From June 17 to June 21, the City of the Arts was the stage of the National Meeting "A thousand Hearts, A Alone Mission," where more than 800 children and youth, between 6 and 19 years old and from every province of the country, met to celebrate their passion for music.

The event, launched by the Ministry of Culture through the Panama Network of Orquestas and Children's and Youth's Chores and with the support of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), offered a week of intensive training, essays, concerts, workshops and cultural tours, in an atmosphere that promoted learning, co-existence and national identity.

For five days, participants had an integral experience that combined music with cultural knowledge. Besides sharing them with symphony and choral assemblies, youth had an opportunity to participate in an educational essay with teachers from the National Symphony Orchestra at the Balboa Theater, an enriching experience that brought them closer to an orchestra's professional work.

As part of the program, they also visited historic and iconic sites of Panama City, including the Old Panama Archaeological Site, the Coast Ribbon and other points of interest. For many of them, it was the first time in the capital, making the tour an even more significant experience.

Electra Castillo, director of Panama's Network of Orquestas and Children's and Youth Coros, commented: "That meeting filled us with emotion. We have been using our vacation week to bring together children and youth who come to share, co-live and make music. Thanks to their parents for their confidence in this program, with the aim of training through music and creating spaces where children grow up as people and as artists."

The meeting closed with a great final concert on Saturday June 21 at 4: 00 p.m. at the La Salle School's Gymnasium with free entrance for the whole family. There, the youth will play a symphonical-choral repertoire that represents an effort and dedicated to a week of joint artistic work.

"A thousand Hearts, A single Mission" is far more than a musical encounter: it's a platform that strengthens artistic education, promotes inclusion and recognizes the talent of our childhood and youth. We thank families, teachers, strategic allies and communities that continue to believe in the transformative power of art.