Venezuela’s Sistema put on a show in Caracas for the visiting LA Philharmonic on Thursday, when 1,800 young Venezuelans from local nucleos performed for members of the visiting US west coast orchestra. The LA Phil are in Caracas for a complete Mahler cycle, sharing the concerts with one of the Sistema’s orchestras, all under the direction of conductor Gustavo Dudamel. The series climaxes on Saturday with a joint concert of 1,000 performers in Mahler’s Symphony no. 8. But as the report below says, on Thursday the children were the stars, and the professional orchestra the stunned teary- eyed audience. Just another day in Venezuela …
Marshall Marcus's Blog 