The Score | Utah Symphony Musicians on a Mission

This March, sixteen Utah Symphony musicians and Music Director Thierry Fischer headed to Haiti as part of a volunteer service mission to work with more than 100 local student musicians. The musicians held the first Haitian National Orchestral Institute—a week-long workshop for top Haitian music students—at the Dessaix-Baptiste Music School in Jacmel, Haiti’s cultural capital. Musicians volunteered their services and raised funds to help fund expenses for the Haitian students. Haiti was hard hit by hurricanes in October 2016 and January 2010. The group is partnering with the U.S. nonprofit Building Leaders Using Music Education (BLUME) Haiti, which works to strengthen the country’s socio-economic fabric through classical music. The Haitian National Orchestral Institute and the trip were spearheaded by Utah Symphony cellist John Eckstein (pictured left, standing in back row above with students of the cello section and fellow Utah Symphony cellist Anne Lee). Eckstein first visited Haiti on a teaching service trip in July 2016.