Music has a very powerful transformative quality. After six years of promoting the Esperanza Azteca Orchestras, we have witnessed changes in the lives of thousands of youth who have been part of this program.
Through this initiative we seek to train and educate better individuals, instilling values such as discipline, effort, teamwork, and the tireless pursuit of excellence.
On September 23, I was able to once again witness the great achievements and scope of this initiative during the concert in which our Los Angeles orchestra offered a tribute to maestro Plácido Domingo, who directed and generously offered his interpretation of a few songs. This was indeed a unique experience given that Domingo is the best tenor in the world.
When I had a chance to be on stage, I was infected by a very special spirit that radiates from these young people: the harmony, unity, pride, and teamwork, beyond differences of race, socioeconomic status, mother tongue, or religion.
To achieve the transformation of our society, not only in Mexico but throughout the world, we need to unite and work together and that's what these boys and girls do when playing music with such precision. They do not think about their differences; they focus on how to work in harmony, because they know the result will be exceptional.
Thus, when we learn to work together to create something of great quality, we can achieve a better world. I am convinced of this and so I think that investing in initiatives like the Esperanza Azteca Orchestras is to wager our bets on our common future, something really invaluable.
One might think that we are here to train great musicians, but that's not the point although I am convinced that this will also occur. The goal is to produce great citizens and create strong, proud, and prosperous communities.
In these difficult times, when there are voices calling for putting up walls and dividing us, we propose more orchestras. Its transformative effect multiplies the benefit not only for the children involved in these orchestras, but also their families and the communities in which they live.
As the maestro Placido Domingo used to say, "music unites people and makes them happy." Music eliminates our differences and makes us better citizens; music builds bridges and brings down walls and borders.