Spanish tenor Placido Domingo praises founder of Venezuela’s famed youth orchestras

Placido Domingo offers free concert in Venezuela

CARACAS, Venezuela — Spanish tenor Placido Domingo thrilled several hundred Venezuelans on Tuesday by showcasing his soaring voice during a free concert and heaping praise on the founder of the South American country’s famed youth orchestras.

Domingo said composer Jose Antonio Abreu “deserves a monument” for inspiring more than a million Venezuelan children to take up music since he founded “The System,” a network of more than 200 youth and children’s orchestras, over 30 years ago.

“Abreu has given the Venezuelan people one of the biggest gifts, and given the children the privilege to become musicians,” he said.

“The System,” currently includes more than 250,000 students across Venezuela, has become a model for similar programs in countries from Brazil to Britain.

Domingo — one of the world’s most famous tenors — celebrated his 40th season this year at New York’s Metropolitan Opera. He has won worldwide acclaim outside the opera scene as one of The Three Tenors, with Jose Carreras and the late Luciano Pavarotti.

Domingo is slated to perform again on Thursday with the local Teresa Carreno Youth Orchestra.