Gustavo Dudamel, the youthful, conducting wunderkind of the Simon Bolivar Youth Orchestra of Venezuela, will become the music director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic in 2009. His meteoric rise in the classical music world began in 1981 in Barquisimeto, Venezuela, where his father played trombone with salsa bands. Dudamel studied violin with José Luis Jiménez at the Jacinto Lara Conservatory and later, with José Francisco del Castillo, at the Latin American Academy of Violin. His precocious gifts were recognized and nourished by the National System of Youth and Children's Orchestras of Venezuela, also known as El Sistema. This highly successful music education system which provides musical experiences for all children throughout the country, has fluorished for over 30 years under the leadership of its founder Jose Antonio Abreu.
Dudamel's conducting studies began in 1996; he quickly became the Music Director of the Simón Bolívar Youth Orchestra and furthered his studies with Abreu. He gained world-wide recognition by winning the inaugural Bamberger Symphoniker Gustav Mahler International Conducting Competition for conductors under the age of 35. His opportunities increased with appearances with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, La Scala Orchestra, Gothenberg Symphony, the Lucerne Festival etc. His awards include the 2006 Pegasus Prize, the 2007 the Premio de la Latinidad by the Union Latina, the 2007 ECHO Award by the German recording industry, and the second annual WQXR Gramophone Special Recognition Award.
This exciting, electrifying, enthusiastic composer and his youthful musicians may be viewed and enjoyed in a performance of the "Mambo" from Leonard Bernstein's Symphonic Dances from West Side Story.