Crescendo! The Power Of Music

Running time: 85 mins

Winner of the 2015 Kaiser Thrive Award at Cinequest, Crescendo! The Power of Music inspires and transforms the heart. Since its inception in Venezuela in 1976, the El Sistema youth orchestra program has transformed the lives of disadvantaged children worldwide by putting musical instruments in their hands and encouraging them through the mysterious power of music. Following the lives of three participants in the Philadelphia and New York programs, Jamie Berstein's impassioned film introduces Raven, a young violinist with natural talent, yet an overshadowing ego; Zebadiah, who needs the confidence to defeat his social awkwardness; and Mohammed, a trombonist whose falling grades threaten his ability to stay in the program. Surprises, heartbreak and joy come in big doses as we watch the three youth experience art's transformative power and how music can be a force for social change. - Michael Rabehl