Announcing the Launch of El Sistema USA and Its First Initiative, the Abreu Fellows Program

Announcing the Launch of El Sistema USA and Its First Initiative, the Abreu Fellows Program

NEW YORK, May 6 /PRNewswire/ -- El Sistema, the internationally acclaimed Venezuelan program that uses music and orchestral participation to help children achieve their full potential, is coming to the United States.

Organizers of the TED Prize announce the launch of elsistemausa.org and its first initiative, the Abreu Fellows Program. This initiative is inspired by El Sistema ("the system"), created by Dr. Jose Antonio Abreu, the visionary Venezuelan musician, economist, and reformer, whose work has opened up the world of music and personal accomplishment to some 250,000 Venezuelan young people.

In February, 2009, Dr. Abreu, the winner of one of three annual TED prizes, made his TED Prize wish to bring the world-acclaimed El Sistema program of youth music education to the United States.

El Sistema USA is a support and advocacy network for people and organizations inspired by Venezuela'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.

The Abreu Fellows Program is a one-year postgraduate certificate program for accomplished young musicians who want to become ambassadors of El Sistema and who are committed to developing it outside of Venezuela. The Abreu Fellows will spend a year studying between Boston and Caracas, and leave with the tools and a commitment to return to their communities to teach the El Sistema model.

The Abreu Fellows Program will be based at the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston. The program will be ready to open this fall, with spots for the first 18 fellows, subject to funds raised. Information on the program, the fellows and funding scholarships is online at elSistemaUSA.org.

Dr. Abreu founded El Sistema in 1975 to help poor Venezuelan children study and learn to play classical music. Today it is a nationwide organization of 102 youth orchestras, 55 children's orchestras, and 270 music centers -- and some 250,000 young musicians.

Several El Sistema students have gone on to major international careers, including Gustavo Dudamel, who this fall will be music director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and the bassist Edicson Ruiz, the youngest musician ever to join the Berlin Philharmonic.

Those interested in helping El Sistema USA -- by identifying or supporting a fellow or funding scholarships -- can find specific information on the El Sistema USA website: http://www.elsistemausa.org/. A performance by an El Sistema youth orchestra at this year's TED is available at http://www.ted.com/talks/view/id/466.

Website design was done by Albertson Design. The Rackspace Cloud is hosting the site.

About TED

The TED Prize is designed to utilize the TED community's exceptional array of talent and resources. It is awarded annually to three exceptional individuals who each receive $100,000 and, much more importantly, who are given "One Wish to Change the World." After several months of preparation, the winners unveil their wishes at an award ceremony held during the TED Conference. These wishes have led to collaborative initiatives with far-reaching impact.

TED stands for Technology, Entertainment, Design. It started out in 1984 as a conference bringing together people from those three worlds. Since then its scope has become ever broader to include science, business, the arts, and the global issues facing our world. The annual conference now brings together the world's most fascinating thinkers and doers, who are challenged to give the talk of their lives (in 18 minutes). Attendees have called it "the ultimate brain spa" and "a four-day journey into the future." The diverse audience -- CEOs, scientists, creatives, and philanthropists -- is almost as extraordinary as the speakers, who have included Bill Clinton, Bill Gates, Nandan Nilekani, Jane Goodall, Vilayanur Ramachandran, Sir Richard Branson, Philippe Starck, and Bono.

TED was first held in Monterey, California, in 1984. In 2001, Chris Anderson's Sapling Foundation acquired TED from its founder, Richard Saul Wurman. In recent years, TED has expanded to include an international conference, TEDGlobal; media initiatives, including TEDTalks and TED.com; and the TED Prize. TEDGlobal 2009, "The Substance of Things Not Seen," will be held July 21-24, 2009, in Oxford, UK. TEDIndia will be held in Mysore, India, November 1-4, 2009. TED2010, "What the World Needs Now," will be held February 9-13, 2010, in Long Beach, California, with a simulcast event in Palm Springs, California. For details on all upcoming conferences and events, visit www.TED.com.

Contact:

Laura Galloway,

Galloway Media Group

t: (212) 260-3708

c: (213) 948-3100

laura@gallowaymediagroup.com

Source: TED Conferences

CONTACT: Laura Galloway, Galloway Media Group, +1-212-260-3708, cell:
+1-213-948-3100, laura@gallowaymediagroup.com

Web Site: http://www.elsistemausa.org/

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