From zero to Sibelius

How quickly do you think you and your friends could learn to play Jean Sibelius’ Andante Festivo if you’d never really played your instruments before?

This was the challenge that awaited El Sistema Sweden's Fatima Moradi, Mohsen Mohseni and Asil Salim in a TV series called I dag om ett år (Today in a Year).

Jean Sibelius’ Andante Festivo

Today in a Year

I dag om ett år (Today in a Year) is a Swedish TV programme which films candidates looking to fulfill their dreams. The programme starts with the candidates on the sofa with Pernilla Månsson Colt, where they commit to taking a one-year challenge. Afterwards, they go through the special one-year door in the studio and reemerge - one year later - to talk about their challenges and show viewers how they have got one.

The programme highlights diverse challenges and the current series features Bengt learning how to walk again after an accident, Sara looking to get fit enough to complete an assault course after recovering from cancer treatment, Kalle trying to find her biological mother and, of course, Fatima, Mohsen and Asil learning how to play Andante Festivo.

The Dream Orchestra

Fatima, Mohsen and Asil are all members of the Dream Orchestra, which El Sistema Swedens’s artistic director, Ron Davis Alvarez set up in the autumn of 2015, after encountering young refugees in Sweden.

Ron Davis, who himself grew up in a favela in Caracas, wanted to create a project to provide young, unaccompanied refugees in Sweden with a way of not only meeting and supporting each other in a positive environment but also of making their first steps in Swedish culture and society.

Originally, Ron's project began with just a handful of young people from a refugee settlement south of Gothenburg in the spring of 2016. However, thanks to instruments donated by The City of Gothenburg, the Dream Orchestra now consists of about 60 members from different countries and provides its young members with hope, a support network and a first step towards integrating into Swedish society.

The Dream of a Dream Orchestra

From beginners to concert musicians

Fatima, Asil and Mohsen had only just joined the orchestra when SVT [Swedish state TV] contacted them to ask them to participate in I dag om ett år (Today in a Year). Fatima had, in principle, only held her violin, while Asil and Mohsen had been in the orchestra for a short time, but were still new to their instruments [the viola and the cello].

After receiving their challenge, Fatima, Asil and Mohsen formed a quartet together with their teacher, Ron Davis Alvarez, with the goal of learning Jean Sibelius' Andante Festivo. And, this itself formed part of the challenge for the novice musicians, with the exposure provided by the quartet ensuring that each member would have to do their bit, were the piece to be performed well.

To put the challenge even more into perspective, it is said that it takes 10,000 hours to learn to play an instrument and, yet, the members of the quartet only had 500 hours each to practise on their instruments in the year leading up to their performance.

Music as an outlet

And, it wasn’t just the SVT challenge that Fatima, Asil and Mohsen were wrestling with in 2017. Like many other members of the Dream Orchestra, all three have had to cope with insecure living conditions and, like all their fellow Afghans, they had been worrying about their residency applications and whether or not the Swedish Migration Board would decide to let them stay in Sweden.

Indeed, when the first part of the programme was filmed, all three were uncertain as to whether they would be able to remain in Sweden long enough to be able to take part in final concert, which was filmed just before Christmas.

In such circumstances, playing together in the quartet and the Dream Orchestra has provided them all with a welcome outlet and a group of friends amongst which to discuss their problems and to seek advice.

"We are like a family in the orchestra, sharing joy and sorrow", Fatima Moradi told SVT, as the programme sought to reflect on the circumstances within which the participants had pursued their goals.

A happy ending?

Now that the programme has aired, most of the members of the quartet know more about their futures: Fatima and her sister may stay in Sweden for three years, Mohsen has been rejected - but is waiting on his appeal - and only Asil has yet to hear back from the Swedish Migration Board.

Clearly, many new challenges await Fatima, Mohsen and Asil, yet the Dream Orchestra and the I dag om ett år (Today in a Year) challenge have given all three of them the opportunity to find a positive release for their stress and anxiety and have strengthened their resolve in the quest to achieve dreams and goals far beyond Sibelius.

And, what about their final concert - how did they get on? Don’t worry, they did fantastically. Don’t just take our word for it, though, watch the full section of the episode below!

Today in a Year with Fatima, Asil & Mohsen from El Sistema Sweden's Dream Orchestra

The Dream Orchestra

The Dream Orchestra continues to support and motivate young refugees in Sweden and local church and civil society organisations in Gothenburg recently came together with El Sistema Sweden to form an organisation to cater to the musical & personal needs of the members of the orchestra and to help attract volunteers and fundraising.

Co-Founder, Malin Clausson says:

This organisation has been formed to support the members of the orchestra in every aspect. Not only with instruments, t-shirts, music stands and everything else that comes with an orchestra but also with health care, bus cards, homework, accommodation and all those things that can be a true struggle for young people growing up without their parents or family around.

To keep up-to-date with the group’s work, to make a donation or find out how to get involved, you can visit either their Facebook page or their recently-founded website at the following addresses: