El Sistema National Orchestra

The El Sistema National Orchestra is a youth orchestra whose members, aged 11–19, come from music and arts schools and El Sistema programmes across Sweden. This autumn concert traditionally marks the conclusion of a music camp in Södertälje and Stockholm. The orchestra has grown to more than 60 members, supported by professional musicians from, among others, the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra and the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra.

“Our vision is to demonstrate, through the orchestra, how far we have come with El Sistema in Sweden,” says Ron Davis Alvarez, conductor of the El Sistema National Orchestra.

El Sistema is a model for choral and orchestral education developed in Venezuela. It is based on the vision of music’s ability to help individuals grow within a social context, strengthen community, and support the self-confidence and identity of children and young people. In Sweden, El Sistema has existed as a form of education since 2009 and has steadily expanded since then.