Director Jamie Bernstein attending.
Music can change the world. That is the simple premise behind El Sistema, an innovative music program for young people developed in Venezuela 40 years ago. Crescendo! follows three kids, two in West Philadelphia and one in Harlem, as they participate in a pair of Sistema-inspired youth orchestra programs. For each of the kids, their struggle and perseverance with their instrument counterbalances their trials and tribulations in their personal lives. Directed by Jamie Bernstein (daughter of Leonard), Crescendo! is a passionate testament to the power of music.
Sponsored by

The Film Society of Minneapolis St. Paul is supported in part by a grant provided by the Minnesota State Arts Board through an appropriation by the Minnesota State Legislature from the State's general fund and its arts and cultural heritage fund with money from the vote of the people of Minnesota on November 4, 2008.