Three months ago, the visionary Venezuelan musician Dr. José Antonio Abreu made his TED Prize wish – to create and document a special training program for at least 50 gifted young musicians, passionate for their art and for social justice, and dedicated to developing El Sistema in the US and in other countries.

Today we are proud to introduce the Abreu Fellows Program at New England Conservatory of Music. It is a one-year postgraduate certificate program for accomplished young musicians who desire to become ambassadors of El Sistema and who are committed to developing it outside of Venezuela. Abreu Fellows will spend a year studying between Boston and Caracas, and leave with the tools to return to their communities to teach the El Sistema model.

Subject to funds raised, the program is ready to open this fall with spots for the first 18 fellows.

More detailed information on the program, the fellows and funding scholarships is online at a beautiful new website, elSistemaUSA.org.

el Sistema USA is a support and advocacy network for people and organizations inspired by Venezula’s monumental music education program. It will grow to provide comprehensive information on the El Sistema philosophy and methodology, and host a variety of resources that will aid those building, expanding and supporting El Sistema programs in the US and beyond.

Check out the site and be inspired.  Help build the program by identifying or supporting a fellow.  And if you haven’t already, watch the unforgettable youth orchestra performance from TED.

A huge thanks to Albertson Design, who did an amazing job branding the fellows program and designing and building the website.

And thanks to The Rackspace Cloud for hosting the site.

From Emily at the TED blog…

From the LA Times’ “Culture Monster” blog, this item by Mark Swed: “Linda Ronstadt hails Gustavo Dudamel in testimony on Capitol Hill”:

In a remarkable testimony by Linda Ronstadt to the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment & Related Agencies Tuesday, the pop singer made an impassioned plea for government support of the arts. And Gustavo Dudamel, the Los Angeles Philharmonic’s soon-to-be music director, was her poster boy.

We quote from her written testimony here:

In the United States we spend millions of dollars on sports because it promotes teamwork, discipline, and the experience of learning to make great progress in small increments. Learning to play music together does all this and more.

José Abreu, the founder of El Sistema, the children’s music curriculum currently considered to be the best in the world, says this: “An orchestra is a community that comes together with the fundamental objective of agreeing with itself. Therefore, the person who plays in an orchestra begins to live the experience of agreement. And what does the agreement of experience mean? Team practice, the practice of a group that recognizes itself as interdependent where one is responsible for others and the others are responsible for oneself. Agree on what? To create beauty.”

… As you may know, there is a conductor of staggering talent who has been hailed as the next Leonard Bernstein. His name is Gustavo Dudamel and he has toured the United States and Europe with the Simon Bolivar Youth Orchestra to ecstatic reviews. He joins the Los Angeles Philharmonic as their Music Director in the fall. Here’s what matters to us today: this young conductor has a passion for music education because he knows its true power to alter the course of young lives. He was brought up in Venezuela in the extraordinary music education system that I mentioned earlier called El Sistema.

Imagine what can be accomplished if we support the arts, engage ‘at risk’ youth and help them succeed in school and in their lives. For ‘underserved’ families, indeed for all families, participation in music and the arts can help people reclaim and achieve the American Dream.

Read Linda Ronstadt’s full testimony here >>
Learn more about El Sistema >>
Learn how YOU can help spread El Sistema >>

And watch Gustavo Dudamel as he conducts the Teresa Carreño Youth Orchestra of Venezuela in a spine-tingling performance:

Hat tip: Phantom Galleries LA

After Maestro Abreu gave his inspiring talk and made is world-changing wish, the Teresa Carreño Youth Orchestra performed live via satellite from Caracas, Venezuela. Made up of students from El Sistema, the orchestra wowed the TED audience and we know they will wow you too. Led by Gustavo Dudamel, Music Director Designate of the Los Angeles Philharmonic and product of El Sistema, the orchestra played two pieces – Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 10, 2nd movement and Arturo Márquez’ Danzón No. 2.

Inspired by Maestro Abreu’s wish? Help make it a reality.

To read a transcription of this talk, click here.

Stay tuned for updates on José Abreu’s wish.