Visual
Record of Activities 2024
Tijuana - Tecate
Mi Festival Vocalia at Palenque del Parque Morelos.
Sculpture Contest Awards Ceremony
The Choir of the General Rodolfo Sánchez Taboada Elementary School, conducted by teacher Daria Abreu, performed on Friday, April 19, 2024, in front of 250 attendees at El Trompo, Museo Interactivo Tijuana as part of the traditional awards ceremony of the Promotora de las Bellas Artes (PBA) sculpture contest: “Create Your Orchestra Musical Instrument.” Students from public schools, along with their families, attended to receive recognition and prizes for their creativity and effort from the judging panel and participating media.
El mar nos une - The Sea Unites Us
Promotora de las Bellas Artes, Mainly Mozart, the Walter Munk Foundation for the Oceans, and Kilómetro Uno brought together students from the PBA “Estorninos” Selection Choir in La Jolla, California, for the final phase of the binational project El Mar Nos Une - The Sea Unites Us, a collaboration between the four organizations focused on coastal conservation through music.
A particularly remarkable achievement of this project was that 14 members of the PBA Selection Choir obtained a visa to cross the border into the United States for the first time in their lives
Visit to Mount Soledad, Birch Aquarium, and The MAP
On May 4, under the co-organization of the Walter Munk Foundation for the Oceans and Kilómetro Uno, two associations specializing in marine science and ocean conservation, 25 members of the PBA Selection Choir “Estorninos” had the opportunity to experience an immersive visit to Birch Aquarium, enjoy a team-building activity at Mount Soledad, compare sand and algae samples, and finally locate marine species at The MAP. Additionally, they attended a lecture on microplastics by Dr. Dimitri Deheyn, a biologist from the Scripps Institute.
Concert at Epstein Family Amphitheater, UCSD
The The Sea Unites Us - El Mar Nos Une concert, titled “ was held on May 5 at the Epstein Family Amphitheater at UCSD. It brought together the Selection Choir along with the San Diego Children’s Choir, the San Diego State Choir, and the Mainly Mozart Youth Orchestra to sing for our binational coast under a beautiful anthem composed by Maestro Jorge Cózatl and co-written by our choir and rapper Danger AK. This musical experience highlighted the importance of environmental conservation.
This choral and orchestral concert captivated 300 people from San Diego and Tijuana, leaving a lasting message reminding us of the need to protect the oceans for present and future generations.
Collaboration
with Dr. Cristian Grases in “Pacífica:
A Tour of Voices Uniting Both Californias” with the USC Thornton Concert Choir.
As part of Pacífica, the USC Thornton Concert Choir tour in Baja California, Promotora de las Bellas Artes collaborated from May 13-18, 2024, with the renowned choral conductor Dr. Cristian Grases in a dynamic project consisting of a series of choral conducting workshops and a choral gathering between his choirs and the USC Thornton Concert Choir from Los Angeles.
The project made an impact from the beginning through the implementation of three choral conducting workshops totaling 27 class hours, benefiting 59 PBA students (32 children from School Choirs and 27 members of the Selection Choir) and 15 choir teachers (60% more than projected) from various cultural organizations in Tijuana, Ensenada, and San Diego.
The objectives focused on promoting intercultural experiences and improving aspects of choral conducting such as vocalization, gesturing, repertoire, movement, and style. Additionally, participants became aware of their power to transform society as choral educators.
Concerts
Following the choral conducting sessions, PBA held four public choral concerts featuring the special participation of the USC Thornton Concert Choir and Director Cristian Grases.
Gala Concert
This distinguished gala concert, held on May 15 at the Parroquia Espíritu Santo, showcased the mastery and talent of the USC Thornton Concert Choir and the PBA Selection Choir in front of 600 people. Participants had time to socialize and rehearse together for several hours, facilitating cultural and educational exchange, reinforced by the choral conducting workshops.
Community Concert
On Thursday, May 16, PBA held a community concert at the Centro Estatal de las Artes, conducted by Cristian Grases, Daria Abreu, and choral teacher Ameyali Escobar, the lead choir instructor in Tecate. Thanks to the training provided by members of the USC Thornton Concert Choir and the participation of 62 students from PBA’s Tecate Choirs (from Melchor Ocampo, Cuitláhuac, Ignacio Manuel Altamirano, and Niños Héroes schools), this event stood out as a unique and innovative experience for 300 community members. It also fostered exchange and interaction between the Tecate Choirs and the USC Thornton Concert Choir.
Educational Concert
Presented at CETYS University on May 17, this concert engaged 200 university students through inspiring stories, audience participation, engaging discussions, and a dynamic repertoire. Director Grases and the 50 singers from the USC Thornton Concert Choir highlighted how choirs can genuinely help strengthen personal skills and values such as confidence, unity, empathy, and optimism, regardless of age, gender, nationality, or profession.
“The USC Thornton Concert Choir concert at CETYS University was a moment of great personal significance, school unity, and cross-border cooperation. It was clear evidence of music’s power to create connections and move people, not only through melodies but also through the human voice as an instrument. Additionally, the repertoire was beautiful to hear and feel, generating a deep cultural appreciation for the heartfelt and dedicated performances. I am deeply grateful to PBA, the USC Thornton Concert Choir, Dr. Cristian Grases, and the CETYS University Cultural Department for providing us with a spectacular concert that my peers and I still talk about.” -Carolina Alvarado, University Student.
Mi Festival Vocalia
This grand concert, held on May 19, 2024, at the Palenque in Parque Morelos, brought together an audience of 3,000 people, including families and attendees who witnessed the choral performances of 800 students from 25 public elementary schools. To ensure its success, participants rehearsed on-site on May 2, an effort that paid off as the young singers shined during the concert alongside special guests: the USC Thornton Concert Choir, conducted by Maestro Grases; and the Mainly Mozart Youth Orchestra, conducted by Maestro Hernán Constantino, a renowned conductor and violinist.
“My Festival Vocalia was an eye-opening experience for the audience, showing what can be achieved with good organization. It was also something special for the choral students who got to share the stage with the USC Thornton Concert Choir and Maestro Cristian. This experience will stay with them and help them grow as individuals. We're planting the seed of perseverance and dedication.”
-Daria Abreu, Choral Director of Promotora de las Bellas Artes.
Inter-school Choral Encounters
To strengthen support networks and promote a sense of belonging and unity among students, their families, and the school community, PBA invited beneficiary schools from the CHORAL Program to participate in its annual edition of Inter-school Choral Gatherings. These events featured school choir performances where participants, their families, and teachers shared experiences and celebrated choral music.
These encounters took place from June 10-21, 2024, with the participation of 10 school choirs and one advanced choir. The host schools were Escuela Gabriel Ramos Millán, Escuela 5 de Diciembre, and Escuela Ramón Delgadillo Sánchez. A total of 225 children and adolescents participated, with an audience of 645 attendees.
Summer Camp
From July 22 to August 3, 2024, students from the advanced choirs Natura and Real de San Francisco attended the PBA Summer Camp, led by Maestro Aleksei Elisarov. Throughout this 77hour course, 31 students deepened their choral practice and acquired basic piano skills.
December Concerts
Promotora de las Bellas Artes celebrated the holiday season with three choral concerts and a public choir tour at alternative venues:
Annual Christmas Concert
On Saturday, November 30, PBA presented its traditional Christmas concert at Casa de la Cultura in Tijuana, attended by an audience of 300 people. More than 110 children from the Coros Program performed a community choral concert featuring carols from around the world, celebrating the conclusion of a year filled with dedication and achievements. Participating choirs from elementary schools María Inés Cibrián Canales, Defensores de la Patria, 20 de Noviembre, the Advanced Choir of Natura, and the Estorninos Select Choir were conducted by Daria Abreu, Samantha García, and Aleksei Elizarov.
Gala Concert
The Estorninos Select Choir of PBA delighted the audience with an evening full of holiday spirit at the concert “Let’s Sing Christmas,” held at Santa Teresa de Ávila Parish on Saturday, December 7.
Under the direction of Maestro Daria Abreu, the Estorninos presented a repertoire spanning centuries of choral music, from Renaissance carols to contemporary pieces, showcasing the best of their vocal and musical talent. Accompanied by a string orchestra featuring violins, viola, cello, minor percussion, and piano performed by Aiko Yamada, the choir demonstrated excellence in every performance, moving the more than 200 attendees.
December Choral Concert in Tecate
Presented at CEART Tecate as part of our year-end activities, around 116 children from Melchor Ocampo, Ignacio Manuel Altamirano, Niños Héroes, Cuitláhuac, and Colegio Anglo-Español schools, under the direction of Maximino Melchor and Daria Abreu, showcased their talent to over 180 families and supporters in a celebration that united the entire Tecate community. This concert aimed to strengthen ties among the schools participating in the Tecate Choirs Program and create a space to reinforce PBA's presence in the neighboring city.
Christmas Tour
Additionally, PBA carried out a Christmas Tour featuring 15 performances in different venues across Tijuana (shopping malls, senior centers, CEART Tijuana, CECUT, etc.), involving 350 children and adolescents from school choirs and the Selection Choir, reaching approximately 1,200 family members, partners, sponsors, and school directors.
Estorninos Select Choir at Macroplaza.
Tijuana Tzu-Chi School Choir at Plaza Paseo Chapultepec.
Estorninos Select Choir at Centro del Anciano.
Estorninos Choirs at Edificio Centura.
Luis Donaldo Colosio School Choir at CEART Tijuana.
Estorninos Choirs at CECUT.
Estorninos Choirs at LEVITON.
Estorninos Choirs at Grupo RUBA.
School Choirs at Escuela 5 de Diciembre.
Contact & Social Media
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In the USA we work as American Friends of Promotora de las Bellas Artes, a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit corporation - EIN 81-1078438
