Los Angeles, CA (August 9, 2019) – Four alumni and one current member of LA Phil’s YOLA (Youth Orchestra Los Angeles) program are traveling to Barcelona this week to join Gustavo Dudamel, the Gustavo Dudamel Foundation, the Mahler Chamber Orchestra, and 36 young musicians from around the world – named Dudamel Foundation Artists – for a special performance of Mahler’s Symphony No. 1 at Festival Castell Peralada in The Castle Gardens Auditorium on Saturday, August 10, 2019.

Dedicated to the belief that the arts play an essential role in creating a better society, the Gustavo Dudamel Foundation, in collaboration with the Mahler Chamber Orchestra, who shares a commitment to creating music education programs, will train the 41 Dudamel Foundation Artists as the next generation of global musicians through guided mentorship and performance.

Furthering the Gustavo Dudamel Foundation’s mission to provide the tools and opportunities for young people to shape their creative futures and encourage intercontinental dialogue through music, the Foundation will facilitate a two-day Seminario in Barcelona, a unique training opportunity for gifted young musicians from around the world. The Seminario underscores the educational and philanthropic role of the Foundation as a catalyst for uniting people through music while thoroughly preparing young musicians to perform at the highest level. Students from Venezuela, Sweden, Spain, Argentina, France, Hong Kong, Japan, Norway, South Korea, Colombia, and the United States will be mentored and play side-by-side with musicians of the Mahler Chamber Orchestra, encompassing players from 22 countries across five continents

In harmony with the Gustavo Dudamel Foundation training program for artistic excellence and its social-pedagogical mission to bridge world-class musicians with young musicians, Dudamel will be rehearsing with members of these orchestras (in addition to YOLA): Orchesterzentrum NRW, KonstKnekt, Filarmónica Joven de Colombia, Jove Orquestra Nacional de Catalunya, El Sistema Sweden, Hong Kong String Academy, Reina Sofia School, Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra of Venezuela, and the Mahler Chamber Orchestra.

Following the two-day Seminario in Barcelona, and a week of rehearsal, the Dudamel Foundation Artists will travel to Peralada Castle in Girona to perform a concert on August 10, playing side-by-side with the Mahler Chamber Orchestra to perform Gustav Mahler’s 1st Symphony, “Titan.” María Valverde will be in the first half of the concert, narrating a very special performance of Felix Mendelssohn’s Incidental Music to A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

Valverde, married to Dudamel, is an advocate of education and active board member of the Foundation. Both Dudamel and Valverde work diligently to build bridges and opportunities for young musicians and advocate music as a force for uniting communities, empowering young people, and promoting positive social change.

The participating YOLA musicians are:

Hazael Acevedo, trumpet (current YOLA musician)
Daniel Egwurube, flute (YOLA alum)
Josue May, trombone (YOLA alum)
Samantha Rosas, viola (YOLA alum)
Jackelinne Rodriguez, cello (YOLA alum)

YOLA (Youth Orchestra Los Angeles)
Through Gustavo Dudamel’s YOLA (Youth Orchestra Los Angeles) program – inspired by Venezuela’s revolutionary El Sistema – the LA Phil and its community partners provide free instruments, intensive music training, and academic support to over 1200 students from vulnerable communities, empowering them to become vital citizens, leaders, and agents of change. YOLA provides each student, ages 6 to 18, with a strong musical and social foundation through participation in 12-15 hours of programming each week.

 With YOLA sites in South L.A., the Rampart District, Westlake/MacArthur Park, and East L.A., YOLA engages students from more than 200 schools in L.A. County. Music study is complemented by leadership development opportunities, parent workshops, and performances. YOLA’s young musicians have performed on great stages all over the world, including the LA Phil’s two iconic venues – the Hollywood Bowl and Walt Disney Concert Hall – in many other locations throughout Southern California, on national and international television broadcasts, and alongside the greatest artists.

On August 15, 2018, the Los Angeles Philharmonic unveiled the architectural design by Gehry Partners, LLC, for its new Judith and Thomas L. Beckmen YOLA Center at Inglewood: the first permanent, purpose-built facility for YOLA.

For more information please visit laphil.com/yola

The Gustavo Dudamel Foundation
Dedicated to the belief that the arts play an essential role in creating a better society, The Gustavo Dudamel Foundation is committed to highlighting and enriching the crucial nexus between the arts and society. We believe that music provides a universal language that transcends our differences and encourages individual empowerment and social integration. For that reason, it is our mission to expand access to music and art for as many children as possible, while providing tools and opportunities for young people to shape their creative futures. The Gustavo Dudamel Foundation focuses on developing projects in a number of areas: encouraging access for young people to quality musical and artistic experiences, institutional cooperations and community engagement, inter-disciplinary exchange, advanced training, and developing digital learning tools.

For more information please visit dudamelfoundation.org