(28 April 2010) For the first time ever, the Raúl Prebisch auditorium at ECLAC headquarters in Santiago was turned into a concert hall to host renowned interpreters of classical and contemporary music.
In a cultural event in benefit of the youth orchestras of Talcahuano and Cauquenes, which suffered significant loss of equipment during the earthquake in Chile last February, the public enjoyed the works of Chopin, Verdi, Saint-Saëns, Mozart, Tchaikovsky and Piazzolla, among other composers.
The concert was held on Monday, April 26 and was co-organized by ECLAC, the Foundation of Youth Orchestras of Chile and the Municipality of Vitacura, the district in the capital where Commission headquarters are located.
Performers included the Bartok Chile Ensemble, directed by Valene Georges, pianist Felipe Browne, the violin and piano duet of Denis Kolobov y Pablo Morales, the lyric quartet of Daniela Ezquerra, Patricio Saxton, Constanza Dörr and Rodrigo Navarrete, with Alfredo Saavedra on the piano, and the National Youth Symphonic Orchestra directed by José Luis Domínguez.
On behalf of ECLAC Executive Secretary Alicia Bárcena, the Secretary of the Commission, Laura López, welcomed the public. Also present at the concert were the Regional Intendent of Santiago, Fernando Echeverría, the mayor of Vitacura, Raúl Torrealba, the Executive Director of the Foundation of Youth and Children's Orchestras of Chile, Maritza Parada, members of the diplomatic corps in Chile and general public.
The voluntary donations raised during the concert will go in aid of the youth orchestras of Talcahuano y Cauquenes, located in the two southern regions most devastated by the earthquake and tsunami.
The two bands lost a considerable amount of musical instruments, accessories and basic infrastructure for rehearsals and are in peril of breaking up due to budgetary problems.
For more information, contact ECLAC's Information Services. Email: dpisantiago@cepal.org; telephone: (56-2) 210-2040/2149.
