Cuban American Youth Orchestra

Much has changed since May 2015 when the Minnesota Orchestra responded to President Obama's opening to Cuba with a tour to Havana. As the four year anniversary of that trip nears, the Cuban American Youth Orchestra, a 501(c)(3) organization, prepares to build on that opening with a weeklong collaboration of American and Cuban college-aged musicians in Havana.

We are going to Havana because Cuban nationals can no longer apply for visas in their home country. That's one thing that has changed. Another is the deepening economic crisis on the island brought on by a combination of foreign and domestic pressures. 

Here are some things that haven't changed:  the talent, drive, and creativity of young musicians in Cuba who seek opportunities to fully express themselves, and the desire for the young people of the US to take an active part in building a better world. CAYO is dedicated to providing opportunities for them next month and going forward.

This funding effort is meant to expressly support the direct, people-to-people engagement between our American and Cuban musicians from May 20-26, 2019 in order to strengthen a link that is threatened by outside pressures on both sides of the water. Through music, and with your support, CAYO is working to activate the power of citizen diplomacy.



Learn more at CAYO's website