Gustavo Dudamel and Orquesta Sinfónica Simón Bolívar at the Walt Disney Concert Hall

The Los Angeles Philharmonic’s 2014 Take a Stand Symposium brought together leaders of the global El Sistema movement for a weekend of learning, engaging, and performing. The event was a fruitful exploration of where our movement currently stands and where we might be headed. In a significant moment of the conference, Eric Booth requested that all teachers, administrators and organizations commit to spending 5% of their time in activities that will strengthen our field as a whole. This call for collaboration is authentically Sistema inspired and essential to building a foundation and network for growth and success. Thank you, Eric!

In addition to the stimulating symposium sessions, we experienced a wonderful site visit at YOLA at HOLA. YOLA, the Youth Orchestra of Los Angeles, is an El Sistema inspired program of the Los Angeles Philharmonic overseen by Gustavo Dudamel. YOLA has a few different sites, but we observed classes at HOLA, the Heart of Los Angeles, a youth development program located in the Rampart district of LA.  For more information on YOLA visit http://www.laphil.com/education/yola