| Date and venue | Title |
|---|---|
| 29-Nov-2012 UC Berkeley, Zellerbach Hall | Gustavo Dudamel and Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra rock the Bay Area |
 Maestro Gustavo Dudamel and the Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra of Venezuela completed a four-day residency at Cal Performances with two concerts that rocked, rolled, and astounded audiences in Berkeley’s Zellerbach Hall. Leading up to the concerts, the residency entailed a two-day music education symposium with sessions titled “The Transformative Power of Music” and “The Possibilities for a Musical Education”, and Dudamel and his players working with teachers and students in a variety of workshops and masterclasses.Read full review... | |
| 23-Jun-2012 Southbank Centre: Royal Festival Hall | Dudamel and the Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra of Venezuela in London |
 Three separate standing ovations answered the first concert of the Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra's London residency, in which they played Beethoven and Britten with all of their trademark joie de vivre and panache. There was more, though; they played at times with a remarkable delicacy considering their uncommonly large forces, and the Britten in particular showed the individual quality of various players.
Read full review... | |
| 21-Jun-2012 Old Schools Site | El Sistema demonstrated in Stirling |
 Can a concert have ever been so eagerly anticipated?
In 2006 Richard Holloway, then chair of the Scottish Arts Council, went on a fact-finding visit to Venezuela to look at El Sistema, where intensive classical music tuition in schools and the formation of orchestras has developed a successful track record of transforming attitudes in desperately poor and violent communities. The El Sistema model now helps thousands of children round the world. Returning to Edinburgh, convinced that Scotland must be involved, he was the key to setting up the Sistema Scotland charity in the Raploch housing estate in Stirling. Raploch was chosen not only because it was an area which would benefit, but also because it has a clear identity, an enthusiastic community and new facilities in a Community Campus allowing access for all the children.
Read full review... | |
| 5-Aug-2011 Royal Albert Hall | Panache at the Proms |
 There are few greater disappointments than an event which fails to live up to high expectations: film adaptations of favourite books and the January sales seem like obvious examples of events which are often perfectly pleasing but drowned under hype. Thank goodness for the Proms, where natural cynicism is suspended and sold-out performances like the Simon Bolivar Symphony Orchestra are celebrated both for the spin and the experience itself.Read full review... | |
