The Founding Dream

While the National System of Youth and Children’s Orchestras (El Sistema) originates in the National Youth Orchestra, it has far exceeded the latter to become an orchestral movement that has spread all across Venezuela.

The history of El Sistema was wrought by a man who was able to find his collaborators in the right places, inspire them so that his dream became their dream, and managed to turn Venezuela, the country of birth of distinguished musicians and composers like Plaza, the Carreños, Lamas, Sojo, Estévez and many others, into a booming music scene, a model for Latin America and the rest of the world.

In 1975, maestro Abreu began endeavoring to fulfill his dream of founding an orchestra wherein music students were allowed to get together and practice. A 1964 official decree (which stated group practice as mandatory for public music schools’ students) encouraged the maestro and eight students of the old José Ángel Lamas music school to meet with the idea to conceive a unique music education program adapting other countries’ existing teaching methods to our own reality.

Calling more young musicians from Caracas and the interior of the country, particularly from the cities of Maracay and Barquisimeto (seedbed for Venezuelan musicians), Abreu was able to form the first National Symphony Youth Orchestra of Venezuela. The orchestra was founded on February 12, 1975, making its debut that same year, on April 30. That day, the orchestra started an amazing career taking it to the best stages of Venezuela and the world and earning it a UNESCO International Music Award in recognition of outstanding perseverance and achievements, and for being an example to the youth of the world.

Just a year after its formation, the orchestra was recipient of many accolades at the Aberdeen International Festivals of Youth Orchestras, and over the course of the years has recorded albums in alliance with American and European labels, has successfully undertaken the challenge of performing with the most famous soloists as well as under the baton of the most prestigious conductors.