KNOXVILLE, TN – KSO violinist Edward Pulgar, recently named Associate Concertmaster for the 2008-2009 season, has a story unlike most other musicians in this country.  Pulgar is a product of Venezuela’s acclaimed Sistema Nacional de Orquestas Juveniles e Infantiles de Venezuela (National System of Youth and Children’s Orchestras of Venezuela), or El Sistema, as it is affectionately referred to by many of its alumni.  The program provides classical music training as a social service to lower-income, at risk and special needs children throughout the country of Venezuela.    

Founded by José Antonio Abreu in 1975, this government funded organization has grown from eight to 350,000 young musicians from across Venezuela.  These young musicians form ensembles that perform all over the world to great acclaim.  The program consists of 180 Núcleos, community based centers where the orchestral and choral programs are developed.  The Núcleos are spread across the many cities and towns of Venezuela.  They form a complex and systematic network encompassing youth and children’s orchestras and choirs.  Since 1982, El Sistema has become an internationally recognized organization and has served as a model to more than 20 countries. 

“I feel that I owe my orchestral experience to El Sistema,” says KSO Associate Concertmaster Edward Pulgar, who began his musical studies with the organization at the age of eight.  “When I was growing up, it was not just an after-school activity or something to keep us out of trouble, it was another home.  We attended lessons and rehearsals three or four times a week for four hours at a time.  I guess that’s what makes the System work, the familiarity of it and the discipline one gets in the classrooms.  We were very critical of one another, sometimes not in a very tactful way, but we were kids after all.  We all understood the need to concentrate and excel in order to succeed.  Not only did we learn to play solo and with an orchestra, we also learned about team work, self criticism, passion for what we do and ethics in the most serious and enjoyable atmosphere.” 

Pulgar now performs and conducts for orchestras across the US and Venezuela.  Next month he will conduct the Orquesta Sinfónica de Lara, one of Venezuela’s major orchestras, and one of the first successful orchestras of El Sistema.  Pulgar has also recently received invitations to both conduct and perform with the Orquesta Sinfónica de Falcón (OSF), in his hometown of Coro, and the Orquesta Sinfónica de Maracaibo (OSM) next year.  “These two orchestras are really close to my heart.  Many of the current musicians in the OSF grew up with me.  My first violin teacher performs with the OSM and Maracaibo is the second most important city of Venezuela. The orchestra has a lot of tradition; it was even named a National Cultural Heritage Institution.” 

Pulgar is entering his fourth season with the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra.  Prior to moving to Knoxville, he performed with the Grand Rapids Symphony and the Kalamazoo Symphony in Michigan.

For more information on KSO Associate Concertmaster Edward Pulgar, or El Sistema Nacional de Orquestas Juveniles e Infantiles de Venezuela, please call 865-521-2317.  The KSO has contributed to the cultural life in East Tennessee since 1935.  Under the leadership of Lucas Richman, the orchestra consists of more than 80 professional musicians and performs more than 250 programs throughout East Tennessee each season, reaching more than 160,000 people throughout the region each year.