Venezuelan president blasts maestro Dudamel for speaking out

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro is blasting his one-time supporter and classical music maestro Gustavo Dudamel.

Maduro in a televised appearance Friday said the Los Angeles Philharmonic’s musical director had been deceived by Venezuela’s enemies into betraying the socialist government that had for years supported the world-famous El Sistema musical education program.

Dudamel for years toured with El Sistema ensembles and even appeared alongside Maduro in 2014 amid a wave of anti-government unrest to survey plans for a concert hall to be built in his name.

But he publicly broke with the government in May after a member of El Sistema was killed in another wave of protests.

Maduro’s rebuke comes as Dudamel is scheduled next month to lead the National Youth Orchestra of Venezuela in a four-city U.S. tour.