Venezuelas vibrant young music stars to wow London

Level 1 Intermediate

1 Key words

Fill the gaps in the sentences using these key words from the text.

symposium fusion ensemble heritage elite

composer panache maestro conductor virtuosity

1. ________________________ is a high level of skill, especially in playing music.

2. _______________________isanimpressivewayofdoingsomethingthatshowsbothgreatskillandcondence.

3. ________________________ is a type of modern music that is a mixture of different styles.

4. A ________________________ is a meeting where experts discuss a particular subject.

5. A ________________________ is someone who writes music, especially classical music.

6. A ________________________ is a musician who is admired and respected a lot, particularly by the members
of an orchestra.

7. An ________________________ is a group of musicians who perform together.

8. A ________________________ is someone who directs the members of an orchestra.

9. The ________________________ of a particular country consists of the art, buildings, traditions and beliefs
that it considers important to its history and culture.

10. An ________________________ is a small group of people who have a lot of power.

2 Find the information

Find the answers to these questions in the article.

1. Where is the Simn Bolvar National Youth Orchestra from?

2. How many musicians are there in the orchestra?

3. What is the age range of the members of the orchestra?

4. When was the Sistema set up?

5. How many children are involved in the Sistema?

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Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2009

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NEWS LESSONS / Venezuelas vibrant young music stars to wow London / Intermediate
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Venezuelas vibrant young music stars to wow London
Level 1 Intermediate
Venezuelas vibrant young music
stars to wow London
Simn Bolvar Orchestra to take Southbank
residence
Events will sweep aside views on classical music
Charlotte Higgins, chief arts writer
February 27, 2009
1 They have been described as leading the way
towards a new, exciting future for classical music;
they have brought tears and cheers wherever
they have performed. And this spring, the leading
orchestra in what has been called the most
important phenomenon in music today will be
performing at the Southbank Centre in London.
2 The orchestra is the Simn Bolvar National
Youth Orchestra of Venezuela.Forvedaysin
April it will, according to Marshall Marcus, the
centresheadofmusic,lleveryspaceinthe
Royal Festival Hall. They will question all the
traditional ideas people have about classical
music, he said. Anyone who ever thought
classical music was not for them - this is the
one thing they should see. They demonstrate
what weve perhaps been missing in Europe
musicians performing out of a total unbridled
desire to live the music.
3 The orchestra of 200 18- to 25-year-olds had
already announced a pair of concerts under
its dynamic music director, Gustavo Dudamel,
28, who is also music director designate of the
Los Angeles Philharmonic. The concerts sold
out immediately but now the Southbank has
announced a further series of free and low-priced
events. The main concerts, which feature works
by Stravinsky, Bartk and Tchaikovsky as well
as works by Latin American composers such as
Revueltas, will also be relayed free in the
Festival Hall.
4 The extra events will include an evening of
Latin jazz and fusion featuring members of
the orchestra. There will be a free concert by
the 50-strong Simn Bolvar Brass Ensemble
Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2009
NEWS LESSONS / Venezuelas vibrant young music stars to wow London / Intermediate
well known in its own right and praised for
its unbelievable panache and astonishing
virtuosity. A family concert on 17 April will be
introduced by Dudamel. The orchestra will
perform classical works as well as
Venezuelan favourites.
5 There will also be a series of symposiums. The
rstwillinvolveachancetohearDudamel,
members of the orchestra and maestro Jos
Antonio Abreu talk about their work. Abreu is
the founder of the Sistema, the radical music
education and social project from which the
orchestra came. Other talks will look at the efforts
being made to set up similar education projects
in the UK, including Sistema Scotland, a pilot
project in Raploch, near Stirling.
6 The Sistema was set up in 1975 by Abreu
partly as a response to the shortage of classical
musicians in Venezuela. It was also from the
beginning a social project using music as its
means based on Abreus belief that every child,
however poor, should have the opportunity to
break out of the poverty cycle. About 250,000
children are now involved in the Sistema. They
study from 2pm to 6pm every day, with work
focused on the idea of the orchestra rather than
the individual. As soon as they are able to, older
children are encouraged to help teach younger
students or to conduct ensembles.
7 Abreu said in 2006: The philosophy of el
Sistema shows that the vicious circle of poverty
can be broken when a child poor in material
possessions acquires spiritual wealth through
music. Our ideal is of a country in which art is
within the reach of every citizen so that we can
no longer talk about art being the property of the
elite, but the heritage of the people.
Guardian News & Media 2009
First published in The Guardian, 27/02/09
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Venezuelas vibrant young music stars to wow London
Level 1 Intermediate
3 Comprehension check
Are these statements true (T) or false (F) according to the text?
1. The National Youth Orchestra of Venezuela perform classical music in a traditional way.
2. The Sistema is a music education and social project.
3. The Sistema helps young people to break out of the poverty cycle.
4. In the Sistema the individual is more important than the orchestra.
5. Abreu wants to bring art to ordinary people.
6. The orchestra only performs Venezuelan music.

4 Find the word

Find the following words and phrases in the text.

1. An adjective meaning free and uncontrolled. (para 2)

2. An adjective (used after a noun) that means chosenforaparticularjobbutnotyetofciallydoingthatjob. (para 3)
3. A verb meaning to transmit or broadcast. (para 3)
4. A four-word expression meaning as a result of their own ability. (para 4)
5. An adjective meaning verysurprising. (para 4)
6. A two-word expression meaning apieceofworkdoneinonlyoneplaceorwithafewpeopleinordertondout
ifsomethingwillbesuccessfulorpopular. (para 5)
7. A two-word expression meaning a process in which the existence of a problem causes other problems and this
makestheoriginalproblemworse. (para 7)
8. A four-word expression meaning available or accessible to people. (para 7)

5 Expressions with prepositions

Complete the phrases from the text using prepositions.

1. classical music is not __________ me

2. music director __________ the LA Philharmonic
3. praised __________ its panache and virtuosity
4. a series __________ symposiums
5. a response __________ the shortage
6. a shortage __________ musicians
7. involved __________ the project
8. focus __________ an idea
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Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2009

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NEWS LESSONS / Venezuelas vibrant young music stars to wow London / Intermediate
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Venezuelas vibrant young music stars to wow London
Level 1 Intermediate

6 Word building

Complete the table.

verb noun
1. perform
2. announce
3. respond
4. believe
5. encourage
6. possess

6 Discussion

What kind of music do you like? Do you enjoy classical music? Why? Why not?

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Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2006

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Title text here

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