2010-03-30  Youth Orchestra of Venezuela on Tour in Europe

The Simón Bolivar Youth Orchestra of Venezuela, established by José Antonio Abreu in 1975 to support disadvantaged children, was in residency at the Lucerne Easter Festival, conducted by Claudio Abbado.

The Orchestra will tour Europe this summer, giving concerts in Gothenburg and Stockholm and other cities.

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2008-06-15  Free instruments for poor children. The Observer, UK.

El Sistema's incredible success has now inspired the English to install a similar program: "We are trying to take children out of poverty through music. They will be given instruments and they will be given proper tuition. If it does work here, it will change the face of musical education in this country."

A similiar scheme has already been launched in Scotland.

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2008-04-13  El Sistema: Changing lives through music. 60 Minutes, CBS, USA.

CBS' Bob Simon took a look at El Sistema: Abreu's groundbreaking musical education program and its impact on Venezuela's poor.

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2007-09-04  Chávez pours millions more into pioneering music scheme. Guardian Unlimited, UK.

Venezuela's President Hugo Chávez has thrown his weight behind the music scheme founded by José Antonio Abreu: The President announced the creation of "Misión Música", a government-funded effort to give tuition and instruments to 1 million impoverished children.

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