José Antonio Abreu

José Antonio Abreu founded El Sistema ("the system") in 1975, a music education program that gave Venezuelan children from impoverished backgrounds the chance to take part in classical music. His idea seeded hundreds of youth orchestras and spread to 55 countries, from Afghanistan to Wales. Its students went on to major careers, including Gustavo Dudamel, who became music director of the New York Philharmonic, and bassist Edicson Ruiz, who at 17 became the youngest musician ever to join the Berlin Philharmonic. With the 2009 TED Prize, Abreu created the Sistema Fellows Program, which trained American music educators committed to social justice.