María discovered how music can give something back to a city

For her graduation project, María immersed herself in the history of a youth symphony orchestra from her hometown region in southern Spain. That research brought her closer not only to music, but also to her family, her city and herself.

Artistic research rooted in her own city

María grew up in Cieza, a small town in the Murcia region of southern Spain. More than a hundred years ago, the Orquesta de San Juan was founded there, an orchestra that later evolved into the Youth Symphony Orchestra of Cieza. 

'A lot of families didn’t have much money and the nearest conservatory was in another city,' María explains. 'For people like my mother, studying music somewhere else simply wasn’t possible. That orchestra gave people the chance to learn music in their own town.' Her mother learned to play the violin there and later passed that love of music on to her daughter. 'That’s how I started making music myself. I always wanted to play the violin, never another instrument.'

The orchestra grew out of the region’s procession traditions, but over time it took on a much bigger cultural role in the city. Still, 37 years ago, the orchestra disappeared because of financial problems and the retirement of its conductor. 'The orchestral culture disappeared for a long time,' María says. 'Especially for string instruments, that had a huge impact.'

Interviews with former orchestra members

For her research, María interviewed former orchestra members and people from Cieza. 'During the interviews, I always asked the same question: would you have been able to study music without this orchestra? The answer was always no.' Through those conversations, she realised how deeply the orchestra had shaped the city. 'Many former members are now teachers, play in professional orchestras or started new music initiatives themselves. Honestly, almost everything we have now grew out of that orchestra.'

'At first, I didn’t think this topic was suitable for artistic research. In Spain, a thesis is usually very theoretical and focused on writing a paper. I didn’t think you could use something personal.' That changed once she arrived in Zwolle. 'I actually came to Zwolle because of my teacher, Sarah Kapustin. I didn’t know Zwolle at all. I took a masterclass with her in Madrid and immediately thought: I want to learn from her. She’s very open to different ways of making music. That openness made me feel like my personal story could also become part of my art.'

Sounds and voices from her city in her graduation performance

For her final performance, María brings all of those stories together. She combines an existing piece for string quintet with recorded audio, interview fragments and percussion sounds. 'It’s old music, but presented in a modern way.' The voices of local residents also became part of the performance. 'Three years ago, I helped revive the orchestra and many people shared emotional reactions online. Some people wrote things like: "It felt just like it used to, thank you for this." I asked if they would record those words for my performance.'

More than just playing well

During the project, María’s perspective on music, and on her future as a musician, also changed. 'I was always super focused on playing the violin well,' she says. 'I used to think mostly about getting into a big orchestra.' She still wants that, but her research made her look at music differently. 'I discovered how much music can mean to a community. How it can preserve memories and give something back to a city.' That also changed her idea of success. 'I’m no longer only proud when I play well. I’m also proud when I can mean something to other people.'

After graduating, María wants to continue performing and teaching, but also start new music projects in her region. 'I dream about creating an orchestra project where children can play together with professional musicians. In the past, the orchestra was also a kind of school. Now the orchestra exists again, but there still isn’t really a place where children can learn and play together like that. I would love to help build that.'

Creating art from something close to your heart

For prospective students who wonder whether their own background is interesting enough for artistic research, María has a clear message: 'Something might not look like art at first, but you can create art from something that truly matters to you. The value isn’t in how big or impressive the subject seems. It’s in how personally and honestly you work with it.' 

For María, music is no longer only about performance. 'Sometimes the music isn’t even the goal,' she says. 'It can also be a way to communicate something important to people.'