National Youth Symphony Orchestra of Mexico (OSINJUVE)
Orchestral Academy and Tour
With the aim of bringing together the most outstanding young symphonic orchestra instrumentalists in Mexico and providing them with the opportunity to undertake professional training under the guidance of distinguished teachers, in accordance with international quality standards, the Conservatory of Music of Durango—an agency decentralized from the Secretariat of Education of the State of Durango and supported by the Mexican Secretariat of Public Education—has established the National Youth Symphony Orchestra of Mexico (OSINJUVE).
In the first edition of this orchestra (January 2026), 72 young musicians from 24 states across the country participated. They were selected from more than 200 applicants by specialized committees for each section of the orchestra.
Gathered for one week at the facilities of the Conservatory of Music of Durango, the members of OSINJUVE worked in sections under the guidance of the OSINJUVE Tutor Masters, distinguished musicians with extensive experience in the musical field: Iván Pérez (violin), Omar del Ángel (viola), Vanessa Ascanio (cello), Gabriela Vidal (double bass), Ely Molletones (oboe), Adrian Griffin (trumpet), and Francisco Arroyo (percussion), as well as the participation of guest harpist Emilia Barragán. During this time, in addition to refining their skills as performers, they prepared an orchestral concert program featuring masterpieces of the universal symphonic repertoire, under the baton of the renowned conductor Anatoly Zatin. The program also highlighted the participation of the sensational Chinese pianist Niu Niu as soloist, considered one of the finest young musicians of today.
The first national tour of OSINJUVE began on Friday, January 16, in the city of Durango, Dgo. The concert, held at the Aula Magna of the Bicentennial Cultural and Convention Center before an audience of more than 1,500 attendees, was honored by the presence of Dr. José Guillermo Adame Calderón, Secretary of Education of the State of Durango. The audience enjoyed the concert program, hosted by pianist and member of the Petrof Duo, Mtra. Vlada Zatine, and at the end rewarded the performance with several standing ovations.
At the end of the concert, Dr. Adame Calderón presented a Certificate of Recognition to pianist Niu Niu, who as of that date assumes the title of Visiting Professor at the Conservatory of Music of Durango. As an encore, Masters Niu Niu, Anatoly Zatin, and Vlada Zatine performed a six-hands piano version of Franz Liszt’s Grand Galop Chromatique, once again sparking an enthusiastic ovation from the audience.
On Saturday, January 17, the OSINJUVE concert was repeated in the city of Torreón, Coahuila, at the beautiful Isauro Martínez Theater. This performance was presented with the support of Fundación Lala, the City Council of Torreón, and the Municipal Institute of Culture and Education. The interest generated by this concert exceeded the theater’s own capacity, leaving several people outside. As on the previous evening, the audience applauded the performances enthusiastically—both the orchestra’s interpretations in the first part of the program and Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1 with Niu Niu as soloist in the second part, as well as the several encores.
The third concert of this national tour was successfully held in the city of Colima, capital of the state of the same name, on Monday, January 19. On this occasion, the venue was the beautiful Teatro Hidalgo, an architectural gem dating from the late 19th century. This concert was sponsored by Senator Ana Karen Hernández and the Secretary of Education of the State of Colima, Prof. Adolfo Núñez González.
The fourth concert of the tour took place at the beautiful Degollado Theatre in the city of Guadalajara on Wednesday, January 21, and concluded on Saturday, January 24, at the Blas Galindo Auditorium of the National Center for the Arts (CENART) in Mexico City. All the concerts on this first tour were completely sold out, in some cases even exceeding the venues’ seating capacity.
Throughout this tour, the young members of OSINJUVE, the tutor masters—who also perform as musicians in the concerts—the organizing authorities, and the audience itself have expressed their admiration for the high level of quality of the performances, as well as for this initiative of the Government of the State of Durango, led by Dr. Esteban Villegas Villarreal, highlighting its support for the fine arts as an essential part of education and the comprehensive development of the human being.
Vlada Zatine, Anatoly Zatin.
