Young ambassadors of world harmony.

• Author: Holbo, Carrie
• Position: Inter-American System

"Music," cellist Yo-Yo Ma has said, "is an interactive language that draws performers and audiences together like no other art form." The Youth Orchestra of the Americas, more than most musical ensembles, takes those words to heart: 110 musicians from twenty different countries, they have brought their music to audiences throughout the Western Hemisphere, from New York to Buenos Aires.

Now celebrating their second season, the young musicians of the YOA kicked off a twenty-six day, sixteen-city tour last July. Launched in 2000 under the direction of artistic advisor Placido Domingo, the YOA is quickly being recognized as one of the most important cultural endeavors in the Americas, and one that has already succeeded in bringing together individuals, corporations, foundations, and governments from Canada through Chile in support of its mission.

The goal of the YOA is to pursue musical excellence and provide opportunities for its musicians to develop as young leaders, promoting cross-cultural understanding and hemispheric rarity as they travel and perform throughout the Americas and the world. The yearlong program includes intensive rehearsal periods; concert, tours of performances in the most renowned concert halls and festivals in the Americas, under the leadership of acclaimed conductors and featuring award-winning soloists; cultural and leadership training; and a community-development program that brings the musicians of the YOA into contact with students and community members in each of the cities they visit. The Organization of American States, in fact, has played a major role in the creation of the YOA, as a member of the orchestra's Leadership Advisory Council and through a protocol agreement to support the orchestra's organizational development. The OAS also hosted the orchestra's inaugural gala in June 2002, prior to the YOA's first tour of the Americas the following August.

After a highly successful first season, with visits to the U.S., Mexico, Costa Rica, Chile, Argentina, Brazil, and Venezuela, and performances last March at the United Nations in New York and the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., the second YOA Tour began last July in San Jose., Costa Rica. It brought together the 110 musicians of the YOA; two resident conductor, Carlos Miguel Prieto and Christopher Wilkins; Grammy Award-winning saxophonist Paquito D'Rivera; and emerging young pianist Berenika Zakrzewski for a tour that also included performances in Panama...