San Diego, Tijuana Youth symphonies unite for historic cross-border performance

This weekend, 85 musicians from San Diego’s Youth Symphony and neighboring Sinfónica Juvenil de Tijuana packed the Epstein Family Amphitheater at the University of California, San Diego, for a historic performance.

“No matter where you’re from, music can be something that unites,” said Lilian Franqui one of the musicians breaking down barriers.

When she was 7 years old, Franqui picked up a violin at an instrument “petting zoo.” 

Now, more than a decade later, she’s planning to make a career in it. 

“When you’re playing, there’s no talk about borders. There’s no talk about ‘them versus us’ that I see a lot of, especially in the news,” Franqui said. “I think that this music really allows us to be, you know, closer together.”

The performance was part of an effort to bridge communities through creativity and innovation during this year’s “World Design Capital” designation.

“You may not understand each other. Speak the same language, but you know, the same notes you can play the same,” Sophia Getman, a Sinfónica Juvenil de Tijuana member, said. 

But it’s not always in tune – or easy.

Some performers from Tijuana waited at least three hours to cross the border to rehearsal.

“It’s been a learning lesson for many of the students in the San Diego Youth Symphony certainly, because, for a lot of them, you can easily take for granted driving to rehearsal, coming to rehearsal, and making music, and maybe it’s a 20-minute car ride or a 30-minute car ride, but for some of the musicians that have joined us, it can, it can be an all-day ordeal,” said Sameer Patel, conductor and artistic director of the San Diego Youth Symphony.

This unique collaboration has culminated in a special composition called “Ilimitados”, meaning limitless.

“Limitless is symbolic of hope, of opportunities,” Anthony Kim, concertmaster for the San Diego Youth Symphony. “In regard to the border region, I hope this helps instigate peace and unity.”

Patel hopes it hits the right notes and resonates far beyond this stage. 

“Music is about the greatest expression of our common humanity, and I think when we have a piece of music like this and opportunities to come together that showcases our common humanity, that you know, you can see that that there’s little that actually separates us,” Patel said.