A bent fork. A metal container. Found materials make up the instruments played by The Recycled Orchestra of Cateura, Paraguay.
The materials are locally-sourced from a nearby dump, home to 25,000 people, many of whom survive by picking through garbage.
Favio Chavez leads the chamber ensemble of 25 budding musicians. He’s a music teacher and a social worker. The orchestra has performed in Brazil, Panama, and Columbia, and offers young players hope for a way out of poverty.
A Kickstarter campaign for the film launched in March.
This web extra provides additional information related to an article titled, “Sound Garden,” which appeared in the June 2013 issue of Mindful magazine.