Dr. José Antonio Abreu has pursued a dual career in music and economics. In 1961, he received a Ph.D. in petroleum economics. He later became an economics professor and a deputy in the Venezuelan Congress. In 1964, he graduated as a composer and organist from Venezuela's National Conservatory. In 1975, Dr. Abreu founded the Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra and the National Symphony Youth Orchestra (NSYO), which led to youth orchestras in other Venezuelan states, and eventually to the development of the National System of Youth and Child Orchestras of Venezuela, under the auspices of a state foundation, popularly known as El Sistema. This system now involves 110,000 Venezuelans in 120 youth orchestras, 60 children's orchestras, and a network of choirs, with musical training starting from age 2. El Sistema has been credited with improving the lives of countless young people who might otherwise have been drawn into lives of crime and drug abuse. The orchestras have had a substantial social impact in the communities in which they are active, and have led to something of a musical and cultural renaissance in Venezuela. Dr. Abreu and El Sistema have received many awards.