YOLA

                                                                                               

Amidst all the chaos that social media inundates us with along with fake news, allow me to turn to a cultural phenomenon we all can view in a positive light.  Lisa and I currently are on our yearly vacation at Port Ludlow on the Olympic Peninsula in Washington State.  We have come here each year to visit a classmate of mine, Robert Komishane, and friends we have come to know through our connection with him.  We make a point of coming during the Port Townsend Jazz Festival when John Clayton, jazz musician and composer, sponsors this yearly event.  Throughout the week, a gathering of known musicians along with students convene and perform jazz compositions.

Being here very much reminded me of the Youth Orchestra of Los Angeles (YOLA) that both Lisa and I have supported the past 5 years.  YOLA is the creation of Gustavo Dudamel, the conductor of the LA Philharmonic, who recently accepted an offer to conduct the New York Philharmonic beginning in 2026.  Because he was inspired by his own experience as a young person with Venezuela’s El Sistema youth orchestra movement, Dudamel initiated YOLA in 2007. The program was first established at EXPO Center in the mainly Latino and African American community of South-Central Los Angeles, and has been so successful that it has spread to five sites in the LA area.  Each site is designed to serve the specific needs of its community.

Lisa and I recently attended a concert by the performers of YOLA that we very much enjoyed.  In the first half of the program, Mr. Dudamel sat toward the back of the violin section of the orchestra and played with the group. After the intermission, he conducted the final pieces the orchestra played.  Seeing young people coming from poor communities play classical pieces with such ardor and enthusiasm demonstrated the transformative nature of music.  Well played music has a way of bringing us altogether, where we can suspend whatever differences we may have with others and simply sit back and enjoy what we hear.  Thank you, Mr. Dudamel for giving our youth the opportunity to experience and participate in this cultural event.