FROM BAHIA TO THE WORLD
Created by Neojiba, Bahian dreams of studying in Spain after passing the metals academy
Rafael Xavier, at 22 years old, started a fundraiser to finance a trip to Europe to specialize in horn
Published on September 4, 2024 at 06:00
Currently in São Paulo, Rafael Xavier saw music as a means of ascension for himself and his family Credit: Publication
Walking through the streets of Bairro da Paz, in the capital city of Bahia, young musician Rafael Xavier, 22, had no idea he would get this far. The journey that began in one of the Music Practice Centers (NPM) of the State Centers for Youth and Children’s Orchestras in Bahia (Neojiba), now receives a new chapter: permission for music studied at the Alicante Brass Academy, Spain.
“I believe that the school will give me musical focus, technical performance, refinement. It is a reference school, it will be very good for my learning process to have this knowledge”, points out the horn player.
Salvador originally started playing music as a child and he did not know that the classes he attended as a hobby would become his profession. At the age of 9, Rafael joined the NPM de Bairro da Paz and played percussion, but he was soon captivated by the sweet melody of the horn. In addition to the instrument, the young man received classes in choir singing, children’s initiation and music theory. He was also at Neojiba, in 2016, he joined an orchestra for the first time. “I moved on to the Castro Alves Orchestra and it was a turning point, it was another reality. I started leaving Bairro da Paz to go to Campo Grande, Corredor da Vitória, Teatro Castro Alves (TCA). It was another social reality, another way of life”, he says.
While promoting and developing his taste and ability in music, Rafael saw the possibility of changing his social reality and his family through concerts. “My mother always worked as a maid, she took care of the house, my brothers and I, alone. The goal is to change this reality and give it rest. ”
Today, music is what sustains the musician and his family. Currently, in the capital of São Paulo, the Bahian is a member of the São Paulo State Youth Orchestra. For him, the musical evolution achieved in the group, as well as the experience in Neojiba, was fundamental to pass the selection process of the Spanish school. “My scholarship is still dedicated, in part, to helping my family.
During the selection process for the academy that specializes in metals, Rafael found himself facing his first challenge by performing jobs at the most difficult technical levels. “I recorded the video and sent it. For the third time, I got this permission and, this year, I’m going, I have a lot of faith in it.”
Although he had already competed and received approval on other occasions, it is only this year that the horn player’s dream is close to becoming a reality. “It was always a distant reality, I thought: “I passed, but I don’t have money. If I go, how will I support myself?”, he admits.
To make the trip, an achievement that was achieved with a lot of effort, Rafael still does not have all the money he needs. It was only after this third permit that the young man from Salvador began to consider the idea of studying abroad, relying on a solidarity network. Rafael opened an online crowdfunding to raise R $30,000, needed to cover the registration and the total cost of the course (€2,800), the musician’s ticket to the city of Alicante (€1,000) Spanish, cost the Spanish visa (€90) and the sum of €1,000 to cover basic living with rent, food and transport during the three months of the course.
The crowdfunding, says Rafael, is the only hope he has to cross the Atlantic to make his dream come true. “I have no savings, I cannot have family support because we are very humble and the truth is to work, pay the bills, eat and survive”, he reporting.
There have always been challenges in Rafael’s path and, although he is not sure if he will raise the necessary money for the trip, the young musician does not lose the meaning of his dream. Being in European lands, the native Salvador intends to continue specializing and seek other training opportunities in different academies and universities.
The return to his homeland, however, is a trip where Rafael already has his bags packed. “I have all this effort, to be away from home, to live in another state, in another country, so that, in a few years, I can get a better job, a better life”, he says to say
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