The MCO with Claudio Abbado and the Simon Bolivar Youth Orchestra
On two occasions – in 2005 and 2007 – the MCO travelled to Venezuela on the invitation of Claudio Abbado to work with the conductor himself and with the Simon Bolivar Youth Orchestraof Venezuela. During these visits to the Venezuelan capital Caracas, workshops, master classes, and chamber music activities accompanied the two concert programs. The intense collaboration and exchange that took place with the young Venezuelan musicians made a vivid and lasting impression on all involved. The MCO also became acquainted with the Sistema and came to understand its importance as a musical and social project. The Sistema, also called the "Wonder of Caracas", was founded by musician and composer José Antonio Abreu in 1975 and is a unique program of musical instruction that aims to open up new alternatives to socially disadvantaged children and young people and to bring them off the street.
The collaboration continued in autumn 2008 as the Simon Bolivar Youth Orchestra was in Ludwigshafen and members of the two orchestras rehearsed and performed chamber music together.
The mentor role that the MCO took on with the Venezuelan Youth Orchestra served as a predecessor to its work with the MCO Academy – the experience that the MCO gained in Venezuela is used and expanded in training young orchestral players.
