Caracas institution begins with more than 520 students and 18 centers, offering degrees in performance, composition and instrument making.
Venezuela has inaugurated the José Antonio Abreu University of Music in Caracas, opening a new institution for professional musical training with an initial cohort of more than 520 students and a network of 18 centers across the country.
The university was formally opened Tuesday by President (e) Delcy Rodríguez at the former Simón Bolívar Conservatory of Music in the El Paraíso parish. It is named after José Antonio Abreu, founder of Venezuela’s National System of Youth and Children’s Orchestras and Choirs, known as El Sistema.
The institution will offer undergraduate degrees in music performance, composition and lutherie, the construction and repair of musical instruments. The new programs elevate existing technical training to the bachelor’s degree level and are intended to expand professional opportunities for young people pursuing performance, musical creation and instrument making.
A new academic structure for El Sistema
The university has 77 specialized teachers and 55 teaching spaces, including 33 classrooms and 22 acoustically treated rooms for individual and group instruction. Its facilities also include three concert and recording halls, a library, a music archive and the headquarters of the Center for Research and Documentation of El Sistema (CIDES).
Maestro Rony Morales will serve as rector. Alongside its Caracas campus, the university will operate through 18 centers in different regions of Venezuela.
At the inauguration, Delcy Rodríguez said the university would continue Abreu’s vision of music as a space for education and social interaction. She also highlighted the public reach of El Sistema, which she said serves more than 1.3 million children across the country.
Acting president recalled meeting Abreu years ago while serving as vice chancellor for Europe. She said Abreu had approached her to seek support for an El Sistema orchestra tour of Europe and that the encounter led her to become a follower of his educational project.
The president also linked arts education to youth participation and social coexistence, saying music could help create spaces for interaction in a diverse country. She expressed hope that Venezuela would achieve greater social harmony and stability.
Cultural program announced
Acting president also announced the second edition of Vive El Sistema Fest, scheduled for October. She tasked El Sistema director Eduardo Méndez with coordinating activities nationwide alongside the Gran Misión Viva Venezuela. Events will be held in public spaces through the Christmas season.
This year’s festival will also feature a tribute and a show of solidarity with victims of the double earthquake, Delcy Rodríguez said. She thanked the diplomatic corps accredited in Venezuela for its support.
The president also referred to the recent achievements of Venezuelan athletes at the Santa Fe South American Games, linking arts, sports and youth with the country’s presence before the international community. She presented the university’s opening as part of what she described as Venezuela’s broader process of national transformation and renewal.
The José Antonio Abreu University of Music adds a new institution to the academic structure associated with El Sistema. Its development will unfold through the work of its students, teachers and regional centers in the coming academic cycles.
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