I have just returned from one of the most amazing musical experiences of my life. Whatever the superlatives are that you have heard about Gustavo Dudamel and his Simón Bolívar Youth Orchestra of Venezuela: they are true. These unbelievable young people with their inspiring conductor do deliver the joy of making music like I have never seen it before, and they can pull off a difficult piece like Tchaikovsky's Fourth Symphony like I thought only a Russian orchestra under, let's say Svetlanov or Mravinsky (both long gone) could. They are all products of El Sistema, the most amazing network of state-run music schools in Venezuela, a project designed to bring culture and music education to even the poorest children. What an amazing idea and how much sense it does make if you see the total commitment and hear the world-class results they can achieve.

The reason for their being in Toronto was the Glenn Gould Foundation's Eighth Glenn Gould Prize Gala with the prize being awarded to El Sistema founder Dr. Jose Antonio Abreu. We have to be grateful to the Glenn Gould Foundation for bringing these extraordinary musicians to our city and we were honoured to host them at our Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts, which sounded absolutely terrific in our new concert setting.

The Simón Bolívar Youth Orchestra will be all over Toronto until Thursday and if you weren't there tonight, do try to catch them somewhere else.