete story in the Los Angeles Times, click here.