José Antonio Abreu |

José Antonio Abreu

José Antonio Abreu – founder, founder and architect of the National System of Youth, Children’s and Preschool Orchestras of Venezuela – can be characterized by only one epithet: fantastic. He is a musician of great faith, unshakable convictions and extraordinary spiritual passion, who set and solved the most important task: not only to reach the musical peak, but to save his young compatriots from poverty and educate them. Abreu was born in Valera in 1939. He began his musical studies in the city of Barquisimeto, and in 1957 he moved to the capital of Venezuela, Caracas, where famous Venezuelan musicians and teachers became his teachers: V. E. Soho in composition, M. Moleiro in piano and E. Castellano in organ and harpsichord.

In 1964, José Antonio received diplomas as a performing teacher and master of composition from the Jose Angel Lamas High School of Music. Then he studied orchestral conducting under the guidance of maestro G.K. Umar and performed as a guest conductor with leading Venezuelan orchestras. In 1975 he founded the Simon Bolivar Youth Orchestra of Venezuela and became its permanent conductor.

Before becoming a “sower of musical professionalism” and the creator of the orchestral system, José Antonio Abreu had a brilliant career as an economist. The Venezuelan leadership entrusted him with the most difficult tasks, appointing him the executive director of the Cordiplan agency and a consultant to the National Economic Council.

Since 1975, Maestro Abreu has devoted his life to the musical education of Venezuelan children and youth, an activity that has become his vocation and captures him more and more every year. Twice – in 1967 and 1979 – he received the National Music Award. He was honored by the Government of Colombia and appointed President of the IV Inter-American Conference on Music Education, convened at the initiative of the Organization of American States in 1983.

In 1988. Abreu was appointed both Minister of Culture and President of the National Council of Culture of Venezuela, holding these positions until 1993 and 1994 respectively. His outstanding achievements qualified him for a nomination for the Gabriela Mistral Prize, the internationally renowned Inter-American Prize for Culture, which he was awarded in 1995.

Dr. Abreu’s tireless work spanned all of Latin America and the Caribbean, where the Venezuelan model has been adapted to different conditions and everywhere has brought tangible results and benefits.

In 2001, at a ceremony in the Swedish Parliament, he was awarded the alternative Nobel Prize – The Right Livelihood.

In 2002, in Rimini, Abreu was awarded the “Music and Life” prize of the Italian organization Coordinamento Musica for his active role in the dissemination of music as an additional education for young people and received a Special Prize for social activities in helping the children and youth of Latin America, awarded by the Geneva Schawb Foundation. In the same year, the New England Conservatory in Boston, Massachusetts, awarded him an honorary Doctor of Music degree, and the Andes University of Venezuela in Merida awarded him an honorary degree.

In 2003, at an official ceremony at Simón Bolivar University, the World Society for the Future of Venezuela awarded J. A. Abreu with the Order of the Future of Merit for his invaluable and outstanding work in the field of youth education, in the implementation of the project of children and youth orchestras, which had an obvious and important impact on society.

In 2004 Andrés Bello Catholic University awarded X. A. Abreu an honorary Doctor of Education degree. Dr. Abreu was awarded the Peace Prize in Arts and Culture by the WCO Open World Culture Association “for his work with the National Youth Symphony Orchestras of Venezuela”. The awards ceremony took place at Avery Fisher Hall in New York’s Lincoln Center.

In 2005, the Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany to Venezuela awarded J. A. Abreu the Cross of Merit, 25st Class, in gratitude and recognition and for his outstanding work in establishing cultural ties between Venezuela and Germany, he also received an honorary doctorate from the Open University of Caracas, in honor of XNUMX anniversary of the University, and was awarded the Simón Bolivar Prize of the Association of Teachers of the Simón Bolivar University.

In 2006, he was awarded the Praemium Imperiale in New York, the Italian Committee of UNICEF in Rome awarded him the UNICEF Prize for his comprehensive work in protecting children and young people and solving youth problems by introducing young people to music. In December 2006, Abreu was presented with the Glob Art Award in Vienna for an example of service to humanity.

In 2007, X. A. Abreu was awarded Italy: the Order of Stella della Solidarieta Italiana (“Star of Solidarity”), awarded personally by the President of the country, and the Grande Ufficiale (one of the highest military awards of the state). In the same year, he was awarded the HRH Prince of Asturias Don Juan de Borbon Prize in the field of music, received the medal of the Italian Senate, awarded by the Scientific Committee of the Pio Manzu Center in Rimini, Certificate of Recognition from the Legislative Assembly of the State of California (USA) ), Certificate of Appreciation from the City and County of San Francisco (USA) and official recognition “for tremendous achievements” from the City Council of Boston (USA).

In January 2008, the Mayor of Segovia appointed Dr. Abreu as Ambassador representing the city as the 2016 European Capital of Culture.

In 2008, the management of the Puccini Festival awarded J. A. Abreu the International Puccini Prize, which was presented to him in Caracas by the outstanding singer, Professor Mirella Freni.

His Majesty the Emperor of Japan honored J. A. Abreu with the Great Ribbon of the Rising Sun, in recognition of his excellent and fruitful work in the musical education of children and youth, as well as in establishing friendship, cultural and creative exchange between Japan and Venezuela. The National Council and Committee for Human Rights B’nai B’rith of the Jewish Community of Venezuela awarded him the B’nai B’rith Human Rights Award.

Abreu was made an Honorary Member of the Royal Philharmonic Society of Great Britain, in recognition of his work as the founder of the National System of Children’s and Youth Orchestras of Venezuela (El Sistema) and was awarded the prestigious Premio Principe de Asturias de las Artes 2008 and received the Q Prize from Harvard University for “outstanding service to children.”

Maestro Abreu is the recipient of the prestigious Glenn Gould Music and Communications Award, only the eighth winner in the history of the award. In October 2009, in Toronto, this honorary award was presented to him and his main brainchild, the Simon Bolivar Youth Orchestra of Venezuela.

Materials of the official booklet of the MGAF, June 2010