Hanwha Group said it has completed the selection of new members for its flagship social contribution program, the Hanwha Youth Orchestra, and held the first training session on April 14. About 60 members will receive music education over approximately one year.
Now in its 13th year, the Hanwha Youth Orchestra is a music education program run jointly by Hanwha Group and the Korea Mecenat Association. The program provides fully subsidized instruction to elementary, middle and high school students in the Cheonan and Cheongju areas who have limited access to classical music, with the aim of closing gaps in arts education.
The orchestra's guiding philosophy is "El Sistema," the globally recognized Venezuelan social music education model launched in 1975. Going beyond musical skill, El Sistema helps underprivileged youth build self-esteem and a sense of community and grow into active participants in their own lives.
President Lee Jae Myung also referenced El Sistema at a meeting with artists and cultural figures last June, saying policy-level support for music education targeting young people is needed.
keg@heraldcorp.com
