What is Orquesta Sinfónica Simón Bolívar?
The '''Orquesta Sinfónica Simón Bolívar''' ('''Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra''') is a youth [[orchestra]] from [[Venezuela]]. The musicians are nearly all in their 20s. The orchestra was started by the [[economist]] José Antonio Abreu in [[1975]]. Children from poor backgrounds had been given the opportunity, by the Venezuelan government, to learn a [[musical instrument]]. The orchestra consists of some of the best of these players. The [[conducting|conductor]] [[Gustavo Dudamel]] has been the orchestra's artistic director since 1999. They have made recordings of music by [[Beethoven]] as well as [[Latin American]] music. They became internationally famous when they played at the [[BBC Proms]] in [[London]] in August [[2007]]. ==Other websites== * [http://www.fesnojiv.gob.ve/en.html ''El Sistema'''s official website (FESNOJIV)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100103094434/http://fesnojiv.gob.ve/en.html |date=2010-01-03 }} [[Category:Youth orchestras]]