Biography
Benito Jesús Liendo Garofalo
Is a Venezuelan cellist, educator, and orchestra conductor. He began his musical training in Venezuela’s National System of Youth and Children’s Orchestras and Choirs (El Sistema), joining the Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra (OSSBV) at an early age. He studied under renowned figures such as José Antonio Abreu, Gustavo Dudamel, and Yo-Yo Ma, and graduated from the Simón Bolívar Conservatory and the National Experimental University of the Arts (UNEARTE).
From 2002 to 2017, he was a member of the OSSBV, touring internationally and recording with Deutsche Grammophon. He performed at prestigious venues such as Carnegie Hall, Royal Albert Hall, and the Wiener Musikverein. Since 2019, he has served as principal cellist of the Guayaquil Symphony Orchestra and, since 2021, has led musical education programs for children through the SIMANOF Foundation in the United States.
In 2022, Benito Liendo founded The Nucleus Orchestral Program, a nonprofit initiative based in the United States focused on providing free orchestral training to children and youth from underserved communities.
Inspired by the philosophy of El Sistema, the program emphasizes musical excellence, social inclusion, and community transformation through classical music.
He has collaborated with acclaimed musicians including Plácido Domingo, Martha Argerich, and Itzhak Perlman, and with conductors such as Claudio Abbado and Simon Rattle. Liendo is also the creator of the «Belicello» cello teaching method and has taught in Venezuela, Ecuador, and the U.S.
