Originally the event was envisioned to be in the state of Oaxaca, but conditions were not right so it was sponsored by Puebla for the first two years. Now it has come back to Oaxaca which is the headquarters of Instrumenta 2005 as assured by Ignacio Toscano, director and founder of Instrumenta. Instrumenta Oaxaca 2005’s intention, through an agenda of renowned teachers from all over the world, is to provide excellence in education and improvement. “Now Oaxaca has the conditions so that the project can develop and flourish. This is a first step to create The Center Eduardo Mata, Espacio para las Músicas. The Center, according to Toscano, will be a place of the highest academic quality, with permanent programs that are being offered over the summer under such names as Instrumenta Tradition, Instrumenta Contemporary, as well as other options all within the musical realm.

From July 25th to August 6th this summer Oaxaca has the privilege to host more than 25 large teachers from all over the world, and just to mention a few, there will be Jorge Risi (Uruguay), violin; Klaus Stoll (Germany), bass; Alex Klein (Brazil United States), oboe; Frits Damrow (Holland), trumpet; Helmar Stiehler (Germany) cello; Christian Lindberg (Sweden), Trombone: Fred Fox (United States), horn; Stefano Scodanibbio (Italy), bassplayer; Mass Ito (Japan); and Horacio Franco (Mexico), flute, as well as many others equally renowned.

Toscano states that in light of the 21st century is now not possible to think about the music only as a concept but it “has to be spoken of the plurality and new languages, not only musical but of teaching; one large part not to forget is that it is important to take advantage of the best that has already been done and to seek new roads.” Hence, students of Paraguay, Taiwan, Spain, United States, Canada, Colombia, Costa Rica, Equator, Spain, Germany, Argentina, Brazil, Bulgaria, Guatemala, Honduras, Hungary, Japan, Mexico, Panama, Peru, Taiwan, Kuwait and Venezuela, will come together to be participants in what Toscano calls “the founding generation”. Furthermore, it must be mentioned that in the midst of all this effort there will be thirteen workshops for the four families of instruments that make up an orchestra: woodwinds, strings, brass and percussion. “The combined effort makes the difference since no one particular activity would have the capacity to do all of this, because in Instrumenta they have the participation by the Government of the State, the Municipality of the City of Oaxaca, the private sector and the Autonomous University Benito Juárez of Oaxaca (UABJO).”

Another concern for Instrumenta Oaxaca 2005 is the creation of the audiences “an infinite number of concerts can be organized but is precisely to prepare and then to adequately inform and offer the opportunity to the people that will go to them to enjoy”, says Toscano. Other important points that give potential to the event are the Rodolfo Halffter Latin American Prize of Composition and the Eduardo Mata Second Orchestra Direction Prize, which they will be awarded by judges of the first order. For his part, José Luis Castle, artistic director of Instrumenta Oaxaca 2005, has indicated that the main contribution to the student will be “the educational experience of sharing with great teachers of the music, who, at the same time, will be able to take the artistic and interpretive level of the students.”

Instrumenta Oaxaca 2005 is an international event, multigenerational and multicultural that is governed by four basic principles: diffusion, creation of an audience, research and education, which form a whole that conjugates in an important way.