El Sistema

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National Network of Youth and Children Orchestras of Venezuela
Formation1975
FounderJosé Antonio Abreu
Typenon-profit
PurposeMusic education
Location
WebsiteFESNOJIV official site

El Sistema (The System), officially National Network of Youth and Children Orchestras of Venezuela is a publicly financed, voluntary sector music-education program, founded in Venezuela in 1975 by Venezuelan educator, musician, and activist José Antonio Abreu. The curriculum is built on the belief that the collective playing of music, especially orchestral and choral, fosters discipline, teamwork, and social integration.

The program has a reputation for rescuing young people in impoverished circumstances, directing them away from lives of drug abuse and crime, into which they would possibly otherwise be drawn. El Sistema has inspired similar programmes in more than 60 other countries.

By 2015, according to official figures, El Sistema included more than 400 music centers and 700,000 young musicians.

The institution's closeness to the government has caused the perception that the institution and conductor and alumnus Gustavo Dudamel serve as propaganda instruments of Nicolás Maduro's government.[1]

Origin and history

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Music center of El Sistema in Maracay, Venezuela

El Sistema began under the leadership of José Antonio Abreu (7 May 1939 – 24 March 2018) with 11 students in an underground parking garage.[2] For many years, its official name was Fundación del Estado para el Sistema Nacional de las Orquestas Juveniles e Infantiles de Venezuela, (FESNOJIV), translated into English as "National Network of Youth and Children Orchestras of Venezuela." The organizations has since changed its name to Fundación Musical Simón Bolívar (FMSB), but is still widely known by the FESNOJIV acronym.[3]

Abreu's vision

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Abreu said that "music has to be recognized as an agent of social development in the highest sense because it transmits the highest values – solidarity, harmony, mutual compassion," crediting it with the ability to "unite an entire community and express sublime feelings."[4] Thus, children begin playing in groups the moment they pick up an instrument. This instant immersion is the most remarkable feature of their music education system. Students are learning to be part of a group and discover music at the same time. The original program involves four after-school hours of musical training and rehearsal each week, plus additional work on the weekends.[5] El Sistema-inspired programs provide what the International Journal of Applied Psychoanalytic Studies describes as "free classical music education that promotes human opportunity and development for impoverished children."[6][page needed]

Abreu received the National Music Prize for his work in 1979 and became Minister of Culture in 1983.[7] In 1995, Abreu was appointed Special Ambassador for the Development of a Global Network of Youth and Children Orchestras and Choirs by UNESCO. He also became a special representative for the development of orchestras within the framework of UNESCO's "World Movement of Youth and Children Orchestras and Choirs."[7]

Abreu led the program for nearly four decades with the backing and material support of seven consecutive Venezuelan governments, ranging across the political spectrum from center-right to the current leftist presidency of Nicolás Maduro. Abreu has been "careful to keep El Sistema separate from partisan politics".[8]

Play and fight

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Since 1975, "Tocar y Luchar" (Play and Fight) has been the motto of El Sistema and its nationwide system of youth orchestras. Referring to the many challenges during the early phases of the program, it expresses its members' determination and commitment to El Sistema as a vital and critical project, both musically and socially.[9][10]

Venezuelan government involvement

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The Venezuelan government of President Carlos Andrés Pérez began fully financing Abreu's orchestra after its success, in 1976, at the "International Festival of Youth Orchestras" in Aberdeen, Scotland. From the beginning, El Sistema came not under the ministry of culture, but under the umbrella of social-services ministries, which has strategically helped it survive. The current Maduro administration has been El Sistema's most generous patron so far, covering almost its entire annual operating budget, as well as additional capital projects.[5]

At the time, its network of 102 youth and 55 children's orchestras (including approximately 100,000 youngsters) came under the supervision of the Ministry of Family, Health and Sports. A goal of El Sistema is to use music for the protection of children through training, rehabilitation, and prevention of criminal behavior.[11][12]

In September 2007, with Abreu present on the television talk-show, Aló Presidente, Hugo Chávez announced a new government program, Misión Música, designed to provide tuition and music instruments to Venezuelan children.[13] It has been noted that "various ministries oversaw El Sistema until two years ago, when the president's office took direct control. El Sistema's mission runs parallel to Mr. Chávez's program to provide subsidies and services to the poor."[14]

The institution's closeness to the government has caused the perception that the institution and the orchestra serve as a propaganda instrument of Nicolás Maduro's government.[15]

The National Center for Social Action for Music

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Since 2011, El Sistema has operated in the National Center for Social Action for Music in Caracas, a modern structure that has various spaces distributed in musical instruction areas, instrumental rehearsal and choral practice rooms; in addition to a library, recording booths, dressing rooms, cafeterias, administrative and health services. Among the areas open to the public, the large Simón Bolívar Room stands out, with a capacity of 1,100 people and equipped with a large tubular organ donated by the Polar Foundation; in addition to a theater, chamber music rooms and an outdoor acoustic shell, located in the southern area of the building, which is part of Los Caobos Park; as well as musical instrument manufacturing workshops and a space for the “Inocente Carreño” National Audiovisual Music Center (CNAMIC)

Spread of regional centres in Venezuela

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On 6 June 2007, the Inter-American Development Bank announced a US$150 million loan for the construction of seven regional centers of El Sistema throughout Venezuela. Many bankers within the IDB originally objected to the loan on the grounds that classical music is for the elite. But then the bank has conducted studies on the more than 2,000,000 young people, educated in El Sistema, linking participation in the program to improvements in school attendance and reduction in juvenile delinquency and crime rates. Weighing such benefits, the bank calculated that every dollar invested in El Sistema was reaping about $1.68 in social dividends.[5] Supported by the government, El Sistema started introducing its music program into the public-school curriculum, aiming to be in every school and to support 500,000 children by 2015.[16]

A 2022 investigation by investigative platform Connectas, with the help of the International Center for Journalists, concluded that the regional centers funded by the IDB were never built and the bank's long-term project to decentralize El Sistema had failed.[17][18][19]

Simon Bolivar Orchestra

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Main article: Orquesta Sinfónica Simón Bolívar
Simon Bolivar Children Orchestra in Maracaibo, Zulia State

An important product of El Sistema is the Simon Bolivar Symphony Orchestra. In the mid-1990s, Abreu formed the National Children's Youth Orchestra, and many young musicians graduated from it to the Simón Bolívar which grew considerably in size. This became an opportunity to re-create the ensemble as two separate performing entities. The first generation of members was designated the Simón Bolívar A; the younger, newer members, who had recently been brought in from the new National Children's Orchestra, now constituted the Simón Bolívar B"[20] The Simón Bolívar B is now the touring orchestra and, in 2007, made its debut at the BBC Proms in London's Royal Albert Hall and later at Carnegie Hall under the baton of Gustavo Dudamel, receiving enthusiastic reviews.[21][22] 2009 saw the orchestra touring in the US, but also in Europe as well.

In the spring of 2010, however, a tour to the Lucerne Easter Festival drew comments from reviewers, such as Tom Service of London's The Guardian, that the Simón Bolívar Youth Orchestra was "youthful no longer."[23] This struck home, and Abreu decided, as he put it, "the time is once again ripe for new, younger national orchestras."[20] And so, he set about creating new ensembles. The Teresa Carreño Symphony Youth Orchestra, named after the famous Venezuelan pianist, started international touring in the autumn of 2010 with appearances at the Beethovenfest in Bonn, followed by Vienna, Berlin, Salzburg Festival, Milan, Amsterdam, Madrid, and London.[24] Other new youth orchestras include the Caracas Symphony Youth Orchestra and a newly constituted National Children's Orchestra consisting of 358 musicians.[25]

2017 protests

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On 3 May 2017, 18-year-old El Sistema violist Armando Cañizales was killed when he was shot by a spherical metallic projectile by security forces while participating in a demonstration in Caracas.[26] Conductor Gustavo Dudamel condemned Nicolás Maduro's response to the protests for the first time the day after the killing, writing in social media: "I raise my voice against violence and repression. Nothing can justify bloodshed. Enough of ignoring the just clamor of a people suffocated by an intolerable crisis."[15]

Violinist Wuilly Arteaga (es) participated in the protests and played his instrument. On 24 May, a National Guardsman officer ripped and broke Arteaga's violin. His images crying over the violin went viral, and several people offered to give him a violin to replace the broken one, including singers Oscarcito, Chyno Miranda and Marc Anthony, flutist Huáscar Barradas and former baseball player Melvin Mora.

Arteaga was imprisoned in July for 19 days on charges of public instigation and possession of incendiary substance. During his detention he was transferred four times and subjected to torture. When he was arrested, security forces burned his hair with a lighter for having very long hair. He was beaten with sticks and helmets when he was transferred to Fort Tiuna, and before arriving at the last prison, he was hit in the back of the head with a metal tube, causing him internal bleeding and leaving him deaf in his right ear. During his detention he denounced that he witnessed how they raped a young woman detained on top of him inside an armoured vehicle.[27]

As he had no violin in prison, Arteaga decided to sing, with other prisoners asking him for songs, especially vallenatos. He spent most of his prison time in an octagonal cell in the General Command of the National Guard in Caracas, where there were about 14 prisoners. In prison he had no possibility to write, as it was forbidden to receive or send letters, there were no visitors, and the prisoners were isolated and without ventilation. Even so, Arteaga composed the song "Cárcel de libertad" (Freedom Prison) along with his best friend Aarón, who had also been detained.[28]

Clarinetist Karen Palacios signed in favor of the referendum organized by the opposition led National Assembly. She was later notified that her contract with the Philharmonic Orchestra was canceled because her political position was not convenient for the orchestra. Palacios denounced the incident on her Twitter account and it went viral. The clarinetist started to receive attacks and threats on social networks and during that year's protests her tweets began to be cited, where she expressed anger at the situation and at the abuse of the security forces.[29][30] Later, on 1 June 2019, Karen would be detained by officials from the Directorate General of Military Counterintelligence (DGCIM) and charged with the crime of instigation to hatred. She was detained in the National Institute for Female Orientation (INOF), in Los Teques, Miranda state, and confined to a highly dangerous cell, despite having a release order dated from 18 June. In court, her mother was asked not to make her daughter's case public because "it was going to be resolved soon."[29] Palacios was released on 16 July 2019.[31]

Criticism

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In November 2014, British musicologist Geoffrey Baker published a newspaper article[32] and a book[33] that disputed many of the claims made by and about El Sistema and suggested that much of the publicly circulating information about the program was hyperbolic or false. The book's allegations included a culture of authoritarianism, hyper-discipline, exploitation, competition, and gender discrimination. It argued that the program was deeply conservative beneath its progressive exterior and that its claims of social transformation were unproven and exaggerated.[34]

In his review of Baker's book, Damian Thompson, arts editor of The Spectator, picked up Baker's view that the alleged sexual abuse of young musicians in El Sistema was part of "classical music's dirty little secret" that also existed in other musical institutions.[35] In 2021 the Caracas Chronicles reported several instances of sexual misconduct and abuse denounced in the Venezuelan MeToo movement.[36]

Baker's research was supported in a 2016 article by Lawrence Scripp in which he interviewed the Venezuelan violinist Luigi Mazzocchi, who studied for 15 years at El Sistema starting at age nine.[37] In 2018, Baker analysed external evaluations of El Sistema dating from 1996 to 1997, and concluded they confirmed many of the issues he had reported earlier.[38]

Baker and William Cheng published an opinion piece in the Washington Post in 2021, in which they said a number of former students at El Sistema had told them that there was underage sex between students and teachers, "sexualized grooming" and "trad[ing] [of] musical benefits ... for sex" at the institution.[39] Overseas affiliates of El Sistema in England and Canada expressed concern at the allegations in the Washington Post article. El Sistema expressed "absolute solidarity with the victims and their families" and said it would ask the Public Prosecutor’s Office "to support opening investigations of any complaint related to any form of violence or human abuse".[40]

In other countries

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Main article: El Sistema-inspired programs
Main article: El Sistema USA

United States and Canada

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El Sistema USA, also known as National Alliance of El Sistema-Inspired Programs, is a national network of music education programs inspired by Venezuela’s El Sistema model. It originated in 2009 as an initiative at the New England Conservatory and was incorporated as an independent nonprofit organization based in Durham, North Carolina, in 2014. In 2025, its network included more than 140 member programs serving more than 30,000 young people across the United States and Canada. El Sistema USA supports its members through professional development, providing assistance for emerging programs through training, mentoring, financial support, and administrative guidance. Its activities are aimed at using ensemble-based music education to promote social development, including among youth from underserved communities. The philosophy and aspirations of El Sistema USA are expressed on their website as:

"We envision a world in which every child — regardless of income, geography, or identity — has access to a high-quality music education program that builds community, opportunity, and personal growth. Our model emphasizes programs with free or low-cost tuition, frequent instruction (5-10+ hours per week), and ensemble-based learning."[41]

International recognition of El Sistema

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  • The Glenn Gould Prize was awarded to El Sistema founder José Antonio Abreu on 14 February 2008.[42][43] Brian Levine, managing director of the Glenn Gould Foundation, in an account of his 2008 visit to Caracas wrote: "El Sistema has demonstrated conclusively that music education is the gateway to lifelong learning and a better future."
  • The National Performing Arts Convention 2008, held in Denver, Colorado, featured Abreu as a guest speaker on 13 June 2008.[45]
  • The TED Prize was awarded to José Antonio Abreu on 5 February 2009 for his work on El Sistema. A pre-recorded speech was played at the ceremony in which he explained his philosophy.[46] The prize allowed for the creation of the Abreu Fellows.
  • The Polar Music Prize from Sweden was awarded to El Sistema and Maestro Abreu in 2009.
  • The Kellogg Institute for International Studies at the University of Notre Dame awarded Abreu the Notre Dame Prize for Distinguished Public Service in Latin America on 22 September 2014.[47]
  • The Institute of Education, University of London, awarded Abreu an honorary degree in 2013.
  • UNICEF ratified El Sistema as Goodwill Ambassador for Children's Rights in 2022.[48]

In the media

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  • Tocar y Luchar (Play and Fight), a documentary film produced by Alberto Arvelo (es) in 2004 on the subject of El Sistema.[49] The film has won several awards, including Best Documentary at both the 2007 Cine Las Americas International Film Festival and also the CineMás Albuquerque Latino Film Festival.[50]
  • El Sistema, a 2008 documentary made by Paul Smaczny and Maria Stodtmeier about the system. Production: EuroArts Music Production, ARTE France, NHK.[51] The film won the Best Documentary Feature Award at the Chicago International Movies and Music Festival in 2010 and Best Documentary at the Orlando Hispanic Film Festival in 2009.
  • Dudamel: Conducting a Life[52] is an hour-long PBS program hosted by Tavis Smiley on the subject of music education in the United States, with a focus on Gustavo Dudamel and his achievements with the L.A. Philharmonic.[citation needed] The report includes a look at how the Boston Conservatory Lab Charter School works with children.
  • El Sistema:[53] a report on CBS's 60 Minutes from 13 April 2008 which explores the "System" and includes interviews with some of the Venezuelan children who are members of an orchestra.
  • Crescendo! The Power of Music:[54] is a 2014 documentary film about Sistema-inspired programs in Philadelphia and Harlem.
  • Mozart in the Jungle: the character of Rodrigo de Souza (played by Gael García Bernal) is loosely based on Gustavo Dudamel, the Venezuelan music director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic.[55] Dudamel coached García Bernal before the latter conducted, in the character of Rodrigo, for a real performance of the Los Angeles Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl, scenes of which were used for the second season opener.[56] Dudamel has a cameo in that episode, acting as a stagehand trying to convince Rodrigo to move to Los Angeles.
  • The Music Inside, which tells the stories of Kidznotes students, wins both a Telly and a regional Emmy Award for Documentary Short Film in 2016–17.[citation needed]

Notable alumni

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Scholarship and criticism

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Main article: Scholarship and criticism of El Sistema (music education program)

Scholarship and criticism of El Sistema music education programs have been published by academic scholars and journalists since the 2000s. Following its founding in Venezuela in 1975, El Sistema has been widely praised as a pioneering model of music education and social inclusion. It has been credited with offering disadvantaged children access to orchestral training, fostering discipline, and promoting upward social mobility. Alongside its global acclaim there has been a body of critical scholarship that challenges many of the program’s foundational claims. Critics argue that the evidence supporting El Sistema’s social-transformation narrative is scant, sometimes based on internal reports or short-term evaluations rather than independent, long-term research.[61][62]

British musicologist Geoffrey Baker wrote that many evaluations of El Sistema and El Sistema-inspired (ESI) programs in other countries have resulted in advocacy rather than explorative research, raising concerns about methodological rigor, sampling bias, sexual misconduct and over-reliance on participants' own reports. Baker questioned whether the program lives up to its rhetoric of social inclusion, stating that in practice many of its participants do not come from the most socio-economically disadvantaged groups.[63] Baker criticised conductor Gustavo Dudamel for maintaining public cooperation with the program while avoiding direct criticism of the Venezuelan government, a stance that he described as artwashing.[64]

At the same time, empirical studies have found benefits related to musical skill development or psychosocial outcomes among participating children. Researchers state that these findings are inconclusive without long-term, large-sample, independent evaluations. As a result, the academic debate remains unresolved, highlighting the need for more rigorous and transparent research to determine which claimed outcomes of El Sistema are reliably supported by evidence.[65]

By producing many successful orchestral performers, El Sistema has established Venezuela’s place on the international classical-music scene.[66] The success of the program's graduates and of El Sistema's founder José Antonio Abreu, as well as of ESI local programs, has been highlighted in public newsmedia and specialized music-related publications.[67][68]

See also

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References

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Notes

  1. ^ "José Antonio Abreu y los límites del populismo musical (Published 2018)" (in Spanish). 6 April 2018. Retrieved 19 November 2025.
  2. ^ "José Abreu, founder of Venezuelan El Sistema youth orchestras, dies". The Guardian. 25 March 2018. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 17 November 2025.
  3. ^ Tunstall (2012), p. 35
  4. ^ Abreau, as quoted in Tunstall, p. 273
  5. ^ a b c Lubow, Arthur (28 October 2007). "Conductor of the People". The New York Times. Retrieved 11 November 2025.
  6. ^ Slevin
  7. ^ a b "Abreu". Yoa.org. 7 May 1939. Archived from the original on 20 May 2014. Retrieved 11 August 2014.
  8. ^ Tunstall (2012), p. 84
  9. ^ "Mi Maestro Abreu". EL NACIONAL (in Spanish). 17 January 2025. Retrieved 11 November 2025.
  10. ^ "Las primeras experiencias". EL NACIONAL (in Spanish). 19 January 2025. Retrieved 11 November 2025.
  11. ^ Charlotte Higgins (24 November 2006). "Land of hope and glory". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 1 September 2007.
  12. ^ Ed Vulliamy (29 July 2007). "Orchestral manoeuvres". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 1 September 2007.
  13. ^ Rory Carroll (4 September 2007). "Chávez pours millions more into pioneering music scheme". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 8 September 2007.
  14. ^ Wakin, Daniel J. (18 February 2012). "Music Meets Chávez Politics, and Critics Frown". The New York Times.
  15. ^ a b "Gustavo Dudamel condena la represión en Venezuela: 'Ya basta de desatender el justo clamor de un pueblo sofocado' (Published 2017)". The New York Times (in Spanish). 4 May 2017. Retrieved 18 August 2023. A pesar de la gran labor social de El Sistema, su cercanía con el gobierno ha hecho que muchos se pregunten si esa institución, la orquesta nacional y el mismo Dudamel funcionan como una especie de órgano propagandístico de un gobierno que ha sumido a ese país en una de las crisis más grave de su historia.
  16. ^ "IDB approves US$150 million to support youth orchestras in Venezuela – Inter-American Development Bank". Iadb.org. Retrieved 11 August 2014.[permanent dead link]
  17. ^ "Las notas desafinadas de el sistema" [The out-of-tune notes of the system]. alianza.shorthandstories.com (in Spanish). Connectas. Retrieved 3 September 2023.
  18. ^ "Las notas desafinadas de el sistema". connectas.org (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 16 March 2023. Retrieved 7 December 2025.
  19. ^ "El Sistema at 50: the rise and fall (and rise again?) of Venezuela's controversial music programme". Classical Music. Retrieved 7 December 2025.
  20. ^ a b Tunstall (2012), pp. 118–125
  21. ^ Davidson, Justin (18 November 2007). "Simón Bolívar Youth Orchestra of Venezuela at Carnegie Hall – New York Magazine Classical Music Review". Nymag.com. Retrieved 11 August 2014.
  22. ^ Tommasini, Anthony (22 November 2007). "Berlin and Caracas Show New York a Thing or Two About Music Outreach". The New York Times.
  23. ^ Quoted in Tunstall (2012), p. 125
  24. ^ Tunstall (2012), p. 126
  25. ^ Tunstall (2012), p. 127
  26. ^ Organization of American States, ed. (2018). "TORTURA COMO CRIMEN DE LESA HUMANIDAD". INFORME DE LA SECRETARÍA GENERAL DE LA ORGANIZACIÓN DE LOS ESTADOS AMERICANOS Y DEL PANEL DE EXPERTOS INTERNACIONALES INDEPENDIENTES SOBRE LA POSIBLE COMISIÓN DE CRÍMENES DE LESA HUMANIDAD EN VENEZUELA (PDF). Washington D.C. Retrieved 24 June 2018.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  27. ^ "Wuilly Arteaga desmintió video publicado por Diosdado Cabello en VTV". El Impulso. 17 August 2017. Retrieved 4 April 2018.
  28. ^ "Wuilly Arteaga se fue de Venezuela". El Nacional. Retrieved 4 April 2018.
  29. ^ a b Noriega, Nadeska (13 July 2019). "Clarinetista cumple 43 días detenida en la Dgcim por su postura política". El Pitazo (in Spanish). Retrieved 14 July 2019.
  30. ^ "Expulsan a clarinetista de la Orquesta Filarmónica de Venezuela por oponerse al régimen de Maduro". CiberCuba (in Spanish). 30 May 2019. Retrieved 10 July 2021.
  31. ^ Phillip, Ricqcolia (18 July 2019). "Venezuela frees musician jailed after blasting Maduro online". Loop News. Retrieved 11 July 2021.
  32. ^ Baker, Geoff (11 November 2014). "El Sistema: a model of tyranny?". The Guardian.
  33. ^ Baker, Geoffrey (2014). El Sistema: Orchestrating Venezuela's Youth. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-934155-9.
  34. ^ Laurence, Felicity (28 January 2016). "Review: El Sistema: Orchestrating Venezuela's Youth by Geoffrey Baker". Music and Letters. 96 (4): 683–686. doi:10.1093/ml/gcv082. ISSN 0027-4224 – via academic.oup.com.
  35. ^ Thompson, Damian (4 December 2014). "Sex, lies and El Sistema". The Spectator. Retrieved 12 November 2025.
  36. ^ Cabrices, Gabriela Mesones Rojo and Rafael Osio (1 July 2021). "A History of Sexual Abuse in Venezuela's Lauded Youth Orchestra System". Caracas Chronicles. Retrieved 4 December 2025.
  37. ^ Gilbert, Lawrence Scripp, Josh (18 January 2016). ""All That Matters Is How Good It Sounds"". VAN Magazine. Retrieved 8 September 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  38. ^ Baker, Geoffrey; Frega, Ana Lucía (8 August 2018). "'Producing musicians like sausages': new perspectives on the history and historiography of Venezuela's El Sistema". Music Education Research. 20 (4): 502–516. doi:10.1080/14613808.2018.1433151. ISSN 1461-3808.
  39. ^ Baker, Geoff; Cheng, William (27 May 2021). "The 'open secret' of sexual abuse in Venezuela's famous youth orchestra program is finally exposed". The Washington Post. Retrieved 8 September 2023.
  40. ^ Baker, Geoff (24 June 2021). "The Disturbing Noise Coming Out of El Sistema". Caracas Chronicles. Retrieved 8 September 2023.
  41. ^ Delgado, Carmen (1 October 2025). "El Sistema USA® Scholarship at Manhattan School of Music". El Sistema USA. Retrieved 11 December 2025.
  42. ^ "Venezuelan conductor, educator Jose Abreu wins Glenn Gould Prize". Cbc.ca. 15 February 2008. Retrieved 26 February 2012.
  43. ^ "The Glenn Gould Foundation – Eighth Prize (2008)". Glenngould.ca. Retrieved 11 August 2014.
  44. ^ "Prince of Asturias Foundation website". Fundacionprincipedeasturias.org. Archived from the original on 10 July 2012. Retrieved 11 August 2014.
  45. ^ "About - Archive | National Performing Arts Convention". Archived from the original on 22 December 2010.
  46. ^ "Jose Antonio Abreu: The El Sistema music revolution | Talk Video". TED.com. 28 May 2014. Archived from the original on 17 March 2010. Retrieved 11 August 2014.
  47. ^ "Venezuelan Maestro Receives Final Notre Dame Prize for Distinguished Public Service | Kellogg Institute For International Studies". kellogg.nd.edu.
  48. ^ "UNICEF ratifies the National System of Youth and Children's Orchestras and Choirs of Venezuela as Goodwill Ambassador for children's rights". www.unicef.org. Retrieved 10 December 2025.
  49. ^ "tocaryluchar Resources and Information". tocaryluchar.com. Archived from the original on 24 April 2014. Retrieved 11 August 2014.
  50. ^ [1] Archived 12 August 2010 at the Wayback Machine
  51. ^ "el-sistema-film.com". el-sistema-film.com. Archived from the original on 12 August 2014. Retrieved 11 August 2014.
  52. ^ "Dudamel: Conducting a Life | Tavis Smiley Reports". PBS. 29 December 2010. Archived from the original on 2 January 2011. Retrieved 11 August 2014.
  53. ^ "El Sistema – 60 Minutes Videos". CBS News. 20 July 2008. Retrieved 11 August 2014.
  54. ^ Crescendo! The Power of Music at IMDb Edit this at Wikidata
  55. ^ Ng, David (10 February 2014). "Mozart in the Jungle: Is 'Rodrigo' a parody of Gustavo Dudamel?". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 26 January 2016.
  56. ^ Swed, Mark (31 July 2015). "L.A. Phil, Dudamel dive into the Mozart in the Jungle act at the Bowl". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 26 January 2016.
  57. ^ Boshkoff, p. 25
  58. ^ "Latin Londoner #33: Natalia Luisbassa, Conductor | Latinolife". www.latinolife.co.uk. Retrieved 25 November 2025.
  59. ^ Gresham, Mark. "Alcides Rodriguez is a Product of the System". Creative Loafing Atlanta. Creative Loafing. Retrieved 15 February 2016.
  60. ^ "Ron Davis Alvarez – Dream Orchestra". Retrieved 25 November 2025.
  61. ^ Baker, Geoffrey (2016). "Editorial Introduction: El Sistema in critical perspective". Action, Criticism, and Theory for Music Education. 15 (1): 10–32. Retrieved 26 November 2025 – via scholar.google.com.
  62. ^ Ellis-Petersen, Hannah (11 November 2014). "Venezuela's El Sistema music scheme is 'model of tyranny', UK academic says". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 3 December 2025.
  63. ^ "El Sistema at 50: the rise and fall (and rise again?) of Venezuela's controversial music programme". Classical Music. Retrieved 11 December 2025.
  64. ^ Baker, Geoff (11 February 2025). "El Sistema at 50: the rise and fall (and rise again?) of Venezuela's controversial music programme". Classical Music. Retrieved 6 December 2025.
  65. ^ Bolden, Benjamin; Corcoran, Sean; Butler, Alana (2021). "A scoping review of research that examines El Sistema and Sistema-inspired music education programmes". Review of Education. 9 (3): e3267. doi:10.1002/rev3.3267. ISSN 2049-6613.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: article number as page number (link)
  66. ^ Pedroza, Ludim R. "Music as Life-Saving Project: Venezuela's El Sistema in American Neo-Idealistic Imagination". College Music Symposium. Retrieved 11 December 2025.
  67. ^ Ng, David (8 January 2015). "Los Angeles Philharmonic embarking on new El Sistema initiative". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 11 December 2025.
  68. ^ Long, Gideon (6 April 2018). "José Antonio Abreu, founder of El Sistema orchestra, 1939-2018". www.ft.com. Retrieved 11 December 2025.

Cited sources

Further reading

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Wikimedia Commons has media related to El Sistema.
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