The Simon Bolivar Symphony Orchestra is made up of young professional musicians from Venezuela. All grew up in poverty and went through a system of education known as El Sistema where music becomes an engine for social change.
Matt Wolf, VP of Programming, The Kimmel Center said, "It's a really nice combination of achievement, success and belief and all of that sort of transforms into the way that they handle the music, the way that they interpret it, the energy that they just bring, and obviously any time you get an opportunity to watch Gustavo Dudamel in Philadelphia it's just something you shouldn't miss."
Dudamel is the orchestra's conductor and he comes from the same humble Venezuelan roots. He is just 31 years old and he also leads the Los Angeles Philharmonic and is a superstar in the world of classical music.
"He, I think really elevated this program, the Simon Bolivar program and Sistema program to a level that is really infectious," added Wolf.
The Sistema system uses music to transform lives and is so successful it's been modeled around the world, including here in Philadelphia.
The program is a mix of Latin American music and a classic Alpine Symphony.
"It is exciting. It's passionate, it is inspiring ," said Wolf.
The performance is December 5th at 8pm in the Kimmel Center's Verizon Hall. Tickets are going fast. You can get them at the Kimmel Center.
