"My heart is overwhelmed," said renowned conductor and director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic Gustavo Dudamel. "The music and arts have lost one of its brightest figures. Maestro José Antonio Abreu taught us that art is a universal right and that inspiration and beauty irreversibly transform the soul of a child…. I am who I am today [because of him] and I owe it to Maestro Abreu's generosity, humanity and vision. I feel an immense privilege to have shared a life next to someone of his dimension."

Source: Los Angeles Times March 25, 2018 19:30 UTC