Sistema Cyprus is a proud member of Sistema Europe. Founded in 2012, Sistema Europe is a network for all European Sistema and Sistema-inspired organisations and individuals aspiring to carry out activities true to the principles of Venezuela’s El Sistema.

Sistema Europe envisages children and young people from every section of European society reach their full potential. And, as part of the international Sistema movement, Sistema Europe assists the continent’s Sistema and Sistema-inspired programmes in positively transforming the lives of children, young people and their families in communities from every section of society through the practice of orchestral and ensemble music-making.

To find out more about Sistema Europe, its members, principles and recent events, visit the Sistema Europe website .

• El Sistema is a social action music programme that was founded in Venezuela in 1975 by Maestro José Antonio Abreu.
• The programme in Venezuela offers musical ensemble participation from an early age according to a set of clear principles, which focus on intensive and joyful music making as a vehicle for social development. El Sistema particularly looks to offer opportunities for the disadvantaged and is based in local nucleo centres, and is thus a manifesation of, and rooted in, each local community.

SOME OF THE BASICS ABOUT VENEZUELA’S EL SISTEMA

• The backbone of El Sistema training is participation in classical orchestral ensembles. However, choral singing, folk music, jazz and special needs programmes are all also featured and this diversity of ensembles and musical genres is of great importance.
• Teaching sessions in Venezuela take place in the community nucleo three to four hours a day, six days a week. Students also get to take part in retreats and intensive workshops.
• Participation is free for all students.
• El Sistema Venezuela currently has dozens of orchestras and over 700,000 students, with plans to expand to 1,000,000.