The Youth Orchestra of the Canary Islands (JOCAN) is a project launched by the Canary Islands Government in 2016 to enhance and perfect orchestral training for young artists by helping them obtain high qualifications as orchestral instrumentalists with broad command of the symphonic repertoire. The initiative is meant to contribute to shaping their future careers while providing a Canarian focus to an artistic project of excellence with its own identity to make a mark on the cultural scene at home and abroad.
Another challenge of the JOCAN involves promoting the recovery and dissemination of new repertoires and encouraging the public to attend classical music events. The JOCAN also provides young musicians with information and advice on assistance, grants, awards and other opportunities within their field.
The selection of members takes place through calls to the public held by the public enterprise Canarias Cultura en Red to cover all musical specialities requiring orchestras of this kind. The profile of the average selected candidate in this process is that of a music student or a recent graduate between 18 and 30 years old who was born in or is residing in the Canary Islands.
Approximately 100 musicians comprise the JOCAN’s reserve of instrumentalists. They study at Canarian educational centres such as the Higher or Professional Conservatory of Music of the Canary Islands, the Academy of the Philharmonic Orchestra of Gran Canaria and schools; others have finished their studies and are training in European-certified centres.
As a project, the JOCAN is visible at several annual performances of symphonic or chamber music that bring musicians together for several days to rehearse the proposed programmes and subsequently give concerts at several venues in the Canary Islands.
Víctor Pablo Pérez is the JOCAN’s artistic director, and the Canarian Institute of Development oversees its technical and academic direction.