Boston String Academy is a non-profit organization, inspired by the Venezuelan El Sistema model which believes in musical excellence as a vehicle for social change. We provide rigorous string instrument instruction to children in under-served communities, laying a solid musical foundation and creating a path for young people to become sensitive, responsible, and creative human beings. Our program makes mastery of a string instrument reachable by eliminating obstacles that stand in an inner-city family’s way.
Boston String Academy was founded in 2012 by violinists Marielisa and Mariesther Alvarez, graduates from The Boston Conservatory, and of El Sistema program in their home country of Venezuela, and have modeled Boston String Aacademy on that experience. The Academy offers three programs in the Chinatown and Allston neighborhoods, serving more than 120 students.
The Academy has collaborated with renowned artists including Midori, Gustavo Dudamel and Sir Simon Rattle.
Our students have performed out of state and internationally and have been selected to participate in festivals such as the Dudamel Foundation’s “Encounters/Encuentros” in Mexico City, Orquestra Geraçao in Lisbon, Portugal, Festival Groba in Galicia, Spain, Sistema World Orchestra in Caracas, Venezuela, Sistema Europe Youth Orchestra in Pesaro, Italy, National Seminario Ravinia, LA Phil’s YOLA National Festival in Los Angeles, Boston University’s Tanglewood Institute, Sphinx Performance Academy, Greenwood Music Camp, Dudamel’s residency at Princeton University, among others.
In 2016, Marielisa and Mariesther Alvarez were chosen among the 100 most influential people for the Hispanic community in Massachusetts. Boston String Aacademy won Mass Cultural Council’s 2019 Commonwealth Awards, which honors exceptional achievement in the arts, humanities, and sciences in the state of Massachusetts. In 2021, our Youth Ensemble was selected by Midori’s Orchestra Residency Program to premiere “Spring Cadenzas” for violin and strings, performed by Midori herself. In 2023, Boston String Aacademy received recognition from the Boston City Council for its contributions dedicated to supporting and promoting Venezuelan culture in the City of Boston and in the Commonwealth. In 2024, Boston String Aacademy’s Youth Ensemble debuted in Carnegie Hall.
