Venezuelan trumpeter and cultural manager Gaudy Sánchez, a native of Táchira state (1980), has made a name for himself in the United States after being appointed artistic director of the Youth Orchestra Los Angeles (YOLA) in 2024. Trained from the age of eight in El Sistema and furthered his studies with the Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra and the Simón Bolívar Trumpet Ensemble, Sánchez began in 2018 as an advisor to the initiative. He instilled in the Californian project the rigor and pedagogical approach he learned alongside maestro José Antonio Abreu, with whom he served on the academic council of the Venezuelan institution.
Under the auspices of the Los Angeles Philharmonic and the vision of Gustavo Dudamel, Sánchez's work leading YOLA currently benefits 1.800 children and young people from four historically disadvantaged communities. The free program serves as a space for inclusion and holistic development, where over 90% of participants graduate from high school and a significant number go on to higher education, while also preparing its members for admission to conservatories and top-tier music schools.
“When a child arrives at YOLA, we want them to feel that they have arrived at a safe place, where they can find belonging, where there is a community prepared to walk with them, challenge them, support them and help them discover their potential,” says the Venezuelan.
Beyond his leadership and social role at YOLA, the Los Angeles-based musician maintains an active international career that combines teaching with high-level performance. Exclusively signed to the Austrian firm Schagerl and co-founder of the Brass Connection Quintet, Sánchez regularly performs as a guest trumpeter with the Pacific Symphony and the Los Angeles Philharmonic, in addition to participating in world tours conducted by Dudamel and collaborating on the production of various musical projects.
