Stung by Mr. Dudamel\u2019s recent statements, the Venezuelan government called off his concerts next month with the National Youth Orchestra of Venezuela.<\/b>
\nAfter struggling to remain above the fray, the conductor Gustavo Dudamel has increasingly criticized the rulers of his native Venezuela this year as an escalating political crisis has roiled the nation. Now he is facing the consequences: The Venezuelan government has canceled Mr. Dudamel\u2019s upcoming tour of the United States with the National Youth Orchestra of Venezuela.
Mr. Dudamel, who is the music director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic and of the Sim\u00f3n Bol\u00edvar Symphony Orchestra of Venezuela, said on Twitter that the cancellation of the planned tour was \u201cheartbreaking, \u201d adding: \u201cWe will continue to play and to fight for a better Venezuela and a better world.\u201d
The cancellation was first reported by El Nacional, which reported that the decision came from the office of the country\u2019s president, Nicol\u00e1s Maduro. It came days after Mr. Maduro openly mocked Mr. Dudamel, who is arguably Venezuela\u2019s most important cultural export \u2014 and who, as the product of the El Sistema music program, has been an international symbol of the power of the nation\u2019s government-supported social programs.
\u201cWelcome to politics, Gustavo Dudamel, \u201d Mr. Maduro said in a televised appearance on Friday, according to The Associated Press. \u201cBut act with ethics, and don\u2019 t let yourself be deceived into attacking the architects of this beautiful movement of young boys and girls.\u201d
\u201cI hope God forgives you, \u201d Mr. Maduro added.
Mr. Dudamel apparently drew the president\u2019s ire with his increasingly forceful pronouncements about the crisis in Venezuela \u2014 pronouncements which came after he faced criticism in some quarters for trying to avoid being drawn into discussions of Venezuelan politics.
In May, after Armando Ca\u00f1izales, a young El Sistema-trained viola player, was killed during a street protest, Mr. Dudamel issued a statement telling the government \u201cenough is enough.\u201d Last month he wrote an opinion piece in The New York Times condemning the government\u2019s plans to hold a vote that would allow it to rewrite the country\u2019s constitution.
\u201cAll Venezuelan citizens have a duty to do what we can to reverse the current situation, to defend our fundamental democratic values and to prevent more bloodshed, \u201d he wrote.
The youth orchestra and Mr. Dudamel had been scheduled to play in September at Wolf Trap in Virginia, the Ravinia Festival in Illinois, the Hollywood Bowl, and the Greek Theater in Berkeley, Calif.
\u201cThe orchestra has an open invitation to Berkeley, \u201d Mat\u00edas Tarnopolsky, the executive and artistic director of Cal Performances, which was presenting the Greek Theater concert, said in an email. \u201cWe need now to engage the power of music to build bridges and create dialogue, and I look forward to welcoming these spirited, young musicians to share their artistry with us as soon as possible.\u201d<\/p>\n

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