FOJI Concert: Musical collage

The Foundation of Youth and Children's Orchestras of Chile (FOJI) presents "Musical Collage", a concert that absolutely lives up to its name by bringing together in a single space a rich diversity of textures, eras and musical formats.

The opening of the day will be performed by the Cello Ensemble of the National Youth Symphony Orchestra (OSNJ). Made up of 8 young people between 17 and 24 years old—who are part of the string section of the prestigious orchestra directed by Paolo Bortolameolli—, the ensemble will take on the challenge of performing a masterpiece of the Latin American repertoire: the Bachianas Brasileiras N° 1 (Movements 1. Introduction and 2. Prelude) by Heitor Villa-Lobos, with a duration of 15 minutes.

Giving way to the winds, the Ensamble de Maderas will take the stage under the musical direction of Nicolás Guerrero, an outstanding clarinetist with a vast career in groups such as the Santiago Philharmonic and the National Symphony of Chile. This ensemble, born in August 2024 as a key space for flute, oboe, clarinet and bassoon students (between 11 and 18 years old) to explore new repertoires together, will perform a selection of the famous ballet Swan Lake (1. Introduction and 2. Pas de troix) by Piotr Ilych Tchaikovsky, in a segment 12 minutes.

Charisma and freshness will come from the Children's String Orchestra, a cast made up of 20 members between 9 and 14 years old. Guided by their chief instructor, Patricio Riquelme—Senior Cello Performer from the University of Chile and certified specialist in the early childhood method by the Suzuki Association of the Americas—, the little musicians will demonstrate their technical and playful progress by performing the short but dynamic pieces Happy Squirrel by Kerstin Wartberg and Be Happyby Lloyd Conley.

The grand closing of the "Collage" will be performed by the FOJI Student Choir. Created in 2022 with the valuable support of the Ibáñez Atkinson Foundation, this choral group brings together 40 young people between 16 and 25 years old. Directed by its owner, Cecilia Barrientos—an outstanding soprano, academic and conductor with a vast experience in current Chilean music—, the choir will exhibit its technical and stylistic versatility with an 11-minute block that travels through different eras:

• The Renaissance classic Riu riu chiu from the Uppsala Songbook.
• The emblematic Three Sonnets by the Chilean composer Silvia Soublette.
• The moving Lacrimosa Requiem Ossum by Calixto Álvarez.