Tenerife Symphony Orchestra Concludes "Open Music" Social Outreach Program

The Tenerife Symphony Orchestra is taking its music beyond the concert hall through "Open Music," a social project that recently wrapped up its latest annual cycle. This year’s theme, "To the Rhythm of Play," focused on childhood and memory, highlighting the orchestra's role in bringing communities together and making the arts accessible to everyone.

Between October 5 and 16, the program hosted ten creative workshops with 140 participants, culminating in five recitals attended by 260 people. Led by socio-educational coordinator Ana Hernández-Sanchiz and choreographer Antonio Quiles, the project invited people from social care centers, healthcare facilities, and the Tenerife II Penitentiary to blend their own life experiences and movements with live performances by a string and percussion ensemble.

The initiative reached several locations across the island, including the Nuestra Señora de los Dolores Hospital, the CAMP Reina Sofía, the Ofra Senior Center, the Hogar Santa Rita, and the Tenerife II Penitentiary. This outreach was made possible through a partnership with the Cabildo de Tenerife’s Institute for Social and Socio-sanitary Care (IASS) and the General Secretariat of Penitentiary Institutions.

The performances featured a mix of improvisation and classical works by composers such as Mozart, Gluck, and Haydn. The ensemble included violinists Silvia Cánovas and Marta Beata Estefan, violist Eva Moszczynska, cellist David Barrera, and percussionists Emilio Díaz and Carlos Llácer.

For the musicians, the project offered a unique professional challenge: stepping outside their traditional environment to use music as a tool for non-verbal communication and emotional connection. By continuing to expand to new centers, the Tenerife Symphony Orchestra is reinforcing its commitment to using music as a vital part of the region's social fabric.