Since its foundation in 2004, Arpegio has supported more than 1,000 children from socially deprived backgrounds by giving them free instrument classes and facilitating intensive ensemble work. At the moment, about 350 children receive instruction several times a week and play in one of the project’s six orchestras. In addition, they and their families are supported by a social worker and a psychologist. Students have the opportunity to develop team spirit, discipline, and tolerance by being part of the orchestra. They learn to listen to each other and to take the lead in the group or stay in the background, depending on their instrument and the piece they are playing. These skills and values strengthen the cohesion of the orchestra and also shape the students’ interactions with their families and friends.

After the first successful years in Trujillo, Peru’s second city, Arpegio has opened a branch in Chimbote, a small fishing town about two hours to the south. The “Orquesta Sinfónica Infantil Juvenil de Chimbote” was founded there in late 2009 in co-operation with the “Cultural Centenario de Chimbote“, generously supported by the “SiderPerú-Gerdau“ steel corporation. In the first three months, 120 children received recorder classes and learnt the basics of music before moving on to orchestra instruments. Many of these children were working at the town cemetery at the time. Arpegio sent 6 former students from Trujillo to Chimbote to work as instructors.

Today, the orchestra features almost the full complement of instruments: there are string instruments, flutes, clarinets, bassoons, trumpets, trombones and a percussion section – but the oboes were missing. Until your donation arrived! We are proud to report that we are able to train two young oboists now that we have received the new oboe. In future, we will send an oboe player from our largest Trujillo orchestra to Chimbote once a week, so that they can teach there using the new oboe and a borrowed instrument from Trujillo.

We want to express our heartfelt gratitude to the Hans Thomann Foundation for their generous donation.


Best regards,

Tatjana Merzyn