Orchestras of the Americas for Social Inclusion_Organization of American States

MAY 2, 2010 

The Haiti Philharmonic: Rebuilding After The Quake

USA: National Public Radio's Music News

by NPR Staff

The lives of Haitians were upended by a devastating earthquake in January, and musicians were no exception, as Mandalit del Barco reported in February on Weekend Edition Saturday. Conductor David Cesar and Sainte Trinite, the Haiti Philharmonic's chamber group, recently traveled to Washington, D.C., to perform for dignitaries at the Organization of American States, in hopes of drawing attention to their music school.

The Sainte Trinite school, like numerous other buildings in Haiti, was destroyed in the earthquake. Built in 1913 as an elementary school, it later became the site of a music program for gifted children in 1956. It has since evolved to become the center of classical music in Haiti — the home of the Haiti Philharmonic.

The orchestra had its first official concert in 1971, and it is still performing following the earthquake. In March, the group performed a requiem concert for all musicians who died in the quake.

From this trip, Cesar says he hopes to foster a sense of solidarity. Additionally, he says, he hopes "to invite everyone in Haiti to share our lives, to share our difficulties, but also to share our joy and hope."

Thony Belizaire/AFP/Getty Images

Rubble from the destroyed Episcopal Cathedral Sainte Trinite, near the Sainte Trinite music school in Port-au-Prince, Haiti.

LINK: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=126425523