Jonel Etienne

We first met Jonel Etienne in 2015 when he participated in the summer music camp of the CEMUCHCA Institute of Music in Cap Haitian. He was so enthusiastic and worked so hard that we decided on the spot to give him scholarships to attend music camps around the country

Given his aptitude both for teaching and for music theory, by the very next summer, Jonel was the instructor for beginning music theory classes at camps across the country. He soon added both flute and oboe to his teaching portfolio.

As a flutist, Jonel successfully auditioned into the 2017 and 2018 Haitian Orchestra Institute, co-sponsored by BLUME Haiti and the Musicians of the Utah Symphony. He has also participated in several seminars devoted to oboe playing and reed making and has shown a remarkable affinity for this instrument as well – a double threat!

For Jonel, music changes and transforms people; it is the key that opens all doors.

He says:

Music is the reason I live, it is what gives my life sense.  

Jonel goes to Miragoane every week where he directs the band and teaches music theory and wind instruments at the Gerard Duperville Music School.

This is what we love to see – a participant in some of the professional development seminars we offer to musicians across Haiti now becoming a very successful teacher in his own right. It is a beautiful thing!

Help us support the growth of young musicians and leaders like Jonel!