HANGARMUSIK in the Canary Islands

There are currently over 6,000 unaccompanied refugee minors living in the Canary Islands, mainly from West Africa. Many of them have experienced violence, loss and great uncertainty during their flight. In December 2025, in cooperation with the Government of the Canary Islands, a one-month Hangarmusik project took place in Tenerife in accommodation facilities for unaccompanied minor refugees.
Leila Weber und Andreas Knapp von Hangarmusik begleiteten gemeinsam mit einem lokalen Team aus Santa Cruz Kinder und Jugendliche bei ihren ersten musikalischen Erfahrungen auf Geigen und Celli. Für alle war es das erste Mal, ein Streichinstrument in den Händen zu halten. Durch das gemeinsame Musizieren entstanden Momente der Konzentration, des Vertrauens und der Freude.
A particularly touching highlight of the project was the invitation from the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra (BRSO) to a rehearsal at the Auditorio de Tenerife. Afterwards, 13 musicians from the orchestra played a sequence from Gustav Mahler's 1st Symphony together with the children and young people and the Hangarmusik team. In that moment, professional orchestral music and first musical steps merged into a shared experience. It was a unique and deeply moving experience for everyone involved.

We would like to express our sincere thanks to the Government of the Canary Islands and the Winterreise Foundation for their support of this special project.