Pianist claims Venezuela regime uses Sistema as cover for its crimes

A letter from the international pianist Gabriela Montero:

Today, the Maduro criminal regime tries to claim yet another stolen election in my homeland of Venezuela, despite overwhelming evidence that they lost by large margins. They can make the claim because they own the electoral council. They also own El Sistema, and the children’s orchestra that will go on tour this week in the US – LA, New York, Tanglewood and Ravinia – will preach it’s familiar gospel, that “music transforms society”.

A regime that has destroyed our country and is stealing yet another election will send its most effective propaganda machine – children – to America’s most illustrious halls under Gustavo Dudamel’s baton, and no musician among my friends joins me to condemn it. Indeed, the largest and most reputed classical music agency in London, AskonasHolt, continues to represent and manage it.

In an age so concerned with social justice, how on earth can this invidious relationship continue without industry-wide, unequivocal condemnation? Please, fellow musicians, help me – as I have helped many of you in your various causes – to protest this massive injustice and to stop our classical music industry from laundering and profiting from my nation’s continuing, abject misery.

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