Benefit concerts planned for beloved Cuenca Symphony Orchestra cellist Yackson Sanchez
By Stephen Vargha
William Shakespeare wrote, “If music be the food of love, play on.”
Ad for the two fundraisers for Yackson Sanchez.
And the Cuenca Symphony Orchestra will be doing that for one of their beloved members.
“Yackson has a love for music and is very knowledgeable. He is very open to sharing his knowledge with us,” said Jhomayra Cevallos. “It is not very common to find this kind of person.”
Cevallos, who has been a violinist with the Cuenca Symphony Orchestra for four years, is talking about her fellow musician, Yackson Sanchez.
The cellist went home, where he lost the ability to speak.
Yackson Sanchez would bike to rehearsals and performances with his cello on his back.
One of the people who noticed what was going on was cellist and friend, Raquel Ortega. She called Sanchez the next morning and urged him to get medical help, but he didn’t do that right away.
Finally, that weekend, his roommate and best friend took Sanchez to Vicente Corral Moscoso Regional Hospital. It was there that it was diagnosed that Sanchez had suffered from cerebral ischemia.
Cerebral ischemia occurs when there is a shortage of oxygen or blood flow to the brain. Deficiency of oxygen damages the brain and impairs its vital functions.
Instead of getting better and healthier, Sanchez has been getting worse.
“I was surprised as it was so sudden,” said Cevallos. “It’s a pity that this happened.”
“He (Yackson Sanchez) is the principal cellist with the symphony. He keeps the cellists together,” said fellow musician Jhomayra Cevallos.
The average age for ischemic strokes is around 74 years old, and the average age is getting younger. While strokes are more common in older adults, around 10 percent occur in people under the age of 45.
Sanchez told CuencaHighLife four years ago that he feels fortunate to be in Cuenca and that he is thrilled to be in an art loving city.
And the symphony is fortunate to have the talented Venezuelan cellist.
His love of music led to him playing the piano at the age of seven. He started taking music classes with people who were 18 to 23 years older than him.
Cuenca Symphony Orchestra Violinist Jhomayra Cevallos is spearheading two fundraisers for the hospital expenses.
Sanchez was promoted to the children’s orchestra just four weeks after he started.
“I wanted to play the violin at this school, but there were no openings,” Sanchez said in 2021. “They offered a cello instead as there was spot for that instrument in the school. Instruments are given to the students so there are no undue hardships on their families.”
After falling in love with the cello, and at the age of 19, Sanchez became a member of the prestigious Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra of Venezuela – the country’s youth orchestra.
Violinist Jhomayra Cevallos and her fellow musicians will be performing at two fundraisers for Yackson Sanchez.
That worldly experience helped Sanchez to become a cellist for the Venezuela Symphony Orchestra when he was just 24 years old. He played with them for 14 years before eventually moving to Ecuador in 2018.
That is when Sanchez called a music teacher and friend of his who called the maestro of the Cuenca Symphony at that time, Michael Meisner. The cellist was immediately offered a position, becoming only one of two non-Ecuadorian musicians with the symphony.
Sanchez was healthy prior to his stroke. His home is just three blocks from the symphony’s offices and theater, so he biked every day to Teatro Pumapungo for rehearsals and performances.
Image from one of a 2021 YouTube video Jackson Jackson posted online.
“The cello is heavy,” Sanchez said in February 2021. “The cello is only about seven pounds, but when you add the weight of the case and other accessories, it is somewhere between 20 and 30 pounds that are on my back. But I do walk home sometimes.”
It was not easy, but his family made the trip to Cuenca from Venezuela to see the stricken cellist.
“His older sister came and stayed for 15 days. His mother was finally able to arrive,” said Ana Vázquez, Public Relations Officer at the Cuenca Symphony Orchestra. “They don’t have financial resources, and this has been a strong impact on his family!”
That is when Cevallos decided to do something about it. First the violinist and her friends at the symphony collected money from their fellow musicians. But that was far from enough to cover the hospital costs.
“He is the principal cellist with the symphony. He keeps the cellists together,” said Cevallos. “So, a group of friends and fellow musicians decided to organize a couple of fundraising concerts.”
The two concerts will be held at La Esquina de Las Artes, across the street from the University of Cuenca.
On Saturday, June 28, the musicians will perform a mix of classical music and popular music. And on Thursday, July 3, it will be popular music as well as folklore.
“Diego Zamora will sing at the second one,” said Cevallos.
Zamora is an internationally recognized singer. The Cuencano has earned several accolades, including first place at the International Opera Singing Competition in Salzburg, Austria and the International Cultural Merit Award from the Benjamín Carrión Cultural Center, in Quito.
The musicians put together a “virtual raffle” that offered a variety of prizes, including tickets and passes for concerts and cultural events in Quito and Cuenca, memberships and services at FitLab Training Center and Hermes Xpress as well as miscellaneous items and experiences, including a month of drum lessons at Pedro Ortiz Drum School.”
All of this is being done out of love for Sanchez. They hope the love will spread to the rest of Cuenca.
As William Shakespeare said in Twelfth Night, “O spirit of love! how quick and fresh art thou… That it alone is high fantastical.”
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June 28, 6:30 p.m., La Esquina de Las Artes, Av. 12 de Abril y Agustin Cueva, Cuenca, $10 Donation
July 3, 7 p.m., La Esquina de Las Artes, Av. 12 de Abril y Agustin Cueva, Cuenca, $10 Donation
Photos by Stephen Vargha
Stephen Vargha’s second edition of his book about Cuenca, “Una Nueva Vida – A New Life” is available at Amazon in digital and hardback formats. His award-winning blog, “Becoming Cuenca,” supplements his book with the latest information and hundreds of professional photos by him.
