The Youth Orchestra Los Angeles and Gustavo Dudamel, music director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, were honored with a Los Angeles Real Creativity Award on December 5. Established in 2009 by the Urban Land Institute of Los Angeles, the LARC Awards are given annually to four recipients in the categories of design, place, enterprise, and idea. Youth Orchestra Los Angeles, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and Gustavo Dudamel were awarded LARC’s award in the enterprise category. YOLA is part of the Los Angeles Philharmonic’s initiative to establish youth orchestras in underserved communities in Los Angeles, and is inspired by El Sistema, the Venezuelan music education system that nurtured Dudamel. Other LARC Award winners were Hollywood Cap Park (design); Academy of Entertainment Technology (place); and Imagine Mars Project / JPL-NASA (idea). “It is an honor to be the recipient of the LARC award, and to be recognized for creativity and innovation,” said Deborah Borda, president of the Los Angeles Philharmonic. “Music has the ability to transform lives and inspire social change. Through YOLA and our other educational programs, the LA Phil is committed to providing access to music education for the underserved youth of Los Angeles, and we hope that other organizations and communities are inspired to do the same.”
Posted January 14, 2010
