The second Traveling Notes festival in Peru was as successful as last year’s in Santo Domingo: we had wonderful participation, an excellent faculty, some really outstanding talent, and incredible support from our partners. In other ways, this year’s festival exceeded last year’s success, as the students themselves were more diverse and we raised more money for scholarships and charities. We achieved all the goals we had set for the program- musically, culturally and socially – and expect to see a continuing ripple effect for many months or years to come.  The only negative aspect is that we never made it to Machu Picchu, one of the highlights of the trip, because two general strikes in a row torpedoed our plans.  Nevertheless, other activities were planned to take their place, such as a city tour of beautiful Cusco and a visit to the Incan religious site, Saqsayhuaman. Our trip ended with an unforgettable visit to the rainforest and the true high point for many of the participants.

The student body this year was formed by twelve young musicians from the U.S., of which four were a repeat from last year; six Dominicans, of which one participated for the second time; and forty-one Peruvian participants.  Everybody was impressed with the quality of the students.  The incredible skill and dedication of many of them were an inspiration to fellow participants, faculty and audiences alike.  Our teachers were also very impressed with the eagerness to learn and enthusiasm of all the participants.  After a week of intense rehearsals and specialized music classes, the group performed a beautiful joint concert that received a standing ovation and endless applause from a very appreciative audience.

Since last year our three main objectives – high-quality music education, cultural appreciation and social responsibility –became more clearly defined, which helped us maintain a strong focus on achieving them.  We exceeded our expectation for the music objective thanks to the superior know-how and teaching talent of our faculty and the amazing enthusiasm and eagerness to learn of the participants.  Many students commented how the festival caused an “aha” moment for one aspect or another of their musical learning.  In particular, they felt that the master classes and personal coaching sessions were tremendously enriching and nurturing.  That we achieved our objective for appreciation and understanding of other cultures is obvious when you access Facebook and notice how many friendships originated in Peru and how the participants are still buzzing with excitement.  Our outreach program was also stronger this year, through the work we did with local charities and the benefit concerts we organized with them on the one hand, and the concerts we gave in an orphanage, a shanty town outside of Lima and a public school on the other hand.

The festival could not have taken place without the generous support of many people and institutions  who share our love for music and our belief in the positive impact of music on society.  Newton College, the British-Peruvian school who hosted the festival in Lima, generously donated the use of their beautiful facilities, the support of their dedicated staff, and their sound advice and genuine commitment.  Special thanks go to Natasha Encinas, violin teacher at Newton College and the designated liaison between the school and Traveling Notes.  Her coordination efforts and zeal were nothing less than amazing.  In addition to lending us the instruments we needed, the National Conservatory of Music granted their students special dispensation to participate even though they were smack in the middle of exams, a decision they did not regret.  The U.S. Embassy in Lima, in addition to supporting our program financially, worked with the Ministry of Education to offer a concert at a public school where exposure to the arts is limited.  Many individuals donated their time, efforts and resources freely and helped shape the success of the festival.  All our partners were very impressed with the quality of our program and it was a pleasure working with them.

The festival was also strengthened by the financial and in-kind support of many banks and other commercial enterprises, cultural organizations, the U.S. government, and many private benefactors.  About 40% of the participation and tuition fees were sponsored, as well as seven international flights.  Thanks to these contributions we were able to select the best talents from the U.S., the D.R. and Peru and offer a unique opportunity for growth to young musicians who would not have been able to participate otherwise.  The festival itself was in turn able to generate money through the two benefit concerts that were on the program in favor of local charities, thus extending the impact and reach of our sponsors’ donations even further.

Energized by these positive results we have already started to prepare for the Traveling Notes Festivals 2009 and 2010.  Stay tuned to find out where we will be going next…

Click here to read and take a look at a day-by-day travel log and photo/video gallery of the 2008 festival.  Make sure to click on "Older Posts" at the bottom of the first page to see it all.