José Antonio Abreu
José Antonio Abreu Anselmi (May 7, 1939 – March 24, 2018)[1] was a Venezuelan orchestra conductor, pianist, economist, educator, activist, and politician best known for his association with El Sistema. He was honored with the 2009 Latin Grammy Trustees Award, an honor given to people who have contributed to music by the Latin Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences.
In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Abreu and the second or maternal family name is Anselmi.
José Antonio Abreu
March 24, 2018 (aged 78)
Orchestra conductor, pianist, economist, educator, activist, politician
Founder of El Sistema
Politics and academics[edit]
Born in the small Andean city of Valera,[2] Abreu graduated with a summa cum laude as an economist at Universidad Católica Andres Bello in Caracas.[3] For many years, his official biography stated that he had been awarded a PhD degree in Petroleum Economics from the University of Pennsylvania, but El Sistema withdrew this claim in December 2017.[4][5] He was elected as a Deputy at the Chamber of Deputies in the Congress of Venezuela in 1963. He served as director of planning at Cordiplan. After his political career, he also worked as a professor of economics and law at Universidad Simón Bolívar and his alma mater. He would return to politics in 1988 to serve as Minister of Culture[6] and president of the National Council of Culture, posts he held until 1993 and 1994, respectively.[7]
Music[edit]
Abreu moved to Caracas in 1957 to study composition.[2] Abreu later studied music with Doralisa Jiménez de Medina in Barquisimeto. Later, he attended the Caracas Musical Declamation Academy in 1957, where he studied piano with Moisés Moleiro, organ and harpsichord with Evencio Castellanos, and composition with Vicente Emilio Sojo.[8] In 1967, he received the Symphonic Music National Prize for his musical ability.[9] It was in 1975 that he founded El Sistema,[3] formally known as the Foundation for the National Network of Youth and Children Orchestras of Venezuela.
This was an innovative youth education method in which music was the primary avenue for social and intellectual improvement. He received the National Music Prize for this work at El Sistema in 1979. Under Abreu's guidance, El Sistema has participated in exchange and cooperation programmes with Canada, Spain, Latin American countries and the United States.
Abreu was the founder of the Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra.[3]
Teacher[edit]
Abreu was the teacher to several generations of Venezuelan classical music performers, including Gustavo Dudamel, the musical director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra.[10]