Leading the Way

A music group helped Ron Davis Alvarez figure out his future. So Alvarez started his own group to help others.

Ron Davis Alvararez conducts music played by members of the Dream Orchestra in Gothenburg, Sweden.

When Ron Davis Alvarez was a kid in Venezuela, he joined El Sistema, a program that trains children from low-income communities in classical music. The program changed the direction of Alvarez’s life. By 14, he was teaching the violin to others. By 16, he was conducting orchestras. Now 38, Alvarez runs his own El Sistema program called the Dream Orchestra.

Located in Gothenburg, Sweden, the Dream Orchestra is open to people of all ages and musical abilities. Refugees, immigrants, young people who lack opportunities, and anyone else is welcome to join. Alvarez says the orchestra isn’t just a group of musicians but a community—a place where people of many backgrounds can gather and share a common experience.

Alvarez began working for El Sistema after studying conducting in college, and the program took him to jobs in many parts of the world. In 2015, he was visiting Sweden when he noticed refugees and immigrants at a train station.

“They were, like, completely lost,” he told CNN. “I was just thinking, ‘What are they gonna do?’ Everything was really dark. And I [could] see in their eyes they were looking for light.”

Ron Alvarez (right) with some of the young musicians he coaches.

Alvarez settled in Gothenburg to start a music group for El Sistema. The group became the Dream Orchestra. The group learns music from all over the world so that they can learn about one another’s cultures.

“The best way to learn the culture of people is through music,” he said. “Everyone is bringing a bag with so much experience from their own country…bringing stuff to share, but also to learn.”

When they’re not playing music, orchestra members sometimes approach one another for help. The budding musicians have helped each other with housing, food, and other resources. It’s what friends do, Alvarez says.

“When someone comes and says, ‘I have this problem,’ then we all have the problem,” he told CNN.

Ron Alvarez and a group of musicians make music together.

Alvarez says the Dream Orchestra’s purpose goes far beyond music, though that’s important, too.

“An orchestra, it’s like a community—different people, different voices, different melodies. Everybody (has) their own role and they all connect to each other,” he said. “Imagine if the world worked more like an orchestra. We would have a better world for sure.”

Did You Know?

Arizona, California, Nevada, New Mexico, Texas, and Utah, along with portions of what are now Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Wyoming, were all once part of Mexico. This area is shown on this map, in the lighter color.

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Celebrating Hispanic Heritage

September 15 to October 15 is National Hispanic Heritage Month in the United States. To celebrate, we’re highlighting a few people of Hispanic and Latino descent who have had an impact on the world.

Jovita Idar, journalist
(1885–1946)

Born in Texas, the daughter of an activist, Jovita Idar wrote newspaper articles opposing racism and supporting rights for Mexican Americans. She also worked in support of women’s rights, including suffrage (the right to vote). During the Mexican Revolution, a 10-year fight against a Mexican dictator, Idar supported the cause and traveled to Mexico to work as a nurse.

Frida Kahlo, artist
(1907–1954)

Mexican artist Frida Kahlo was known for her ability to express her emotions in her artwork, most notably her self-portraits. Painting herself enabled Kahlo to explore who she was as a woman and a Mexican. Although bright and colorful, Kahlo’s work reflected the pain she suffered over a lifetime filled with health struggles and personal problems.

Read more about Frida Kahlo at Britannica.

Mario Molina, chemist
(1943–2020)

Along with a small group of other scientists, Mario Molina discovered that compounds called chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) could destroy the ozone layer, a part of the upper atmosphere that protects Earth from harmful solar radiation. CFCs have been used in aerosol sprays and refrigerants (which are used in air conditioners), and to make plastic foam. Molina’s work has led to efforts to ban the use of CFCs.

You can read more about Mario Molina at Britannica.

José Andrés, chef
(1969–)

After training as a chef in his native Spain, Andrés began working in restaurant kitchens and eventually opened restaurants of his own in the United States. In 2010, Andrés established World Central Kitchen (WCK) to gather food that would otherwise go to waste and give it to hungry people. WCK has also traveled to many parts of the world, providing meals to people who have been affected by various disasters.

Hispanic Heritage Month

© Keith Dannemiller/Alamy, © Sundry Photography, Kobby Dagan//Shutterstock.com, © Carlos R, Julio/stock.adobe.com, © Jinlide/Dreamstime.com, Laurence Griffiths, Focus on Sport/Getty Images, Steve Petteway/Collection of the Supreme Court of the United States, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Hispanic Heritage Month begins on September 15. You can read about Hispanic and Latino Americans from all walks of life at Britannica School!

WORD OF THE DAY

collective

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: shared or done by a group of people : involving all members of a group

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