Jose Antonio Abreu, a musician, politician and economist who created a network of more than 1,500 orchestras and choirs for young people in Venezuela, died on Saturday at age 78.
Known as "El Maestro" in his home country, Abreu started the project in 1975, and his internationally-acclaimed "El Sistema" ("The System") has grown to include more than 900,000 children, taught by 10,000 teachers throughout Venezuela.