Scraps of wood, used oil cans, bent forks, pop lids and buttons — these are just some of the materials that make up the instruments used by the Recycled Orchestra of Cateura, Paraguay, which performed at the Museum of Anthropology Monday night.
Hundreds of Vancouverites joined the 10 musicians for aural experiences that could be understood regardless of what language you speak or where you call home. The orchestra’s members, who live beside one of the largest landfills in South America, play instruments made entirely from salvaged scraps found amongst the garbage that surrounds them and where they are overwhelmed by environmental devastation and overrun with poverty. But today, the Recycled Orchestra of Cateura has inspired similar movements in Venezuela, Brazil, Turkey and Spain.
“We are very proud of our culture in Paraguay,” said Favio Chavez, the conductor and founder of the Recycled Orchestra. “There are children who have no homes, whose parents have no jobs, food security, or electricity, but they come to the school every day to learn music because for them, culture is a basic necessity.”
So far the Recycled Orchestra, with the help of the Vancouver-based volunteer group Instruments Beyond Borders, has raised $30,000 that will go straight to the band, the music school in Cateura and the Saint James Music Academy in Vancouver.
In addition to the cash donations, the orchestra and Saint James received used instruments valued at $50,000, “with way more coming after tonight,” Elena Orrego, the secretary of Instruments Beyond Borders, said at the Museum of Anthropology during the orchestra’s last Â鶹´«Ă˝Ół»performance.
All of the money raised will provide scholarships for the students and will go towards research for environmental resolutions in Cateura and finance the ongoing construction of the school in Paraguay. As for the instruments, the new donations will be used to teach in the school, but the Recycled Orchestra commits to playing with their recycled instruments.
“They play these instruments way better than their formal ones and of course, the kids here cannot play these instruments,” Orrego said as a classically-trained cellist from the crowd had his go at the cello made from an oil drum and pallet. He was respectfully showed up by cello’s original owner, sixteen-year-old Noelia Rios.
In a place where a violin is worth more than a house, Orrego said, this is more than we ever had in mind. While Instruments Beyond Borders was unable to put a number to how much the Recycled Orchestra raised or how many instruments they collected during this most recent trip, Alejandro Rojas, a founding member of the charity organization, did say there were “literally rooms filled with instruments,” for both groups.
Rojas describes the charity as “just a humble component of this global movement.”
“It’s the kids who are really the stars — it’s all them.”
The youth orchestra played at various schools during its visit to Vancouver, including Killarney, Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Â鶹´«Ă˝Ół»College and Â鶹´«Ă˝Ół»Tech. They also played to two sold out shows, for the second time in Vancouver, performing at the Playhouse and Museum of Anthropology. The group also visited Tapestry Music on West Broadway, the instrument depot where Instruments Beyond Borders stores the donated instruments.
“We want to show you that each piece of instrument has a different voice, each piece of garbage has its own sound and how, together, they are able to create a melody out of garbage,” Chavez said, pointing to the violin made from an old pan, and then to the snare drum made from an old x-ray of the drummer’s own stomach. Â
The orchestra allows its members to travel the world and play music, even though none of the kids ever dreamed they would. The orchestra, Orrego said, teaches them more than just music.
“Brandon,” Orrego pointed to the 19 year-old bass player, “he is in university but he is also the administrator and did all the planning of the entire trip. Since they live on garbage, many of them don’t have future projections, it’s cool to see them learn how to plan.”
Following Vancouver, the Recycled Orchestra continued its tour with a stop in Seattle.
“We hope to bring some music, some culture and some of the garbage of Paraguay,” Chavez said.
@biancachan
