Prof. Lourdes Sánchez

Choir Conductor
Fundación Musical Simón Bolívar. “El Sistema”

With a very solid musical background, Lourdes Sánchez took the lead on the National Program for Choirs of El Sistema, thus carrying very extensive work in terms of diffusion of the choral a capella repertoire, as well as coordinating and leading the production of symphonic choral performances at El Sistema. In the framework of this project, she founded the Venezuela Children’s Choir and assumed the conduction of the Simón Bolívar National Choir.

She has been invited to multiple countries in Latin America and Europe as a guest lecturer, workshop leader, and conductor. She takes part as a coach at the program for social action “Music for growth”, carried out by the Development Bank of Latin America, providing expertise to other nations in the continent. She has also given workshops organized by the Confederation of Choirs of the Basque Country, the Institute of Culture of the Government of Yucatan (Mexico), Orchestrating Harmonies of the Boca del Río Philharmonic (Veracruz) and his presence by Venezuela at the 1st Coral and 2°Forum American Choir (San Juan, Argentina), among others. She advises the “El Sistema” Project in Greece, moreover, she has worked in refugee camps and with immigrant communities, enforcing the vision and values of El Sistema.

In 2012, she received praiseworthy comments during the first two international tours of the Simón Bolívar National Choir. In Germany, she conducted at the Deutsches Chorfest and in Frankfurt’s Alte Oper, also in Kelkheim, Wuppertal, and Köln. In the United States, she performed at the Lincoln Center, at an extraordinary concert with the SBNC and the José Limón Dance Company, besides to the United Nations Headquarters in New York and the hall at Development Bank of Latin America in Washington. In 2013, she represented Venezuela together with the SBNC at the América Cantat in Bogotá, Colombia. Her participation at the Salzburg Festival included an a cappella program at the Great Hall of the Mozarteum Foundation, as well as symphonic choral concerts with the Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Gustavo Dudamel.

In 2013, her participation at the Chorus Festival at the Southbank Center in London is to be highlighted. The Venezuelan group was the gem of the event, whose sixth edition was dedicated to the voices of the youth, an idea conceived by the creative team of the Southbank Center inspired by the work of El Sistema. In addition to starring this festival, they were present at the celebration of the Royal Festival Hall within the framework of the restoration of the great organ and as the first Latin American choir to perform in that auditorium of the English capital. Moreover, she conducted in Liverpool, Gateshead, and Wales.

From August to September 2015, she took part at El Sistema’s artistic residence at the Teatro alla Scala in Milan. The agenda included eight performances of Puccini’s La Bohème, two symphonic choral concerts, and performances at the Church of Saint Mark and Milan’s Cathedral. In 2016, the SBNC toured Europe, as part of the celebration of their 10th anniversary. This international tour took them to emblematic places such as the Calouste Gulbenkian Theater, the Basilica of St. Pius X, the Church of St. Bernadette in Lourdes, the Notre-Dame Cathedral, the Royal Chapel of the Palace of Versailles and the Radio France Auditorium.

Lourdes Sánchez studied at the Juan José Landaeta National Conservatory and the Pedro Nolasco Colón National School of Music in Caracas. She completed her undergraduate studies in Arts and obtained her master’s degree in Latin American Musicology at the Central University of Venezuela. She was part of the Cecilia de Majo Ensemble of Classical Harps. In the choral field, she excelled as a soprano of the Madrigalistas Vicente Emilio Sojo Choir led by Ugo Corsetti, the Ateneo de Los Teques Choir and the ensemble of ancient music Tientos, under the conduction of José Rafael Maldonado. She was assistant conductor of the INTEVEP Choir led by Raúl Delgado Estévez. She was the conductor of the Cantoria Ludus Vocaliter -Female ensemble and the Children’s Choir of Los Teques. With these two groups she toured nationally and internationally and attended different festivals such as the International Choir Festival in Guayaquil (Ecuador), the International Biennial of Children's Choirs in Viña del Mar (Chile), the International Choir Festival of Yucatán (Mexico), the International Choir Festival of Cusco (Perú), the International Festival of Sacred Music of Popayán and Pamplona (Colombia), the Enlace Coral Festival in Guatemala; besides tours to Italy, Spain, Portugal and Germany including concerts at the Sagrada Família and the Santa Maria de Montserrat Abbey in Barcelona (Spain), St. Nicholas' Church in Potsdam and the Church of Passion in Berlin, the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Fátima in Portugal, the Ourense Cathedral, the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela (Galicia, Spain), the Florence Baptistery, the Papal Basilica of Saint Francis of Assisi, Vatican City and the barracks of the Pontifical Swiss Guard (Italy), among others.