Free Republic

The Venezuelan poster-boy conductor is due to become artistic and music director of the New York Philharmonic in eight months’ time. The position has the highest profile of any US orchestral position. Dudamel, who turns 45 this month, has held close links with successive governments in Caracas. Today, United States forces swooped to capture the corrupt Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro, with whom Dudamel has had an on-off and latterly on again relationship. Dudamel led European tours of the regime’s showcase El Sistema orchestra in 2025. He has maintained that his loyalty is to the Sistema organisation and not to its...

Los Angeles Philharmonic Presents Celebración: Opening Night Concert and Gala Live on Classical KUSC Thursday, October 7th at 7 PM The Los Angeles Philharmonic and Music Director Gustavo Dudamel usher in the 2010/11 season with the Celebración: Opening Night Concert and Gala, Thursday, October 7th, at Walt Disney Concert Hall and broadcast live on Classical KUSC. The orchestra is joined by renowned Peruvian tenor Juan Diego Flórez, a close friend of Dudamel, in his Walt Disney Concert Hall debut...

Gustavo Dudamel is back in town, and Thursday night he conducted a magnificently theatrical performance of Verdi’s Requiem that felt like his first real concert as music director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic. All Los Angeles, of course, knows that last month Dudamel began his tenure with a free event at the Hollywood Bowl, and that was followed by nervous-making high-profile programs in Walt Disney Concert Hall the next week.