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Mozart comes to León

‘Can anyone come?’ was the most frequently asked question following our publicity campaign for an evening of classical music at Hotel El Convento in León in February.  It is not often that such cultural events take place here and our radio advertisements and banners in the street certainly aroused a lot of interest. 

The concert was given by John Longley, a pianist visiting from the UK, with the Camarata Bach, the best-known orchestra in Nicaragua.  Attended by around 300 people the concert aimed to raise awareness of the work of Nuevas Esperanzas.  John played a varied programme of solo piano music and the Camerata Bach performed pieces by Bach and José de la Cruz Mena, a composer from León.  The orchestra and piano came together for the centrepiece of the evening, Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 21.  It was the final item, though, which brought the house down – John’s own arrangement of La Mora Limpia, a beautiful piece of Nicaraguan folk music. 

During a short interval a presentation was given about the work of Nuevas Esperanzas.  We believe that we will only see an end to poverty in Nicaragua if all levels of society participate in a process of transformational development.  While most of our work is with the poorest and most marginalised communities, the concert reached a much wider audience, including those with influence and resources.

The concert was such a great success that John gave a solo piano recital the following Sunday lunchtime.  Following his stay in Nicaragua, John went on to give a concert in Palmetto, Florida which raised a further $1000 for the work of Nuevas Esperanzas.  Demands for repeat performances next year are still being heard!

28/02/07