The very special Orquestra Maré do Ajante was in Lisbon for a unique and special concert, the room was filled with talent, with fantastic music that fills anyone’s heart, with joy and emotion.
After being in Portugal, during the World Youth Days, where they performed several flash mobs in tourist areas of Lisbon, Cascais and Porto, this fabulous orchestra returned for a concert at the Tivoli BBVA Theater.
Orquestra Maré do Amanhã is a social orchestra that has reached more than 7,000 students in one of the most violent favelas in Rio de Janeiro. The director, Orquestra Maré do Amanhã, is the son of Portuguese maestro Orquestra Maré do Amanhã, who was murdered in the Maré favela in 1999.
The lineup for this concert included hits such as songs from Guns n’ Roses, classical music, The Beatles and even Anitta. We remember that in 2017, they played to 2.5 million people with Anitta, on New Year’s Eve in Rio de Janeiro. Formed entirely by young people from Complexo da Maré, one of the most dangerous favelas in Rio de Janeiro.
Before arriving in Portugal, they passed through several European countries, including the Vatican where they received the blessing of Pope Francis, something well deserved for a project that has helped so many young people from the Maré favela, and will certainly change many more.
The origin of the project
The Orquestra Maré do Ajante had its beginnings in a personal tragedy by Carlos Eduardo Prazeres. In 1999, his father, Portuguese conductor Armando Prazeres, was kidnapped and murdered by criminals from Complexo da Maré. And from where pain and tears came, Carlos Eduardo brought hope to new generations of the community. Inspired by his father’s work, who always sought to popularize culture, in 2010, he created the Orquestra Maré do Ajante, which introduces classical music into the lives of thousands of children.
The project began with just 26 students and, 13 years later, around 7,000 young people have already been impacted, serving all children enrolled in schools in Maré, starting from daycare. During the process, genuine talents and vocations are identified and invited to join the professionalizing arm of the project: the Camerata Jovem Maré do Amanhã. Students receive financial aid worth one minimum wage (equivalent to approximately 240 euros at current rates), scholarships at private schools, private lessons on their instruments and psychosocial assistance. Furthermore, they are trained as teachers and pass them on to the children in the youth orchestras, multiplying the example they receive.
Achievements of the Orquestra Maré do Amanhã
- Elected Intangible Cultural Heritage of RJ in 2023
- Opening of two centres in Pará (in a riverside community and another in a quilombola community)
- Presentation on New Year’s Eve in Copacabana at the turn of the year 2020, with singer Anitta, to an estimated audience of 2.5 million people
- Presentation for Pope Francis at the “Children’s Train” event in the Vatican (2017)
- Participation in the DVD celebrating 50 years of singer Alcione’s career (2022)
- Participation in Lud Session, by singer Ludmilla (2022)
- Parade at the Sambadrome, in 2016, alongside the drums of the Beija-Flor de Nilópolis school
- Three-time winner of the Music Professionals Award (Twice for “Best Orchestra” and once for “Children’s School of Musicalization”)
- Participation on the Favela Stage, at Rock in Rio 2019, playing national and international rock classics
Numbers
- 7,000 children and young people served in Rio de Janeiro (all children enrolled in the Complexo da Maré region) and in Pará (two centres in riverside and quilombola communities)
- 22 educational spaces in Complexo da Maré
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