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CIM to present José Antonio Abreu with honorary Doctorate at
88th Commencement Ceremony
March 12, 2013: The Cleveland Institute of Music (CIM)
adds an international cultural icon to its list of Honorary
Doctorates at the
88th Annual
Commencement Ceremony on May 18, 2013 in the
conservatory's Kulas Hall. Venezuelan pianist, economist,
educator, activist and politician José Antonio Abreu
will be recognized for his greatest musical achievement - the
founding of El Sistema.
Dr. Abreu’s El Sistema is a tested model of how a music program
can both create great musicians and dramatically change the life
trajectory of thousands of a nation's neediest children. Dr.
Abreu believed in a better future for Venezuela, aiming to
change people and structures through music - making an orchestra
a place of togetherness for children to learn to listen and
respect one another. The program has been so successful at using
music as a common language that it has been adapted in countries
world-wide.
In Cleveland,
the Rainey
Institute partnered with CIM alumna and Cleveland
Orchestra musician
Isabel
Trautwein to launch an El Sistema program in
2011. Ms. Trautwein is among alumni who will also receive awards
at commencement.
Born in Venezuela in the late 1930s, Dr. Abreu earned a Ph.D. in
petroleum economics and later graduated as a composer and
organist from a Venezuelan conservatory. Within ten years, he
utilized both his economics and music backgrounds to begin El
Sistema, helping to bridge the gulf between the rich and the
poor in his country. The success of the National Symphony Youth
Orchestra led to the establishment of other youth orchestras in
other Venezuelan States.
Dr. Abreu served as Venezuela's Minister of Culture and
President of its National Council for Culture. In 1998, he
received the title “Ambassador for Peace” from UNESCO, the
United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural
Organization. In 2008, he received the Prince of Asturias Arts
Award and the Légion d'honneur of France. He holds an honorary
degree from the Metropolitana University, Caracas.
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