Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra facts for kids
The Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra of Venezuela (Spanish: Orquesta Sinfónica Simón Bolívar de Venezuela) is a famous Venezuelan orchestra. It is named after the Venezuelan national hero Simón Bolívar. This orchestra was once the top group in Venezuela's system of youth orchestras. By 2011, many of its members were older, so it was no longer officially a youth orchestra. The Teresa Carreño Youth Orchestra took its place as the national youth orchestra.
A person named José Antonio Abreu, who was an economist, started the Orquesta Sinfónica Simón Bolívar on February 12, 1978. Gustavo Dudamel has been the orchestra's artistic director since 1999. The orchestra has played with many well-known conductors, including Claudio Abbado and Simon Rattle.
About the Orchestra and Its History
Venezuela has many youth orchestras, and they are all part of a program called the Fundación Musical Simón Bolívar (FMSB). People often call this program El Sistema. It is a special music program in Venezuela that helps people through music. Some people have said that this orchestra shows how music can bring communities together.
The orchestra has 180 members. They all work as part of El Sistema's music training program. The orchestra members have performed with famous conductors like Simon Rattle, Claudio Abbado, Daniel Barenboim, Krzysztof Penderecki, Esa-Pekka Salonen, and Lorin Maazel.
The orchestra is based in Caracas, the capital city of Venezuela. In 2007, they moved their home from the Teresa Carreño Cultural Complex to a new building nearby. This new building is called the Center for Social Action Through Music. The name shows that El Sistema believes music can help people in society. Most of the students in El Sistema come from families that do not have a lot of money.
During his time as president, Hugo Chávez strongly supported El Sistema. He made it part of the government and gave it a lot of money each year. Because of this support, the Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra became an important part of national events. For example, in 2013, Gustavo Dudamel conducted the orchestra at the funeral of President Chávez. Many world leaders attended this event.
Gustavo Dudamel also conducted the orchestra for concerts in 2014. Before these performances, Dudamel said that in Venezuela, they encourage what is good for each person, but even more, what is good for the whole group.
Some musicians from El Sistema took part in protests in 2017. During these times, some musicians faced difficulties. For example, in May 2017, a young musician named Armando Cañizales was hurt during a protest in Caracas. After this, conductor Gustavo Dudamel spoke out against the violence. He wrote that nothing can excuse bloodshed and that people's concerns should not be ignored.
Another musician, a violinist named Wuilly Arteaga, also played his instrument during the protests that year. At one point, his violin was broken. Pictures of him upset about his broken violin were shared widely, and many people offered to give him a new one. Wuilly was later held by authorities. During this time, he faced harsh conditions. He even composed a song called "Cárcel de libertad" (Freedom Prison) while he was held.
The orchestra performed three concerts at the 2023 Edinburgh International Festival.
Music Recordings
The orchestra and Gustavo Dudamel have made four recordings for a music company called Deutsche Grammophon. These recordings include music by Beethoven, Mahler, and Tchaikovsky. They also recorded a collection of Latin American music.
Before these, the orchestra released other recordings in the early 1990s. These included several ballet pieces.
See also
In Spanish: Orquesta Sinfónica Simón Bolívar para niños
- List of youth orchestras
