About this Artist
The National Children’s Symphony of Venezuela (NCSV) was conceived by Maestro José Antonio Abreu in 1995 and now comprises some of the most talented children and teenagers across the country, aged between 10-17. After almost fifty years of the history of El Sistema, the NCSV shines through the Collective Practice of Music - El Sistema’s educational methodology sustains the dreams of its members.
Now, the fifth generation of the NCSV 2022 comprises 170 talented musicians along with their Musical Director, Andrés David Ascanio Abreu. They made their debut in February 2023 during the celebration of the 48th anniversary of El Sistema. Their first international tour was to Geneva, Switzerland in April 2023 and they performed at the Victoria Hall and The Human Rights and Alliance of Civilizations Room of the United Nations.
The story of the NCSV began in 1995 on international stages such as the Kennedy Center in Washington and at the UN headquarters in New York. In 1998 they performed at the UNESCO headquarters, where Maestro Abreu was awarded the title of UNESCO Ambassador and the young musicians were honored as ‘Artists for Peace’. They performed in Milan, Naples, Florence, Rome and the Vatican. In 1999 they took part in the festivals of Fiuggi-Anagni, Taormina Art 99 and Montevago.
In 2000, they offered concerts in Hannover, Düsseldorf, Heilbronn, Munich, Munster, Magdebur, Berlin, Jamaica and Brazil. In 2001, they returned to the IDB headquarters in Washington, and performed at the Lincoln Memorial, as well as at the UN. In 2002, they performed again in Italy and Germany.
In 2010, a renewed selection of the NCSV made its debut on July 4th at the Aula Magna of the UCV, conducted by Simon Rattle. Subsequently, the new generation of the NCSOV performed at the 2013 Salzburg Festival, also conducted by Rattle. In 2015, the fourth generation was formed and performed at La Scala in Milan, conducted by Gustavo Dudamel.