Changing lives

Tricia Tunstall

When 28-year-old Gustavo Dudamel ascended the podium at the Hollywood Bowl for his inaugural concert as conductor of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, he immediately captivated the hearts of his audience and the minds of critics. Here, the young maestro's story becomes the entry point to an equally captivating subject: El Sistema, the Venezuelan music education program that took Dudamel from child violinist to conductor extraordinaire. The story of El Sistema begins with a remarkable visionary: Venezuelan musician and economist José Antonio Abreu, who understood that music can transform the lives of children in poverty. Beginning with eleven music students in an abandoned garage, Abreu created a nationwide miracle, putting instruments into the hands of hundreds of thousands of underprivileged children and bringing hope and meaning to countless young people, families, and communities...