Sistema Cyprus is an El Sistema- inspired social-music orchestra programme established in 2017. Sistema Cyprus offers music education to the children and young people of Cyprus, including migrants, refugees and children and young people with fewer opportunities, and ensures that these groups are respected, recognised, and included in the society.
Sistema Cyprus offers free symphonic music education focused on the personal development of its participants focusing primarily on empowerment and reaching their full potential. Through the formation of orchestras, Sistema Cyprus acts as a superb model, reaching children and young people of the most underprivileged neighbourhoods.
Read our Child Protection Policy here.
What is El Sistema?
- El Sistema is a social action music programme that was founded in Venezuela in 1975 by Maestro José Antonio Abreu.
- The programme in Venezuela offers musical ensemble participation from an early age according to a set of clear principles, which focus on intensive and joyful music making as a vehicle for social development. El Sistema particularly looks to offer opportunities for the disadvantaged and is based in local nucleo centres, and is thus a manifesation of, and rooted in, each local community.
Some of the basics about Venezuela’s El Sistema
- The backbone of El Sistema training is participation in classical orchestral ensembles. However, choral singing, folk music, jazz and special needs programmes are all also featured and this diversity of ensembles and musical genres is of great importance.
- Teaching sessions in Venezuela take place in the community nucleo three to four hours a day, six days a week. Students also get to take part in retreats and intensive workshops.
- Participation is free for all students.
- El Sistema Venezuela currently has dozens of orchestras and over 700,000 students, with plans to expand to 1,000,000.
