Benefit Concert In Vienna On Behalf Of Juan Diego Flórez's 'Sinfonía Por El Perú' Raises $100K

It was an extremely exciting night for tenor Juan Diego Flórez with a grand benefit concert he gave on behalf of his foundation “Sinfonía por el Perú” at the Vienna State Opera. Efe reported that the box office earnings surpassed the €100,000 (around $150,000) which went to the noble cause almost in its entirety, as the theatre only charged for expenses and all the artists ‘donated’ their performances. Floréz explained that he was honored to share the stage with world class Opera stars such as Russian soprano Aida Garifullina, tenor Celso Albelo, mezzosoprano Cecilia Bartoli and baritone Michele Pertusi, among others.

The tenor said he is thrilled about the project’s international recognition, and added that, “there’s no way it can be abandoned now.” Changing the lives of so many children is a dream come true for him. The foundation, established in 2011, has 15 branches all over the country, which have approximately 2,500 young students who live in unfavorable conditions and are learning music to escape violence, child exploitation and poverty. When addressing the rapid growth of the project, Flórez explained they want to “consolidate what we've done well, before growing too much,” in order to make sure it can continue to do so.

Some of the young students who played at the concert come from similar programs from other countries in South America such as, “Sistema de Venezuela,” a pioneer in this type of initiatives; “Fundación Bravura de Bolivia” as well as the “Academia Filármonica de Medellín” from Colombia and the “Escuela de Música de Papageno” in Chile. “The experience was absolutely unforgettable. Playing at the Vienna State Opera is something I never could’ve imagined. A dream come true,” said a percussionist from the “Academia Filármonica de Medellín,” Estebán Rúa.