El Sistema
The appointment of Gustavo Dudamel as music director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the U.S. and European tours of the Simon Bolivar Orchestra, and the international media accompanying both events captured the attention and deep interest of the American orchestra community. El Sistema, the 33-year-old “miracle” youth orchestra system in Venezuela was suddenly on the minds of everyone involved with orchestras.
A nationwide system in the third world that served up orchestral talents as extraordinary as Dudamel; reached into over 200 towns and villages with orchestral training centers; yielded a performance quality that consistently leaves audiences cheering; and purports to successfully move people out of poverty could hardly be ignored.
Read The Ensemble: A Newsletter for the U.S. El Sistema Movement here!
