In Quito, Ecuador, a remarkable youth orchestra is changing lives. The Orquesta Joven del Ecuador brings together talented young musicians – many from at-risk and migrant backgrounds – and gives them the chance to focus their energy on learning, performing, and creating music. For these young people, an instrument isn’t just wood, brass, or strings, it’s a lifeline. It’s discipline, teamwork, self-expression, and hope. It’s a way to choose harmony over trouble.
Recently, Rotary clubs in Southern New England helped make that harmony even stronger. In a ringing tribute to District 7980’s (Southern CT) commitment to continue the Opus for Peace initiative to foster peace through the arts launched last year, clubs from across the district joined forces with neighboring District 7950 (Eastern MA and RI) to create a symphony of service that will be heard all the way to South America.
The effort began in New London where the local Rotary club and several partner clubs secured a District Managed Grant to purchase and collect instruments for the orchestra and the music school, Amazon Arts, associated with it. Over months, these instruments began to fill storage areas – trumpets, flutes, violins, guitars, and more, each one carrying the promise of music for young players in Quito.
“I felt the energy of Rotary over these last few months with people uniting through music to create peace and lasting change across oceans, our communities and in ourselves, in line with Rotary International’s vision statement” said Julia Kushigian-Secor. “It was truly magical.”
Then came the Fairfield County crescendo. In just a few short weeks in late July and early August, Rotarians from Westport, Wilton, Ridgefield, Milford, and Greenwich gathered 153 instruments and sound equipment valued at over $10,000, thanks to an outpouring of community support.
“Fairfield County showed what’s possible in such a short time,” said PDG Rick Benson of the Westport Rotary Club. “To collect this many instruments so quickly, it was nothing short of amazing.”
The finale came at The Garde Arts Center in New London, where all the instruments – those from the New London club’s initial efforts, Fairfield County’s whirlwind drive, and nearby District 7950’s generous contributions – were carefully loaded onto a shipping container atop a truck, whose passage to the main Ecuadorian port of Guayaquil was secured and donated by a generous Rotarian.
After two weeks at sea, from Guayaquil the container will travel to Quito, where Rotary Peace Fellow Maestro Diego Carneiro, founder and director of the Orquesta Joven del Ecuador and the Amazon Arts music school, awaits its arrival.
“These instruments will open doors for our young musicians,” Maestro Diego said. “Your generosity will help them grow not only as artists, but as people, building peace and understanding through music. The Rotary family has truly given them a gift beyond measure and we are so grateful.”
From the first planning meeting to the final loading day at The Garde, the Instruments of Peace project showed the true strength of Rotary – bringing together clubs, districts, and community members in a shared mission that reaches far beyond New England. The results speak for themselves: hundreds of young people will now have the opportunity to learn, grow, and build a brighter future through the gift of music.
This was more than a delivery of instruments, it was the expansion of Opus for Peace beyond District 7980 to promote peace through the arts. Just as an orchestra blends many distinct voices into one shared sound, it is hoped that Opus for Peace will unite communities across the globe, here helping young people find common ground through creative expression.
And now, in rehearsal rooms and concert halls in Quito and elsewhere in Ecuador, new musicians will lift their bows, strike their strings, and fill the air with the music you helped make possible – proof that when Rotary plays together, the world listens.
About Rotary International’s Peacebuilding and Conflict Resolution Focus
Rotary believes that peace is possible and we work to create the conditions that foster its growth, one person, one project at a time. We bring people together, nurture understanding, and give communities the tools to replace division with dialogue. We tackle the root causes of conflict – poverty, discrimination, ethnic tension, lack of education, and unequal resources – by fighting disease, providing clean water and sanitation, improving maternal and child health, supporting education, and growing local economies. As practitioners, educators, mediators, and advocates, our members create the fertile ground where peace can take root and flourish, sparking change that spreads from neighborhoods to nations.
