Orquesta Ludovico Rutten
Talca is 160 miles south of Santiago, a beautiful drive through the lush Central Valley,
with the Andes forming a spectacular border to the east. A lovely mid-size city of 200,000,
it is home to the Universidad de Talca, one of Chile's pre-eminent institutions.
November 2012
Janna Lower (far left) is pictured here with University of Talca (Chile) Professor of Violin
Solange Navarrete (far right) and the members of Orquesta Ludovico Rutten
directed by Ms. Navarrete. These young students all began playing in 2009
under Ms. Navarrete's tutelage, and have made rapid progress in their
development. The orchestra meets twice a week, and each student gets
private instruction as well. This experience, modeled after Venezuela's highly successful
El Sistema, has transformed the lives of these young people.
Tropikordia Foundation director Janna Lower presents an early 20th century violin to young artist Karen Castro.