José
Antonio Abreu is a Venezuelan economist and composer who founded Venezuela's National
Symphony Youth Orchestra in the early 1970s. It's success grew into the National
System of Children and Youth Orchestras of Venezuela, consisting of 60 children's
orchestras, 120 youth orchestras and a network of choirs. The program is geared
toward lower-income students, and has been a major vehicle for empowering underprivileged
in Venezuela. Students active in these music programs tend to do better in school
in general and can escape the cycle of poverty others find themselves trapped
in. The program's results gained international recognition with an award from
UNESCO in 1994 and a 1998 commendation from the United Nations Development Programme,
noting that the music program was an outstanding example of poverty reduction.
UNESCO named José Abreu as a Goodwill Ambassador in 1998 and he received the Right
Livelihood Award in 2000 "... for bringing the joys and benefits of music to countless
children and communities, especially among the poor, and for his achievement of
a unique musical and cultural renaissance"
