Many people in the field of educating young people in music were thrilled by the news. That Venezuelan-born Gustavo Dudamel had been chosen to lead the New York Philharmonic.
A bartender at the Venezuelan restaurant Casa Ora in Brooklyn, Eduardo Cordova. Reacted positively to the news that Gustavo Dudamel would be the first Hispanic to lead the New York Philharmonic.
Mr. Cordova said in Spanish, using a slang term that literally translates to “monster” in English. But has a different meaning when applied to this situation: “He’s a’monstruo.'”
Mr. Cordova, who has been a resident of New York for six years and, like Mr. Dudamel, was born in Venezuela. Described Mr. Dudamel as “someone who has achieved a lot, a guy who is talented.”
Author and CEO of youth-focused entertainment business Encantos Susie Jaramillo used the Spanish term “orgullo patrimonial”. Which means “national pride,” to describe her feelings over Mr. Dudamel’s appointment.
President and CEO Deborah Borda had only one choice when music director Jaap van Zweden announced. He would be leaving the New York Philharmonic the next year: Gustavo Dudamel.
For Borda, “Gustavo Dudamel is extraordinary in so many ways,” as she explains to NPR’s Leila Fadel. “For me, nevertheless, his ability to convey both musical and emotional joy to his audience and other artists stands out most. Moreover, we have trouble describing this in words. Just put it down to a case of spontaneous combustion.”
A charming performer, the 42-year-old Venezuelan is now in high demand as a conductor. Commencing in the 2025-26 season as music director designate. In this way, Dudamel continues the legacy of his famous father.
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About Gustavo Dudamel.
Originally from Venezuela, conductor and violinist Gustavo Adolfo Dudamel Ramirez was born on January 26, 1981. He presently serves as music director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Paris Opera, and the Simón Bolvar Symphony Orchestra. Dudamel revealed in February 2023 that he would be departing Los Angeles, California. During the 2025-2026 symphonic season to take over as conductor of the New York Philharmonic.
While his father was a trombonist and his mother a voice instructor. Dudamel was born in Barquisimeto, Venezuela.
At the age of ten, he began studying the violin and became involved with El Sistema. The renowned Venezuelan musical education programme. In short order, he was enrolled in a composition class. His violin professor at the Jacinto Lara Conservatory was none other than José Luis Jiménez. Later, he joined the Latin American Violin Academy, where he studied under José Francisco del Castillo.
In 1995, Dudamel began studying conducting, first with Rodolfo Saglimbeni and later with José Antonio Abreu. In 1999, he was named the new music director of the Orquesta Sinfónica Simón Bolvar, Venezuela’s national youth orchestra. 2002, he studied conducting with Charles Dutoit in Buenos Aires, Argentina. And in 2003, he assisted Simon Rattle in Berlin, Germany, and Salzburg, Austria.
What Debora Borda Said About Dudamel
Past music directors of the New York Philharmonic include Gustav Mahler, Arturo Toscanini, and Leonard Bernstein.
“On our list, he was the only person. Time of Dudamel has come, “According to Borda, he was welcomed into his current position as music director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic in 2009. Dudamel, then only 28, received his first major award and used it to further develop his skills on and off the stage.
He is one of the few classical musicians to also enjoy widespread fame in the popular culture sphere. Borda describes him as “a person who crosses all lines.” He was instantly able to fit in with L.A. culture, and this was one of the things we noticed about him right away. The conductor has made cameos in a number of media, including a Super Bowl halftime concert and the Sesame Street and Amazon original series Mozart in the Jungle.
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Gustavo Dudamel Leaving For New York
On Tuesday, Gustavo Dudamel stated that, when his contract with the Los Angeles Philharmonic expires in 2026, he will be moving to the New York Philharmonic. This news was met with widespread celebration in the classical music community.
Classical music’s A-listers including Paolo Bortolameolli, Renaud Capucon, Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Yuja Wang, Pacho Flores, Ellen Reid, and others have taken to Instagram to wish Dudamel well in his new endeavour. There will be three more seasons with the legendary conductor at the helm of the Los Angeles Philharmonic before he moves to the East Coast.
Wang, a pianist, took to Instagram to express his gratitude for the opportunity to work alongside Los Angeles Philharmonic Music Director Gustavo Dudamel and the rest of the orchestra’s stellar musicians. To the conductor of the New York Philharmonic, “Huge congrats to Gustavo on his appointment!”
Nonclassical performers, such as songwriter/guitarist Yordano and Venezuelan singer Nella Rojas who collaborated with Dudamel on the upcoming documentary “Free Color,” have also praised Dudamel’s selection to the New York Philharmonic.
Conclusion
Mr. Dudamel’s relocation from Los Angeles, according to Anne Fitzgibbon, founder and executive director of the Harmony Program, an organisation inspired by El Sistema that provides after-school music education in schools with limited access to it, will have a “seismic impact” on children like those her organisation serves.
Ms. Fitzgibbon praised him for his “true commitment to advancing excellence and access to music education.”
Also, former Harmony Program violin student and current NYU junior studying politics Luigi Auquilla exclaimed, “I couldn’t be more excited” about Mr. Dudamel’s appointment as Philharmonic music director.
The young musicians were handled “the same way he would treat any other orchestra performers”. According to Mr. Auquilla, who performed under Mr. Dudamel’s leadership at a festival in Mexico City in 2018.
Mr. Dudamel’s new role in New York’s music education system: how did he envision him using it?
“Spreading the love,” Mr. Auquilla remarked.
