El Sistema Turns 50: How a ‘Utopian’ Idea Became a ‘Very Important Reality’ for the Venezuelan Musical Institution

Eduardo Méndez recalls the day his mother took him for the first time to a small El Sistema center in Mérida, his hometown in the Andean region of Venezuela. He was only 5 and his mom wanted him to do something better than watching TV all afternoon.

“I remember that the process of joining the orchestra was very easy,” the violinist and lawyer, who has been the executive director of the institution since 2008, tells Billboard Español. “They called it La Juvenil there, and I really liked how warmly they welcomed me. Nobody tested me to see if I had an ear for music or not. In fact, they told my mom, ‘If you want, leave him here right away.’” He started the next day.

The National System of Youth and Children’s Orchestras and Choirs of Venezuela — home to the Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra and commonly known as El Sistema — celebrates this year its 50th anniversary transforming lives through free music education with that same sense of inclusivity.

Mentored by maestro José Antonio Abreu from an early age, Méndez, along with his peer Gustavo Dudamel, were chosen as the future of El Sistema, with Dudamel bringing its spirit to the world, and Méndez remaining in Venezuela to strengthen its foundation, expanding its presence to 72 countries and increasing enrollment from 60,000 to 1.2 million children locally.

“Since 2008, Eduardo has led El Sistema with tireless dedication alongside our great Maestro Abreu for many of those years inspire millions around the world,” Dudamel tells Billboard Español. “Under his leadership, the mission of El Sistema has reached farther than ever before, reminding us that we are not just creating musicians, but citizens of the world — young people who carry pride, purpose, and a sense of belonging into everything they do.”

The 50th-anniversary celebrations include various activities and concerts throughout 2025, including a performance by the Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra conducted by Dudamel on August 28 at the Southbank Centre in London, announced Wednesday (July 16). Just days earlier, on August 22, the orchestra will perform an opening set and accompany Coldplay during the band’s 10 sold-out concerts at Wembley Stadium.

“The Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra, as the premier ensemble representing all the children and youth musicians of El Sistema, embodies our shared vision of celebrating music and its ability to inspire, which is why it is a profound honor for our young musicians to share the stage with such a globally renowned band as Coldplay,” Méndez said in a statement. “This collaboration has emerged organically as we build on the momentum and enthusiasm surrounding the 50th anniversary of El Sistema.”

In an interview with Billboard Español from Caracas, Méndez — who was also honored in March at the Wayuu Taya Foundation’s Spring Gala in New York City — discusses his career in El Sistema, the challenges the institution has faced in recent years, and its greatest achievements.

How did you go from being a violinist to being the executive director of El Sistema?

Well, in addition to being a musician, I’m also a lawyer. I graduated from the Universidad Católica Andrés Bello and played in the Simón Bolívar Orchestra. I pursued both careers simultaneously; I graduated from the conservatory at 20 and as a lawyer at 21. One day, I was talking to maestro [Abreu] in his office, and I said, “Maestro, I have an issue with my work schedule. The hours are conflicting. What do you recommend?” And he said, “You need to come work with me. You can combine the knowledge you’ve gained in college with your knowledge as a musician.” I replied, “But I don’t know anything about management. I’ve never worked in that.” And he said, “Don’t worry. Neither did I.”

Then he told me something that really intrigued me: “We have so many musicians here at El Sistema, but very few musicians who also understand other areas and are willing to support from that perspective.” I think that’s what convinced me. The challenge seemed interesting. I started working with him, beginning with the most basic tasks. I went through all the administrative and managerial positions in the institution. I moved from academic direction to national leadership of the centers, to general management, human resources, and management of the Simón Bolívar Orchestra, among others. There were people who supported me a lot, and perhaps others who didn’t like the idea of a young guy giving them instructions. But those situations helped me grow and learn. I studied public management at IESA (Institute of Advanced Studies in Administration in Caracas), and two years after finishing my specialization, the Maestro named me executive director. It was a complete surprise to everyone, including me — I found out through a memo.

How do you remember maestro Abreu (1939–2018)?

As a great mentor, a great teacher, and an exceptional human being. His humanity was as extraordinary as his genius. He was a visionary who, in 1970s Venezuela, amidst many young musicians without opportunities, decided to convene a rehearsal to form an orchestra. At that first rehearsal, 13 young people showed up, and he announced, with his characteristic vision: “This is going to be a gigantic project. This will be a project that goes around the world, is recognized, records albums with the best ensembles, and plays in the best concert halls.” And it ended up happening, but not by osmosis. It took a lot of dedicated work.

With me particularly, as with Gustavo [Dudamel], he was very eager to teach. I worked for 17 years alongside him from the beginning, and he taught in a very particular way, because he was very strict, very demanding. But on the other hand, he was an extraordinary human being, a person who cared about all the smallest details of sensitivity, of always conveying that message of help, of support. He said that the essence of this wasn’t to develop extraordinary orchestras and extraordinary musicians. Yes, that was going to happen; in such large groups of people geniuses would emerge. But the most important thing was to develop citizens.

One thing that’s fascinating is how El Sistema has thrived regardless of who’s in power. What have been the biggest challenges for you in that regard, and why do you think the institution has managed to sustain and grow in a socioeconomic and political situation like Venezuela’s?

Adhering to institutional frameworks has been key, and that institutional framework has always been very difficult. You know what you are, and you know what you’re doing, and you know you have to work for and on behalf of the children, the youth, and the project. But sometimes not everyone understands that. Even from the very beginning of El Sistema, there were many challenges that maestro [Abreu] had to overcome to achieve the state’s recognition of the project. At that time, it was known that a project of this magnitude could not, under any circumstances, be managed solely privately, because the concept of free funding would already be practically impossible, and that was the essence of the program.

I had to go through to that too. I faced many institutional challenges during difficult times, especially when my time as executive director combined with the illness of maestro Abreu, who was ill for almost four years. Although he was there, he wasn’t there every day, so that created an obligation for me to take the reins of the project more decisively at a time when the organization was absolutely personal, dependent on maestro Abreu — whatever the maestro said, was done. One of the fundamental challenges I faced there, to maintain institutionality, was the depersonalization of that project: Horizontalizing the institution, giving everyone responsibilities, training new generations of managers. My challenges were modernizing the institution, adapting the structures for growth. The maestro’s figure obviously remains and always will be present, but it’s now more like philosophy.

Today there’s a board of directors. In addition, I have four sector directors for each area, and the directors have clearly defined responsibilities. In other words, whether I’m there or not, this functions precisely. They know what to do, how to do it. Of course, there are macro plans that I launch from the beginning of the year — what’s going to happen, how we’re going to do it. We have two- and three-year plans, which we didn’t have before. But if we wanted to earn respect in the world of international classical music, we had to plan ahead.

Millions of people have emigrated from Venezuela in the last decade, including many musicians from El Sistema. How did you handle this situation?

These challenges led me to make many decisions that, I would say, were revolutionary for the organization itself and for the country as well, because this organization began to move in a completely different way than the rest of the country. One of the things that was happening in Venezuela, as you said, was this situation of polarization, of complex political situations, where there were even musicians who left — look, for us to turn all these complex situations into strength […] The Simón Bolívar Orchestra was practically dismantled at the time of the crisis, and with the pandemic, it got worse. We had to create a new orchestra that just went on a successful tour in Europe, through the most important cities, where there were standing ovations everywhere, and it’s a completely new orchestra.

The question my colleagues in the other orchestras and the venues who kindly welcomed us were asking: “But how can the same institution rebuild an orchestra with its own students, trained by itself, and come here and sell the tickets I don’t sell?” It’s diametrically opposed to what happens in the rest of the country, and that has a lot to do with the way El Sistema is managed, and with how we learn music. Because music within El Sistema has always moved very quickly, it’s been cutting edge. A child who enters a center today isn’t Eduardo Méndez when he entered at age 5. Now, a 5-year-old is hyperstimulated. In other words, the methodology has been incredibly refined over the years. And now, there are thousands of orchestras to look after, thousands of groups to look after.

How many people make up the management team?

There are 89, including directors and inspection chiefs, who are like the bosses who manage the entire organization. And I work directly with four directors in charge of different sectors. An organization like this, which receives both public and private funding, which receives donations, which receives a range of resources for this purpose, also requires absolutely impeccable management. I’ve built very intense teams in that regard to keep things flowing.

Do you think Dudamel’s international success helped spread El Sistema’s name abroad?

Evidently, yes. He was part of the success that El Sistema was already building, because when El Sistema began creating its children’s orchestras, that’s when the National Children’s Orchestra in which Gustavo played was created. So, of course, the Children’s Orchestra began as an experimental orchestra of little children playing adult repertoire, repertoire that was somehow manageable, but under a strict teaching method. And that’s what that orchestra did. It began touring, supported by the state, supported by various sectors, and it traveled through Italy, eventually reaching Germany. That was the first step toward internationalization of the European side; the South American side was already quite advanced.

Then maestro [Abreu] put him in charge of conducting the orchestra, which was formally the National Children’s Orchestra, and at that moment Gustavo gained very important experience, a wealth of experience that allows a 13- or 14-year-old boy to gain ground and to make contacts. Because normally, when a conductor in Europe or the U.S. wants to conduct an orchestra, he has to graduate and spend years before being given an orchestra. Here, Gustavo already had tons of practice, and the maestro was right there teaching him. That led Gustavo to ultimately win [the Gustav Mahler Conducting Competition] in Bamberg, [Germany], which was what really launched him and made people ask, “Where does this kid come from?”

What would you say has been El Sistema’s greatest achievement in these 50 years?

Remaining stable despite everything and growing, because it’s not just about maintaining yourself, it’s about growing and setting an example for other countries. I believe that from all the things surrounding El Sistema — which can be described as beautiful, pleasant, and enjoyable — it’s not just that. This is something much deeper. It has transformed the lives of millions of Venezuelans. We estimate that more than 3 million Venezuelan children and young people have passed through El Sistema’s classrooms in 50 years, including those currently in attendance.

And to grow and develop not only as an inclusive project that has added value, but one that has done so with quality, one that has done so with excellence, where the Venezuelan identity has also been elevated in the world of music, to the point that we are now considered a powerhouse of classical music, and I would dare to go a little further — not just in classical music, because even in popular music, many of those Latin musicians who are winning Grammys came from here and are absolutely proud to have passed through our classrooms. Something that 50 years ago seemed utopian has become a very important reality for Venezuela. It has transformed people’s lives, generated jobs, been a forward-thinking, innovative and unifying organization. To speak of El Sistema in Venezuela today is to speak of unity. There is no one from anywhere who can say anything negative about El Sistema.