PaPI Opus 8 was presented at the Young Audiences Music (YAM) session held in Viljandi, Estonia, from 15 to 18 September.
YAMsession is an international conference dedicated to music creation and production for children and young audiences. It includes artistic performances, lectures, and the YAMaward competition, which recognizes creations dedicated to young audiences. Several works by Companhia de Música Teatral have already been distinguished at this significant international event, with Murmuratorium and Ornitópera being awarded by the jury in 2020 and 2024.
This year, we took part in the showcase of creations for children. Eighty children between the ages of three and five, along with more than fifty adults, attentively followed the flight of young artist Inês Rodrigues da Silva.
The Estonian language must resemble that of birds, as the artist and the children intertwined various dialogues. And, in their spontaneous rhythm, the children applauded and the adults agreed.
In Estonia, we had the opportunity to see the film ‘Singing Revolution’. Unbelievably, songs, too, make revolutions.
We also had the opportunity of visiting the Arvo Pärt Centre, a beautiful space where movement and stillness coexist. Für Alina is one of Arvo Pärt’s landmark works, where music finds its source in silence. It was written for a Mother forced to part from her daughter.
The YAMsession is organized by Jeunesses Musicales International (JMI), an organization that stands out for defending that access to music and culture are fundamental rights of every child and young person.
Only a utopia such as this can keep alive the Hope that all children may find an embrace. Let us remember the words of José Luís Borges Coelho: “Utopia? Without the boundlessness of Utopia, one never reaches a reality worth living.”
We need a new revolution, with carnations and a lullaby. So that all little soldiers (“soldadinhos”) disobey and, united, trust in the sources of Life.
Only utopia can save us from reality. That is why JMI’s message must grow stronger: access to music and culture are fundamental rights of all children and young people. Of all, without exception.
