The aim with El Sistema Sweden Dream Orchestra is to open doors for young refugees without parents present, into the Swedish society and culture.
By playing and singing together in the Dream Orchestra the young ones from different refugee accommodations can meet and strengthen together. The Dream Orchestra is an example of the purpuse with the El Sistema-movement all over the world: to give all children the possibility to forfill their dreams and to spread hope and accomplish something for themselves.
The start
In April 2016, Ron Davis Alvarez, artistic leader of El Sistema Sweden, started the Dream Orchestra with a handful young boys from a refugee-accommodation south of Gothenburg. Three times a week he went to them to learn how to play the violin. After a month the Orchestra consisted of 15 children from different accomodations. In June they participated in the big international music-camp, Side by Side by El Sistema, arranged by El Sistema and the Gothenburg Symphony Orcehstra, GSO.
The Dream Orchestra, with young boys and girls from Afghanistan, Syria, Albania and Somalia, met 1 400 other children from around ten other nations. Four months later they held their first official concert, on the UN Day, 24th of October 2016. Here you can see a film about how Ron realized the Dream of the Dream Orchestra.
The support
By now the City of Gothenburg had decided to support with 60 free instruments to give the Dream Orchestra the possiblity to grew even more. One year later, in August 2017, the orchestra consists of 53 members.
Betlehemskyrkan opened their doors for the orchestra already from start, for practise, and concerts and by now The Dream Orchestra is an example also to other countries in Europe that are struggling with the question: what can we do for the 60 million people in the world on the run?
The answer
We did not wait for the right answer to come. We started with what we knew. The Dream Orchestra is happening right now, and this is also one thing you can do. Open the door to music for someone you want to help. Welcome to join us!