Celebrating the life and legacy of Maestro José Antonio Abreu

From June 25th - 29th, 2018, the global music community came together in solidarity with Gustavo Dudamel to celebrate the life and legacy of Maestro José Antonio Abreu and his vision in the role of the arts as a force for social change, in Latin America and around the world.

Gustavo, together with an “all-star” ensemble of world-class musicians from European and American orchestras travelled to Santiago, Chile to perform two special “A Mi Maestro” homage concerts with members of the National Youth Symphony Orchestra of Venezuela and the Youth and Children’s Orchestras Foundation of Chile (FOJI).

This was the first time in the history of Latin America that such an international group of musicians, including members of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Vienna Philharmonic, Berlin Philharmonic, Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra and Simon Bolivar Symphony Orchestra of Venezuela joined with young people from South America in a such a statement of cultural solidarity.

The two A mi Maestro concerts, conducted by Gustavo, were dedicated to Maestro Abreu’s memory and to the hundreds of El Sistema-inspired programs around the world. The programme consisted of some of Maestro Abreu’s favourite symphonic pieces: Wagner’s Lohengrin Prelude (Act I), Beethoven’s 7th Symphony and Tchaikovsky’s 4th Symphony.

In recognition of his commitment to young people, education and combating social inequalities through the arts, the National Council of Culture and the Arts (CNCA) of Chile selected Gustavo to receive the prestigious Pablo Neruda Order of Artistic and Cultural Merit, named after one of the artistic giants of Latin America who, in his time, was a champion of culture, education, and social justice. In many ways, Pablo Neruda’s values echo those of Maestro Abreu and the spirit of El Sistema. 

Celebrating Maestro Abreu’s impact on young people everywhere, Gustavo’s A Mi Maestro performances at CorpArtes in Santiago are now available to audiences across the globe via https://www.medici.tv/en/concerts/gustavo-dudamel-conducts-wagner-beethoven-and-tchaikovsky/