Friday, November 1, 2024
Longy students have countless opportunities to share their musical talents while making a difference with global organizations.
Virdiana (Norma) Hernández Villa (GPD ’26), Alexis Oña (UD ’26), Joe Cracolici (MM ’25), and faculty member Sarah Whitney traveled to Colombia this October to volunteer at Iberacademy and give back to the local community.
Iberacademy is a human development program through musical excellence, dedicated to the personal, professional, and artistic training of young Latin American talent.
During their time abroad, the group mentored and participated in side-by-side work with students, led music classes, and played in concerts, in addition to receiving music instruction.
“Iberacademy’s passion and commitment to high-level music-making, unselfish collaboration, and ever-present generosity was so inspiring to me and such a pleasure to take part in over the course of the ten days we were in Medellin. Every rehearsal was run with such love and vision for the music that it made working in that environment so personally and artistically fulfilling,” said Cracolici.
They also performed with Iberacademy students in a special concert as part of the Mozart Festival of Ida and Vuelta at the Nuestra Señora del Carmen Parish of Guatapé.
“The final concert was a particularly incredible experience. Presenting a program of Mozart alongside Rolando Villazon, the artistic director of the Salzburg Mozarteum, to a full and energetic crowd alongside such dedicated musicians was a truly special experience!” exclaimed Cracolici.
Despite being located on different continents, Longy and Iberacademy share a connection in mission, as both organizations prepare students to be leaders in driving social change through music.
“I think what I found most meaningful was how Longy and Iberacademy, two organizations rooted in two very different parts of the world, came together to positively touch the lives of so many people through music. Getting the opportunity to partake in this incredible collaboration was truly special and something I’ll be forever grateful for,” said Cracolici.
Similar to Longy, Iberacademy upholds its mission by fostering a collaborative environment in which musicians can learn from each other, serving as both teacher and student during their time in the program.
“I loved the unique experience of learning and sharing. Iberacademy has three main pillars of their mission as a music organization: gratitude, generosity, and excellence. I could see how they applied these qualities in every aspect of their organization—we learned from teachers, we performed, and we taught and helped young beginner and intermediate students. I loved that cycle of reciprocity,” said Hernández Villa.
As a result, Longy students left Colombia energized and even more inspired to return home to Cambridge and make music meaningfully.
