Yesterday, the inaugural Abreu Fellows attended a simple lunchtime ceremony in Boston to commemorate their graduation. A year has passed since 10 amazing young musicians began the El Sistema USA program at New England Conservatory, learning all the skills they needed to follow in the footsteps of TEDPrize winner Maestro Jose Abreu. Using the example […]
Three months ago, the visionary Venezuelan musician Dr. José Antonio Abreu made his TED Prize wish — to create and document a special training program for at least 50 gifted young musicians, passionate for their art and for social justice, and dedicated to developing El Sistema in the US and in other countries. Today we […]
From the LA Times’ “Culture Monster” blog, this item by Mark Swed: “Linda Ronstadt hails Gustavo Dudamel in testimony on Capitol Hill”: In a remarkable testimony by Linda Ronstadt to the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment & Related Agencies Tuesday, the pop singer made an impassioned plea for government support of the arts. And […]
In a basement studio in Caracas, Venezuela, three weeks ago, I had the most powerful musical experience of my life. TED Prize Director Amy Novogratz and I were standing five feet away from the conductor’s stand in front of 200 Venezuelan virtuoso musicians — their average age 16. Many of these kids had been born […]
A bonus TED Prize talk from TED2009: The Teresa Carreño Youth Orchestra contains the best high school musicians from Venezuela’s life-changing music program, El Sistema, founded by 2009 TED Prize winner Jose Antonio Abreu (watch him make his TED Prize wish to spread this musical education plan around the world). Led here by Gustavo Dudamel, […]
We’ve transcribed Jose Antonio Abreu’s TED Prize wish to use music to transform kids’ lives and posted the full text below the fold. Here’s a snippet: The idea is that the families join with pride and joy in the activities of the orchestras and the choirs their children belong to. The huge spiritual world that […]
The opening talk from TED2009: Jose Antonio Abreu is the charismatic founder of a youth orchestra system that has transformed thousands of kids’ lives in Venezuela. Here he shares his amazing story and unveils a TED Prize wish that could have a big impact in the US and beyond. (Recorded February 2009 in Caracas, Venezuela, […]
The response to the TED Prize here at the TED@PalmSprings simulcast was enthusiastic and inspiring. After two days mesmerized, locked into “absorb” mode, TEDsters seem to be feeling the beginnings of a change in momentum toward collaborating … and contributing. Fresh off of the emotional high of the wishes, ideas are flying. Here are just […]
Above: Maestro José Antonio Abreu, founder of Venezuela’s El Sistema, a plan for involving kids in classical music, makes this wish: I wish you would help create and document a special training program for at least 50 gifted young musicians, passionate for their art and for social justice, and dedicated to developing El Sistema in […]
Jose Abreu is well known for his inspiration of disadvantaged Venezuelan youth. His work with El Sistema and the beautiful music that it has produced are an inextricable part of the country and the region’s culture and history. El Sistema has given huge numbers of children direction, purpose and opportunity that they may otherwise never […]
