Watch the full story on what brings students and professionals together playing with the Ballard Civic Orchestra on KING 5 on October 21 at 6:30 p.m.
SEATTLE – A Seattle-based nonprofit hopes to help young musicians learn and grow by offering free classes with access to instruments, playing music by Latin composers and hosting events to foster cross-cultural understanding.
Orquestra Northwest, which hosts programs including Youth Strings Outreach, Cascade Conducting and the Ballard Civic Orchestra, began in 2019, growing and building on existing programs. In 2022, music’s power to build trust and connect with community was clearer than ever, as musicians experienced during a September El Grito concert.
“When you grow up Latino in the United States, I think it’s very important to cultivate who you are,” said Paula Madrigal, Director and Music Conductor of Orquestra NW. “For a lot of these kids, they’re half American and half Latino, and if you only cultivate your American roots, you’re missing half of who you are, and if kids learn about themselves and about the past, about music, they’ll become stronger and it is very important that they feel safe for their families”.
Arya Hino, a 10th grader at Lincoln Middle School, is one of those students.
“I play music because I think it will give me better opportunities later, and my mom plays the violin,” Hino said. “When I started playing it, I felt better inside. I feel a connection to it, but when I play the music there’s a vague feeling like, yes, I’m part of this culture.”
Hino and Luca Sisk played alongside professional musicians in “El Grito”.
“It means everything to me,” Sisk said. “I dance, I play. Everything about the music. I think (this concert) is really important. It’s to help people see and understand and everyone enjoy each other’s culture.”
Daniel Gomez was present with his daughter Regina.
“We moved here from Mexico, from the northern part of Mexico, and I think it’s really important to keep the culture alive and also instill the culture in the younger generations,” Gomez said. “(This concert and “El Grito” are) to commemorate the birthday of our country as well as to remind us that we must be a brave people, we must remember our roots”.
Madrigal grew up playing music and later found himself conducting it, a role that transports him whenever he interacts with an orchestra and an audience.
“With their energy they give me the power to go out and direct it and in that moment I feel free,” Madrigal said. “I feel like myself. I feel like flying. I’m connecting with the conductor, with the past, with the present, with the future.”
She said the performance is really a conversation with the audience. Musicians play, but people hear what they want to hear and respond with their energy and interaction. With the pieces played by Orquestra NW ensembles, there is an educational element for people who are not exposed to well-known composers from Mexico or Latin America. For those who consider them familiar, it is a comfort and an inspiration.
“El Grito” was performed to commemorate Mexico’s Independence Day. It was nominated for the call and response that celebrates Mexico’s independence and all that comes after it.
“My family, my country, my home when I was a child, my friends, everything that I am, my friends, my university, my teachers, everything that comes when I say ‘Viva Mexico,'” Madrigal said.
Orquestra NW is seeking additional volunteers with nonprofit and fundraising expertise, especially as it adds a classroom in the Lynnwood area. To learn more, donate, get involved, or connect a student to classes, click here.
