Gabriela Montero Condemns Venezuela Election & Askonas Holt’s Continued Support of El Sistema

By Francisco Salazar

Pianist Gabriela Montero has condemned the “stolen election” in her homeland Venezuela and is condemning the upcoming tour by “El Sistema” led by conductor Gustavo Dudamel.

In a statement on social media the well-known pianist said, “Today, the Maduro 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.'”

She added, “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 Dudamel’s baton, and no fellow musician among my friends joins me to condemn it. Indeed, the largest and most reputed classical music agency in London, Askonas Holt, 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.”

Montero’s reaction comes after Nicolas Maduro claimed victory in the presidential elections. According to reports both the dictator and his political opponent “claimed victory in the country’s election on Monday, a vote that was marked by accusations of fraud and counting irregularities.” According to the election results, 80 percent of vote was counted and Maduro secured more than 51 percent of the vote, beating the Democratic Unitary Platform (PUD) candidate Edmundo González Urrutia who got 44 percent of the vote. However, many countries have already claimed that there was fraud and have not recognized the election as legitimate.

Dudamel last posted on social media about the unity of music and said, “Music unites us. It connects people across cultures and continents. Our YOLA National Festival is a perfect example of this, bringing together young musicians from around the world to celebrate their shared humanity and creativity. It is in that shared pursuit of beauty, that art allows us to transcend borders to truly become global citizens.”

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