Video: 2016 Americas Society Cultural Achievement Award - Gustavo Dudamel

"They are me," said Venezuelan conductor Gustavo Dudamel, when receiving Americas Society's Cultural Achievement Award, about the more than 700,000 youth playing in El Sistema orchestras in his country. Dudamel is one of the most decorated conductors of his generation, but his life story told during an interview with CBS News' 60 Minutes Magalie Laguerre-Wilkinson showed his passion for education.

When commenting about the political crisis happening in Venezuela today, Dudamel said only conciliation and dialogue could move the country forward. "It is then, and only then, that we will be able to work together for the common good and create a better future for all," he said when accepting the award.

Proceeds from the Americas Society Cultural Achievement Award dinner and ceremony will go toward fulfilling the organization’s mission to promote the visual arts and music of the Americas to a diverse audience in the United States.