Archive for category: Philarmed News

Since 2018, the alliance between Filarmed and Comfama has brought art and music to every corner of Antioquia, enriching the lives of Antioquians with beauty, promoting dialogue, new languages, and the development of a more diverse and creative society.

Season Connections 

Saturday, October 26th
6:00 pm
University of Medellin Theater

Every great company began as a dream drawn on paper, just as music begins on sheet music. Today, we honor the country's entrepreneurs and large companies that, with vision and effort, transformed ideas into realities.

This month, we connect with that creative energy through the interpretation of three works:

• Olympic Overture by JM Kraus
• Holberg Suite by E. Grieg
• Symphony No. 5 by J. Sibelius

Under the direction of David Greilsammer, experience a concert that celebrates ingenuity and vision in both music and entrepreneurship.

The Medellín Philharmonic Orchestra Corporation (Filarmed) opens the call and invites all interested parties to participate in selection processes for 2024, second semester 

The Medellín Philharmonic Orchestra is a professional, private orchestra with 40 years of experience, dedicated to transforming the city with music. In addition to performing seasonal concerts in theater, Filarmed performs different programming slots in unconventional settings such as churches, museums, outdoor stages, educational concert slots, chamber music, among others, covering repertoires ranging from symphonic music to genres. as diverse as Colombian music, rock and pop tributes, children's music, etc., using different formats within the orchestra's template (full orchestra, reduced orchestra, chamber ensembles). In addition, it has social and educational programs in which the participation of the orchestra's musicians is expected in events such as school concerts, rehearsals and concerts for vulnerable populations and different social programs (I am a Musician, Reconciliation Choir), among other activities that They require the search for the improvement of artistic quality and commitment to social transformation. 

Filarmed has defined an artistic plan with which it aims to be a bold orchestra, rooted and committed to the community, and become a musical benchmark in Latin America. The following aspects are pillars of the plan: sound, rhythmic precision, style and confidence; and includes innovative programming capable of addressing different genres and fusions, experiences that go beyond music. Look for musicians who understand and value their role in building community, who are interested in being versatile, who adapt easily, and who are capable of developing skills and competencies beyond musical matters. 

The Medellín Philharmonic Orchestra opens the call for places in: 

• Assistant Concertmaster
• Second Oboe with English Horn Obligation (with Tutti rank)

Fee:

• Assistant Concertmaster: $8.486.265
• Second Oboe with English Horn Obligation (with Tutti rank): $4.685.991

Contracting for the provision of services.

STAGES OF THE CALL 

The selection process will be divided as follows: 

1. Registration and receipt of videos and documents. 
2. Review of registrations and documents. 
3. Video review. 
4. Live audition. 
5. Publication of results. 
6. Interview and medical entrance exams. 
7. Hiring. 

Dates 2024: 

1. Registration opening: Monday, August 26

2. Closing of registrations: October 1st at 11:45 pm, Colombia time

3. Publication of people summoned to present in-person audition: Monday, October 7th

4. In-person auditions: between the week of October 28th and 31st

5. Interview: Friday, November 1st

Auditions will be held in the city of Medellín between the week of October 28 and 31. The audition schedule and specific location will be published on Monday, October 7, 2024.

INFORMATION  

All information related to the different stages of the process will be published on the Medellín Philharmonic Orchestra website ( https://filarmed.org/ ) and sent to the emails of those registered according to the information provided in the registration form. Given this, each subscriber assumes the responsibility of checking both the website and their email (including the spam or junk email folder). These will be the only official means of communication.  

Registration, receipt of videos and documents must be completed at the following link:  

Assistant Concertmaster 

https://forms.office.com/r/AHb80vyMZU?origin=lprLinkhttps://forms.office.com/r/ig0cpii7JN

Second Oboe with English Horn Obligation (with Tutti rank)

https://forms.office.com/r/nwKwGqbLzn?origin=lprLink 

Doubts or queries can be raised by writing to the email gestionorquestal@filarmed.org  

Material that must be provided: 

A video must be submitted for the pre-selection round. It must be a link to the video hosted on YouTube with the complete repertoire without audio or video cuts or edits. The video must have been recorded by the candidate after January 21, 2024, it must be an unlisted Youtube link. In the event that the link is restricted or the video cannot be opened by the jury, the participant will exit the process (see video specifications point). 

Additionally, the following documents must be attached: 

1. Copy of identity document  
2. Study certifications (see Required training and experience point).
3. Experience certifications (see Required training and experience point).  

Filarmed will review the documents provided, as well as the information shared. Candidates whose information is inconsistent or incomplete will not be considered..  

*foreign applicants who do not have permission to work in Colombia must sign a letter where, if selected, they commit to resolving their immigration status within the month following the publication of the results of the auditions 

Required training and experience 

The applicant must be a professional musician with emphasis in the instrument to be auditioned or mastery in it. You must attach diplomas and certificates of your studies, as well as certificates of experience of at least three years in professional orchestras*. 

*Professional orchestras are considered those with a stable concert season and permanent remuneration. Experience certified in international residency processes such as the Philharmonic Youth of Colombia, Ibercademy, the Orchestra of the Americas, and similar will also be taken into account as experience in a professional orchestra. 

Sheet music orchestral passages 

To obtain the scores, the applicant must write to the email scores@filarmed.org requesting the sending of these. The scores will be sent to the email provided in the registration form along with the legal restrictions that may apply. 

Video specifications 

The entire repertoire described in VIDEO CALL REPERTOIRE. The recording must show the applicant's full body, without filters, and cannot be cut or edited. There may be a cut only between the concerto and the orchestral excerpts only. In the video description on Youtube MUST INCLUDE your name, information about the concert and the excerpts to be performed, and you must say at what minute of the video each of the excerpts or works begins.  

SPECIFICATIONS FOR THE VIDEO OF THE CONCERTINO ASSISTANT CALL: In this, cuts between Bach, Mozart and each orchestral excerpt are accepted, but edits or cuts within the passage or concert are not allowed.

Check the following button:

Video call repertoire

The concert must be recorded with piano accompaniment, verify that it is in tune, in a well-lit space. The candidate, his instrument and his movements must be in front and within the frame of the image at all times. 

Video review  

In the review of the videos, it will be verified that they meet all the requirements of the call. Participants may be disqualified if their video does not allow the interpretive quality or the identity of the interpreter to be appreciated, or if it presents alterations or editions in its content.  

The videos that meet the conditions will be evaluated by the jury according to the criteria of rhythmic precision, intonation, sound quality, expression and style. 

The results of the candidates who will be selected to participate in the live audition stage will be communicated according to the information contained in the calendar of this call.  

Live audition 

Accompanying pianist:

For the live audition Filarmed will provide candidates with an accompaniment pianist. Candidates who wish to do so may perform with the pianist of their choice.

Each candidate will have the right to one hour of rehearsal with the pianist, at the times established by Filarmed. The scores must be provided by the participants.

The auditions will be held in the city of Medellín on the dates and places that will be published according to the call calendar. The people selected for this stage must prepare the entire repertoire required for the call, which can be found in the following button:

Live call repertoire

If the selected applicant lives outside of Medellín, he or she must cover his or her travel expenses to the city. The Medellín Philharmonic Orchestra is not responsible for any expenses such as tickets, lodging or food of any participant, or any other additional expense, which must be covered by each of the applicants. 

Conditions for live audition 

The live audition will be held in two rounds.  

The candidate must appear punctually at the place established for the audition and announce himself to the person designated for this purpose. You must identify yourself with your name and ID number. 

Before starting the auditions, a draw will be held to determine the order in which the candidates will enter the live audition. This will be strictly adhered to and no changes are permitted. Candidates must avoid any element that allows them to be identified in the behind-the-curtain audition.  

If any candidate, due to force majeure or medical reasons, must be absent, they must inform this and it will be understood that they withdraw from participating in the audition. 

The jury will ask all candidates to interpret the passages corresponding to the audition. The jury may interrupt the candidates at any time they deem appropriate. Likewise, if the jury considers it necessary, they may ask the candidate to repeat a specific passage. 

Conditions for audition in the first round 

1. The first round will be done behind the curtain. 
2. In the evaluation of the first round the jury will evaluate five aspects:  

Rhythmic precision, tuning, sound quality, expression and style. 

Each member of the jury will evaluate each candidate by assigning one of these qualifications: SUITABLE either UNFIT. 

When all the candidates have auditioned, and without their presence, the results will be reviewed with all the juries counting the number of SUITABLE and NOT SUITABLE. Candidates who have more than half of the votes will go to the second round. SUITABLE. 

Conditions for audition in second round 

1. The second round will take place behind the curtain 

The second round will be judged in a similar manner (rhythmic precision, intonation, sound quality, expression and style, which will be averaged for an average score by each jury). 

Each item will be evaluated from 1 to 10, with 1 being the lowest rating and 10 being the highest. The qualifications of the jurors will be averaged and the candidate who obtains the highest score, and who is higher than: 

 – Tutti: 8 

-Assistant concertmaster: 9.5  

In case of a tie:  

If after the second round there is a tie, a third round will be called, under the terms and conditions determined by the jury.  

The candidate chosen in the auditions will be summoned for an interview with the Human Talent area. This interview is considered part of the selection process.  

Audiovisual recording of the hearing 

By registering, the candidate authorizes Filarmed to make an audiovisual record for archival purposes only. The video can only be consulted by the candidate at the Filarmed facilities. It is prohibited to make a copy of the video during said review. 

The Medellín Philharmonic Orchestra reserves the right to declare the seats deserted.  

The selected applicants will sign a service provision contract starting in August 2024. The first contract will be signed for around 4 months, and then it will be signed for periods equal to those of the orchestral plant. 

The LEAD award^® Kennedy Center recognizes for the first time a cultural organization outside the United States for its leadership on issues of accessibility and inclusion in the arts.

The Kennedy Center Leadership Exchange in Arts and Disability (LEAD) Awards^®) recognize outstanding cultural administrators and organizations whose leadership promotes disability accessibility in the arts. These awards seek to raise awareness of the importance of accessibility in artistic venues, cultural institutions and natural history settings.

The Kennedy Center hosts the Leadership Exchange in Arts and Disability (LEAD) meeting annually.^®), focused on accessibility and inclusion in the arts. This event brings together cultural leaders, professionals, and organizations to share strategies and best practices on how to make the arts more accessible to people with disabilities.

• The meeting, which took place in 2024, awarded the LEAD award^® in the Emerging Leader category to Filarmed which recognizes the Orchestra's significant potential in promoting accessibility in the arts. This award for the management model is in addition to the Latin Grammy for best Latin music album for children obtained in 2021 for the work Tu Rockcito Filarmónico and the Classical:NEXT Innovation Award awarded in 2022 for believing in music as an agent of transformation.

   

• The jury valued the management model of the Medellín Philharmonic Orchestra, which focuses on strengthening close relationships and bringing symphonic music closer to the community of people with intellectual, hearing and neurodivergent disabilities. This model has been implemented for 8 years in the “I am a Musician” program, which benefits more than 110 people. Additionally, the program strengthens the musical identities of people with disabilities, encouraging the development of musical skills and building a community around their artistic interest.

Transform the disabled population with music

Data from the Ministry of Health indicate that in the jurisdiction of Medellín there are approximately 64,283 people with disabilities, this includes some categories ranging from cognitive or physical, Alzheimer's, auditory, visual, among others. “Through this population, we learned about the scarcity of cultural/artistic services that they felt safe attending, as a consequence of the lack of not only regulations, but also motivation and actions from our cultural world to address exclusion. To this day, we are the only performing arts organization in our city and one of the few in the country that addresses the issue of accessibility, arts and disability. Currently, we do not know of government funds dedicated to working on accessibility in the arts,” explained María Catalina Prieto, executive director of Filarmed.

Accessibility for all  

“Attend the LEAD conference^® in Boston, United States, allowed us to understand the many aspects of accessibility that had been invisible to us or that, being visible, we had not found a way to address. It should be noted that our country's standards, particularly around arts spaces and accessibility, are not as comprehensive or enforced as in the United States, and that as a society we are still struggling to fully achieve inclusion. A characteristic of our organization is that we do not have our own setting, and that most city spaces do not have the accessibility characteristics that the different communities of people with disabilities require,” said Juanita Eslava, social programs advisor at Filarmed.

The Medellín Philharmonic Orchestra has taken a significant step by including accessibility as a line in its 2024 strategic plan for the first time. This includes expanding capacities, improving the accessibility of all its materials and concerts, and strengthening the dialogues with communities of people with disabilities to identify and address their needs as a cultural organization. These dialogues mark the beginning of the creation of advisory committees for the Orchestra.

“The creation of networks has also allowed us to begin planning activities that may include other organizations and cultural spaces in the country to mobilize their interest in this topic,” said María Catalina.

The future of Filarmed

Orchestras around the world have asked themselves how to be relevant and strengthen their ties with communities after discovering that the traditional model that is more than 200 years old, offering concerts only in theaters to the same niche audience, is not sustainable. For Filarmed it is very important to have a differentiating factor, being an orchestra in Europe, or in the United States, is not the same as an orchestra in a country like Colombia, in a city like Medellín that is in constant transformation and where the participation of The community is essential to build a better future. “That has been the main motivation, to stay relevant and ask ourselves how we can contribute to weaving a better society from what we know how to do best: symphonic music,” says María Catalina Prieto.

For Prieto it is a privilege to win the LEAD award^® Kennedy Center, a recognition of what has been cultivated in years of intentional and conscientious work, of being a close, relevant orchestra, of having a differential factor. Additionally, it is a validation of the orchestra's commitment and dedication to promoting inclusion and accessibility in the arts, especially in its work with people with disabilities.

A leading orchestra in accessibility and inclusion

Filarmed is a non-profit entity, created 41 years ago, it is financed with public and private resources from local, national and international organizations to carry out projects in which music has the greatest impact on society.

It is currently in one of the most interesting moments in its history. In the next six years it will work on four fronts: first, to be a musical reference in Latin America, to be recognized as one of the most important orchestras in the region and even worldwide. Second, to be a bold and innovative organization, which can produce captivating experiences with versatile musicians; that beyond playing an instrument well, they work with others and with other artistic disciplines. Third, to be an orchestra rooted in and committed to all types of populations in diverse territories, putting its capabilities at the service of social transformation, using music to improve the lives of all, and finally being a sustainable orchestra that generates social value.

“We firmly believe in the transformative power of music…we have been working for eight years with young people with cognitive disabilities, displaced communities and ex-combatants and victims of the armed conflict, we have also begun to work with young people and children with hearing and visual disabilities. These communities have in common that through music they can redefine their relationship with the city, with the other and with themselves and others,” explains María Catalina.

I am a Musician: inclusion, a commitment 

It has been eight years since the Orchestra recognized that disability can also contribute to transformation and creativity, and that its encounter with music should have no borders. Since 2017, the I Am a Musician program was created, in which young people and adults with hearing, cognitive and/or neurodivergent disabilities participate in a process of strengthening their musical identity, through musical creation and performance, guided by music therapists.