His love of music is helping refugees and immigrants build new lives

By Kathleen Toner, CNN

Gothenburg, Sweden (CNN) — Every Saturday, at a church in Gothenburg, Sweden, hundreds of people of all ages and backgrounds gather. There are more than 20 languages spoken among them, and they come not to worship, but to play music.

As they chat and tune their instruments, a smiling man sweeps in and the energy level rises. He greets everyone, steps onto the podium, and raises his baton. On his command, music fills the room.

It’s an ensemble known as the Dream Orchestra – the vision of Ron Davis Alvarez, an accomplished violinist, conductor, and teacher. Since 2016, his free program has given hundreds of refugees, immigrants, vulnerable young people, and native Swedes the chance to learn an instrument, connect with others, and enrich their lives.

To Alvarez, 38, the work is about far more than music.

“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.”

New life through music

Alvarez grew up in the favelas of Caracas, Venezuela – dangerous slums plagued by drugs and violence. To help his family make ends meet, in grade school he started selling ice cream alongside his grandmother at her home. Across the street was a chapter of El Sistema, a globally acclaimed program that provides free classical music training to children from under-resourced communities. Seeing students carrying their instruments interested him; then, he heard the music.

“You always (could) hear one of the students playing the violin (from) the balcony,” he said. “I said, ‘I want to play that. … That instrument has a voice.’”

At 10, he joined the group, and the experience changed his life.

“I fell in love with music from my first class,” he said. “For me, to play the violin – it’s electricity.”

He also appreciated the school’s inclusive philosophy.

“It (didn’t) matter if I was the guy who was selling ice cream in front of the school or I was the son or the daughter of the mayor,” he said. “Everyone was important in the classroom.”

By 14, he was teaching classes; by 16, he was conducting. His love of music kept him focused on his goals and out of trouble.

Eventually, Alvarez studied conducting at university and later worked for El Sistema to help spread the group’s innovative teaching methods worldwide – even near the Arctic Circle, where he started Greenland’s first youth orchestra. It was this work that led him to first visit Sweden in 2015.

Seeking light in the darkness

Alvarez was in Stockholm just as unprecedented numbers of refugees were arriving in the country, most from Syria, Iraq, and Afghanistan. He was stunned by the crowds he saw in the city’s central train station.

“For me, it was a shocking moment. They were, like, completely lost,” he said. “I was just thinking, ‘What are they gonna do?’ Everything was really dark. And I see in their eyes they were looking for light.”

He knew he could help. The following year, he was hired by El Sistema Sweden and moved to Gothenburg where in his free time he offered a music group for refugees. He started with 13 students. Most had no background in music and didn’t speak English – nor Alvarez’s native Spanish – but he loaned them instruments and began teaching them. He knew playing music together would help them make friends, express themselves, and rebuild their self-esteem. He named the group the Dream Orchestra to emphasize their potential.

“For me, that’s what a music education is about,” he said. “It’s about giving you new opportunities (for) learning about life, about challenges, about dreaming, about … connecting you to your soul.”

Eight years later, the program has more than 300 members, from 3 to 56 years old, of more than 25 nationalities, Alvarez said. While many are immigrants and refugees, the group also includes many second-generation immigrants as well as native Swedes, including some who are nonbinary or trans. Connecting people of different backgrounds is central to Alvarez’s mission.

“You cannot have an orchestra only for refugees because that’s segregation. You really need to include people from Sweden … We all need to learn from each other,” he said. “We are an orchestra for everyone.”

The group now offers weekly large ensemble rehearsals, as well as beginner classes at three different locations around Gothenburg. Alvarez teaches in English, but since it’s not spoken by everyone, he also communicates using numbers, colors, games and movement.

“Some of the kids, I know that they don’t understand what I say. But they do understand what I show,” he said. “It’s an orchestra where the main language is music.”

Alvarez also realizes that it can be scary to try something new, especially for those who are adjusting to life in a new country. His upbeat attitude helps encourage everyone to take risks.

“Something that I believe that you need to learn (in) music is to believe in yourself,” he said. “To believe in yourself and to develop through music, you have to make mistakes. Mistakes … make you strong.”

Most rehearsals include people of varying levels of experience, so Alvarez encourages everyone to help each other.

“Tolerance, respect, compassion. All of that is what we learn when we play an instrument,” he said. “For us, it’s one goal … to care about the others.”

Connecting beyond the music

Community is an essential part of what Alvarez is trying to create, especially for those who have recently arrived in Sweden and have no social network. While playing together helps students bond, the Swedish tradition of “fika” – basically, a coffee break – also plays a crucial role.

“It’s a moment where we socialize, so that also helps us to connect with everyone in the orchestra,” he said. “It’s a very important part of what we do. … We are a family.”

Alvarez strives to build an appreciation for different cultures by having students learn a wide range of works from around the world, including from many of their homelands. He also teaches Swedish compositions so students can learn about their new home.

“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 students struggle to make ends meet or with immigration issues, they often turn to Alvarez and other members of the orchestra for help. Alvarez and some members of his group help with housing, food, and connection to outside resources and support. This isn’t a formal part of Dream Orchestra’s work, just a result of the friendships formed.

“When someone comes and says, ‘I have this problem,’ then we all have the problem,” Alvarez said.

For many members, Dream Orchestra truly is a family and home where they can learn, grow, connect, and find comfort.

One of those members is Olga Hushchyna. After fleeing Ukraine, she was excited to have her 8-year old son, Andrii, join the Dream Orchestra and was thrilled to realize she could also join and learn the violin. She says the group has helped rebuild their lives through friendship and music.

“After having such great stress, this makes us alive once again. We really heal and receive medicine (from) this,” she said. “Life is not stopped. Life is going on.”

Mushtaq Hansson-Khorsand arrived from Afghanistan without any family when he was just 16. As a fan of hip hop, he had no interest in joining Alvarez’s group, but when he saw how happy the musicians were, he changed his mind. Now 25, he still comes to play the flute every week and says that Dream Orchestra is where he feels most at home.

“You are welcome, who you are, no matter where you came from,” he said. “That’s why you feel safe. You can be yourself.”

Hansson-Khorsand says he couldn’t have adjusted to life in Sweden without the financial and emotional support he received from the group. Today, he’s married with a young son and has a job helping refugees find work. Alvarez is helping him prepare to study music at university.

“Right now, my only goal is to teach music to other people – teach them what I have learned, “he said. “We are going to change the world with music. … That’s what I learned from Ron.”

Alvarez wants others to replicate his work. He’s supported programs at refugee camps in the West Bank and Greece and is working to do the same in Ukraine. Ultimately, his hope is for groups like Dream Orchestra to help people overcome hardships and find joy in life and connection with others.

“This orchestra offers more than just notes. This orchestra offers something for your soul,” he said. “Music connects us. Dream Orchestra, it’s a dream, but it’s a dream (that’s) come true.”

Want to get involved? Check out the Dream Orchestra website and see how to help.

To donate to Dream Orchestra via GoFundMe, click here

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