Keys of Change CIO
The Birth of the Banda of Cerritos

Keys of Change CIO

Keys of Change:

• is a charity formed by individuals who deeply believe that playing music can make this world a better place;
• was set up in early 2011 by the international concert pianist Panos Karan, who works with two other trustees and a growing number of committed volunteers in many countries, all aiming to advance the lives of children and young people living in adverse circumstances around the world, through musical education and access to live classical music performances;
• does not employ any staff, do any advertising and/or have any operation costs, and relies upon private donations from generous individuals and fundraising events to fund its work;
• on a shoe-string budget, has, over the past few years (including online throughout the pandemic), brought classical music, often for the first time, to deprived or suffering audiences in remote areas across the globe; and
• has, through its work and music, brought alive emotions (fascination, happiness, tears of sadness), and generated hope and encouragement.

Wherever Keys of Change goes to perform, it sets up and funds musical education projects, working in conjunction with local music teachers:

• providing instruments and music (including regular violin, viola, cello, flute, guitar  and percussion) lessons for young people from deprived backgrounds in Ecuador,  Greece (Xanthi), Russia (Serbia), Japan (Fukushima), India (Chennai), Ghana (Accra),  Uganda (Kampala and surrounds), and Sierra Leone (Freetown); and
• making regular visits to work with young musicians to improve their playing and  give them the opportunity to perform in joint concerts with Keys of Change  musicians i.e. in Ecuador, India (Kolkata and Chennai), Mexico (Oaxaca), Ghana and Japan.

In Fukushima (Japan), this has culminated in the founding of the Fukushima Youth Sinfonietta and up to fifty young Japanese musicians travelling to perform concerts at the:

• Queen Elizabeth Hall, London (England), (April 2014 and 2019);
• Tokyo Opera City, Tokyo (Japan), (August 2015); and
• Symphony Hall, Boston (USA), (April 2016).

In January 2021, Keys of Change founded the World Youth Sinfonietta (publishing, via social media, its debut performance - Beethoven’s ‘Ode to Joy’ from Symphony No. 9), as a way of (safely online) enabling young music students from five countries of the world, living in difficult circumstances, but inspired, empowered and motivated by music, to unite and share their message of hope and joy and play music together, in spite of and as a lifeline through the pandemic.

At the start of October 2022, after delivering many, many Skype lessons throughout the pandemic, Keys of Change, with the support of Musée Musical Foundation, launched the Chennai Youth Sinfonietta in India. The young musicians from all backgrounds, but particularly those contending with difficulties in life, performed a programme at Vani Mahal (Chennai) before an audience of 500 and, despite it being their first time on a public stage, received a standing ovation!

Echoes of Resilience – The Symphony of Cerritos

In 2021, responding to a request from local community representatives from the village of Cerritos, located deep in the mountains of the Ecuadorian Andes, Keys of Change launched a new programme in Ecuador involving 20 young people. This group had been dreaming of creating a wind and brass band in order to preserve their unique culture and ancestral traditions.

With the help of Keys of Change, including six teachers from inside and outside Ecuador, and the logistical support of local partners, the Dulcepamba Project and the Condor Trust for Education, this dream is now a reality.

On 20th of October 2023, the culmination of dreams and dedication unfolded in a magical concert. This public performance marked a significant milestone for these talented young musicians. The development of the band in Cerritos has given a sense of unity, pride and hope to all the participants and to the community overall. As well as helping better sustain the sense of identity and preserving vanishing traditions through music, the band has given an opportunity to its members to expand their horizons and look at new possibilities for the future, many having expressed a desire to become music teachers and a wish to share their musical traditions with other parts of Ecuador.

[Video created by @cellomotive]