Colombian Tribute to Maestro Abreu

On May 15, 2018, the Colombian national Sistema program Batuta brought together young musicians from all over the country to join in a huge concert paying tribute to Maestro Jose Antonio Abreu, who died on March 24th.  The concert, which took place in Bogota, was produced in partnership with the Colombian Ministry of Culture, the National Batuta Foundation, the National University of Colombia and the Embassy of Austria in Colombia.

The 358 musicians, who ranged from 10-year-old students to famous conductors, played and sang together “to exalt the life and work of one of the most important musicians and cultural managers in the world, in whose legacy the work of Batuta, and of other organizations in Colombia that believe in the transforming power of music, is sustained.”  The program included music by Tchaikovsky, Bizet, Beethoven, Elgar, and Mahler.

The program was preceded by a panel discussion entitled “A Conversation: The Life and Work of Maestro Jose Antonio Abreu.”