I was honoured to have visited Chile recently - a wonderful country - on behalf of the Scottish Government. While there, amidst all the political and business meetings, I had the great fortune and honour, as an invited guest, to witness a beautiful and moving thing - Musica para todos, which is comprised of some of the finest young musicians and operatic singers in Chile - including students Tabita & Claudia in the film, and their colleague (Juan, I think) put on an outstanding performance for the girls of a refuge in the suburbs of Santiago, to inspire them to take an interest in music while also allowing the 60 girls aged from 6-18 who live there a momentary escape from the memories of whatever horrible abuse or neglect they had suffered. It was incredibly moving and I was not alone at having a lump in my throat and a tear in my eye by the end, and while this charming film captures some of the outstanding singing I heard, it does not capture the full purity of the superb voices of both Tabita Martínez Riveros and Claudia Cabrera Castro - which made the hairs on my arms stand up on end, such was the power of their voices. Watch out for these two young ladies when they do make their breakthrough, as I am sure they must, but also be grateful for this and initiatives like Live Music Now Scotland, on which the Music Para Todos approach is modelled. For as long as I live, I will not forget the moment, which was very special. The children were hugely fascinated by Scotland and asked lots of questions, including why we were not there in skirts! I sincerely hope they go on to have a happy and healthy future, but I am sure that the ability to stay in the villa complex is already making a hugely positive difference to them and the music will have enriched their lives all the more.
Posted on: Wed, 12 Nov 2014 23:09:51 +0000
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