As part of its 2012 Tour of Colombia, the Simón Bolívar Youth Symphony Band (SBYSB) performed on June 6 in Medellín, after appearing in Tunja and Tocancipá. The Teatro Metropolitano José Gutiérrez Gómez, located at the Plaza Mayor Convention Center, was the venue for the concert that featured the Venezuelan musicians.

The concert program consisted of two parts. In the first one, the band played Giancarlo Castro’s Gran Fanfare, and Dirk Brosse’s War Concerto for Clarinet and Symphonic Band, in which maestro Eddy Vanoosthuyse performed as clarinet soloist.

In the second part, the SBYSB played Ferrer Ferrán’s Jungle and Johan De Meij’s Extreme Makeover, followed by a Latin American repertoire that thrilled both the audience and the band, whose members threw their Venezuelan-flag jackets into the crowd at the end of the concert.

“The general expectations about the concert were high, because the band is part of a system made up of high-standard ensembles; and now, after attending its performance in Medellín, I have no doubt this is the best Latin American band. They are full of energy and vitality and drew loud applause from the audience,” commented maestro Fran De Vuyst, artistic director of the Third International Congress of Music for Bands.

Arturo Márquez, renowned Mexican composer and conductor, also attended the concert, and came on stage to congratulate the Venezuelan musicians. He said he was proud and grateful to the ensembles of the System of Youth and Children’s Orchestras of Venezuela for including his Danzón No. 2 as part of their Latin American repertoire. Regarding the SBYSB, he had this to say about its performance: “I am still full of electricity. (…) I am very excited thinking about composing something for them."

El Sistema inspired the music development of Tocancipá

The Municipality of Tocancipá, located about 25 miles north of Bogotá and known as an important center of cultural development, welcomed more than 100 musicians from the SBYSB, who visited the Tocancipá School of Music and had the opportunity to learn about its programs, such as the symphonic band, the martial band, the children’s choir and the school of dancing. Currently, 5,000 people benefit from these programs.

The concert was held at the Nuestra Señora del Tránsito Church. Under the baton of maestros Sergio Rosales and Régulo Stabilito, the band played Camino a la peña by Cristian Axt, and Modest Mussorgsky’s Pictures of an Exhibition.

Guillermo Marín, principal of the Tocancipá School of Music, and former member of the Simón Bolívar Youth Symphony Band, said he was "excited and grateful" to the band for its visit, and explained that the work ethic of the Tocancipá School of Music “is based on the principles and teachings of maestro José Antonio Abreu.”

Successful debut in Tunja

The Maldonado Theater, located in Tunja —the oldest city in Colombia— was the venue for the concert by the SBYSB that featured modern compositions such as Federico Ruiz’s Tríptico para banda. The concert was led by Sergio Rosales, Daniel Hurtado and Régulo Stabilito.

Before the concert, the members of the SBYSB shared some time with the students at the Tunja School of Arts, who performed for them.