In Harmony and more at the Southbank

In Harmony - just one of many inspiring projects

Yesterday the great public performing space that is the Clore Ballroom of the Royal Festival Hall resounded – practically shook – to the sound of some 450 children making joyful, raucous music. It was the showcase for the first year of In Harmony, the British scheme inspired by Venezuela’s El Sistema that aims to bring music education to children of different backgrounds, races and creeds. The kids were having a ball, and so were the audience.

Yet as the scheme’s heroic architect Julian Lloyd Webber made a moving speech in which he rightly promised the various government high-ups in attendance that In Harmony would look for additional sources of money in these straitened times, and equally rightly threw in a plea that public funding should however continue to support a project that spreads joy, quality of life and arguably even reduces violent crime statistics, I wonder how many in the audience realised the wider picture of the Southbank Centre’s activities yesterday?

I sneaked away from the In Harmony showcase to pop my head around the door of the Royal Festival Hall’s main auditorium – where Marin Alsop’s Mass project was being rehearsed preparatory for this weekend’s afternoon performances of Bernstein’s masterpiece. Alsop has pulled together 85 young musicians from around the world, none older than 24,

Then I moved to the Queen Elizabeth Hall where one of the “other” El Sistema bands (ie. not Dudamel’s Simón Bolívar players) – the Youth Orchestra of Bahia, a Venezuela-Brazil hybrid project – were soaring through Bernstein’s Candide overture, rehearsing for last night’s performance. Watching how these players, some of them in Brazil football strips, move physically with the music – the entire string section literally swayed in time while experienced soloist-conductor Ricardo Castro essayed Gershwin’s Rhapsody In Blue (when they themselves weren’t called upon to play, of course!) was a real treat. And they sounded pretty darn good, too.

After such a day at the Southbank Centre, who can doubt the enthusiasm for making music among young people everywhere? An obvious statement? Let’s hope that government funders think so when they come to review In Harmony’s grant. And here’s an idea – why not comment below if you’ve had a similarly inspiring musical experience with young players? Perhaps some purse-string holders might read them and be inspired!