The Núcleos Estaduais de Orquestras Juvenis e Infantis da Bahia (NEOJIBA) is a Brazilian governmental program created in 2007 to promote social integration through the orchestral and choral practice. It is based on Venezuela’s "El Sistema" programme.
The founder and director of NEOJIBA is the conductor and pianist Ricardo Castro. Castro believes that artistic practice cannot be a privilege of the few, a point that resonates with us very well. This very much aligned with our Vision that Music is not a privilege but everyone’s basic right. Check out their website as they are doing amazing work there benefiting children.
In an interview, Castro was surprised by how fast some children, apparently not interested in classical music and without prior contact, learned to play orchestral instruments to a remarkably high level.
As the musicians danced to the catchy rhythm, it truly showed from their smiles and enthusiasm how much they enjoyed themselves.
It is exciting to see the orchestra played with such beauty and joy, it would be great to witness the exuberance live.
Text by: Deyun Lin/Licha Stelaus Productions
Check out our foundation website and see what we are doing to benefit youth.
Disclaimer: We are fans of great sound and music. We are not this orchestra's agent nor presenter. We do not own the photos and videos in this blog. - Licha Stelaus Productions