From March 19 to 22 the Simón Bolívar Youth Orchestra of Venezuela will be in residence at the Lucerne Festival where music excellence is a strong tradition, and leading performers – of classical and modern music – meet every year.

The Simón Bolívar Youth Orchestra of Venezuela, top orchestra of a music education program that has expanded worldwide, will give four concerts under the baton of four extraordinary conductors: Claudio Abbado, artistic director of the Lucerne Festival since 2003; Gustavo Dudamel, music director of the SBYO and the LA Phil; and two new young talented Venezuelan conductors from El Sistema: Christian Vásquez and Diego Matheuz.

The English soprano of Austrian origin, Anna Prohaska, will join the orchestra as guest artist on Friday, March 19 to perform Alban Berg’s Lulu Suite under the direction of Claudio Abbado.

Gustavo Dudamel, who has been highly acclaimed for the last 10 years by European and Asian critics, will lead the SBYOV on Saturday, March 20, at the KKL Luzern to display his artistry in the performance of Tchaikovsky’s Francesca de Remini, from which he usually extract unusual nuances. Certainly inspired by the cozy atmosphere of the charming place, the young Venezuelan conductor will also lead the SBYOV in the performance of Richard Strauss’ Alpine Symphony, Op. 64.

Christian Vásquez – who has worked as musical assistance of maestro Mariss Jansons and studied orchestral conducting with José Antonio Abreu – will conduct the orchestra on Sunday, March 21, in Gioacchino Rossini’s William Tell Overture, Alberto Ginastera’s Malambo de La Estancia, Evencio Castellanos’ Santa Cruz de Pacairigua, and Arturo Márquez’s Danzón No. 2.

For the final concert, that will take place on Monday, March 22, the Simón Bolívar Youth Orchestra will perform Dmitri Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 10 and Ludwig van Beethoven’s Concerto for violin and orchestra under the baton of Diego Matheuz. The guest soloist of the evening, Kolja Blacher, is one of Europe's most outstanding violinists and has performed with the world’s leading orchestras.