Last fall, Gustavo Dudamel made his landmark debut as music director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, a title he holds concurrently with the Simón Bolívar Youth Orchestra of Venezuela, which he has led for more than ten years.

The youthful Mr. Dudamel, one of the world’s most sought-after conductors and holder of an exclusive recording contract with the prestigious Deutsche Grammophon label, developed both his artistry and his humanitarian spirit over his many years’ involvement with El Sistema.

El Sistema is the name Venezuelan’s use to refer to a nationwide organization of some 125 youth orchestras and the instructional programs in which the orchestra members undergo their development. It is the brainchild of Venezuelan economist and statesman José Antonio Abreu, and its purpose is not merely to produce top-flight professional musicians, which it has done in abundance, but to provide a creative outlet for the economically disadvantaged.

"Perhaps the most remarkable element about [El Sistema] is that it is explicitly oriented towards the under privileged. It has been described as "a social movement of massive dimensions that works using music as the instrument that makes the social integration of different Venezuelan population groups possible and supports the strata with low income."

In January, Chicago musician and ICAP member Marcus Dunleavy, had a rare opportunity to engage Mr. Dudamel in a brief dialogue in which they touched upon several topics. Among the highlights were the following remarks by Mr. Dudamel.

Speaking about El Sistema, of which he is a second-generation member, Mr. Dudamel explained: “It is not only an artistic project. It’s a social movement for the happiness and integration of young people. That is the reason for its existence. There are all these kids who are very poor, and they don’t have a lot of possibilities, but [in El Sistema] you always have protection around you—a lot of friends—and because of this you feel free to be yourself and work and play and grow.”

Regarding the spirit of the Venezuelan people, Mr. Dudamel said: “There is something very special in their energy, in the way that they make music, in the way that they work—with intuition. When they are passionate about something that they love, that they are dreaming about, they don’t care about time. They just keep working and working until it is right. It’s like that in El Sistema. The original vision of the system and its actual impact is huge. The reason is because Maestro Abreu and all those kids inside of the project…they love and they believe in what they are doing.

Referring to a comment he recently made on CBS-TV’s 60 Minutes, that his main goal in touring with the Simon Bolivar Youth Symphony Orchestra of Venezuela was to prove to the world that music can change life, Mr. Dudamel explained: “The best example of a perfect community is an orchestra. You are part of a group. In the orchestra, you have to listen to your neighbors and to yourself. You have to have one idea in common as a goal. It’s the same in art as it is in life. And focusing on these things while playing in an orchestra gives kids a different sort of knowledge about life. The orchestra is the best example of how a community has to work. And through this process, these young people become a beautiful example for the musical community and for society."

“[El Sistema] in Venezuela right now is a strong symbol of the country. The young people put great pride and feeling into the music. And that feeling comes from realizing that their orchestra was founded in order to make them the voice for their whole country. That feeling is magic—they know that their music is changing the world.”

During their exchange, Mr. Dunleavy gave Gustavo Dudamel the gift of a book of photographs by ICAP founder Daisaku Ikeda, and the two men discussed furthering their dialogue in April, when Mr. Dudamel will be in Chicago on tour with the Simon Bolivar Orchestra. (by Laura Hamm)