Abner Padrino Reyes

The Venezuelan cellist and orchestra conductor Abner Padrino Reyes began his musical studies in El Sistema and graduated from the Simón Bolívar Conservatory of Music. In 2009, he joined the Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra.

He has received cello masterclasses with Arto Noras, Alisa Weilerstein, Yo-Yo Ma, Natalia Gutman, Matt Haimovitz, and Mario Brunello. At seventeen, he began his studies in orchestral conducting with José Antonio Abreu, leading rehearsals and concerts with children's and youth orchestras from El Sistema.

In 2018, he made his debut conducting the Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra. Since then, he has become a frequent guest conductor on the orchestra's regular programming.

In May 2022, he participated in a competitive masterclass led by Cristian Măcelaru, conducting the Romanian Chamber Orchestra in Timișoara. In 2023 he won the Audience Award at the 2nd Hong Kong International Conducting Competition.