From 496 applications from over 450 institutions nationwide, the Orquestra Geração was the sole project unanimously selected by the seven jury members. Linked since its inception to the Escola Artística de Música do Conservatório Nacional, which oversees its pedagogical coordination, the Orquestra Geração believes in music as a tool for social inclusion and transformation.
Currently, the project reaches over 1800 children and young people in approximately 30 schools. Portugal has 22 such orchestras, one of which is located in the municipality of Sesimbra. The Orquestra Geração da Boa Água has involved students from the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd cycles of the Agrupamento de Escolas da Boa Água since 2009, as well as secondary and higher education students who have passed through this group. In the last academic year, 92 children participated in the project.
The model, inspired by Venezuela's National System of Youth and Children's Orchestras, was implemented in Portugal through a joint application by the Lisbon Metropolitan Area and the municipalities of Sesimbra, Amadora, Loures, Oeiras, Sintra, and Vila Franca de Xira for community funds.
