By Teamai Teave | Teamai Teave
In March we resumed classes with our returning students and welcomed those joining the project this year.
With all of our studios operating again in our emblematic building, we also continued the choral and instrumental workshops we launched in 2025 across different spaces on the island: schools, the children’s home, the senior center, and the correctional facility.
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We finally have our own orchestra
In April we received public funding to create our own classical music orchestra.
We have already begun the first rehearsals with our string students, and in the coming weeks new instruments and musicians will gradually join until the ensemble is fully formed.
Rehearsals take place every Saturday morning. It is a gradual process, built patiently session by session.
Watch a short excerpt from our first rehearsal here
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We welcomed the visit of the World Monuments Fund
In March we received a delegation from the World Monuments Fund (WMF) during their visit to Rapa Nui. They toured the school, learned about the building, attended a performance by our students, planted trees, and shared with us part of our traditions.
The visit, coordinated together with Toki advisor Jacqueline Domeyko, reinforces our conviction that ancestral rapa nui culture must be projected into the future through sustainable development and respectful tourism, where cultural identity remains at the center.
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National chess champion joined the Mama Piruchess workshop
During April, the Chilean Chess Foundation donated educational materials to the students participating in the Mama Piru chess workshop, which are now being used during the group’s two weekly sessions.
Participants also shared with international chess master Javiera Gómez, who played matches with the students and encouraged them to continue practicing with perseverance and discipline. She emphasized the many benefits chess brings to cognitive development and holistic education.
This workshop, now running for its second consecutive year thanks to the support of the foundation, honors the memory of Mama Piru, who deeply loved the game and firmly believed in its ability to strengthen cognitive skills as well as values such as wisdom, tolerance, and patience.
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Our student performances returned
In April we resumed our monthly student showcases, an essential part of the educational process at Toki.
These performances reinforce the musical progress and achievements of our students while also encouraging confidence, consistency, and empowerment through their relationship with their instruments.
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We launched our teachers’ concert series
Piano teacher Valeria Prado and cello teacher Elizabeth Despouse presented the first faculty concert for the community.
These concerts are fundamental to our educational model, as they allow students to experience the artistic potential of each instrument through live performances by professional musicians. In this opportunity, audiences enjoyed works by Beethoven and Brahms.
At the same time, these gatherings help bring the wider community closer to new musical experiences and foster a deeper connection with the daily artistic life of the school.
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Renowned Artists Visited the School
May was a month in which we welcomed several visits from outstanding musicians to the school.
Cellist Valentina del Campo, from Cuarteto Austral, performed together with the student cello and double bass ensemble.
Later, accordionist and musical director Ernesto Calderón led a masterclass for students from different disciplines, donated instruments, and held a workshop for local musicians.
For one week, we welcomed a six-member string chamber ensemble from Fundación Artes de la Patagonia Austral, based in Puerto Natales. Led by teacher Yarella Alvear, the musicians took part in our classes, gave performances for children on the island, and offered two concerts for the community together with Toki’s string ensemble.
While in Chile to teach at Universidad Católica, renowned Russian-Canadian cellist Yegor Dyachkov visited our school and spent time with our young students.
During his visit, he took part in one of our open community showcases and led a high-level masterclass for our students, generously sharing his experience and knowledge.
To close the month, actress and educator Soledad Arancibia, from Casa Hibisco, joined one of our percussion classes; two teachers participated in the Family Fair at Colegio Lorenzo Baeza; and we held our traditional multi-level student showcase
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