Venezuelan Gustavo Dudamel, classical music superstar, signs for the New York Philharmonic

There is no more galactic signing in the world of orchestras than the one just announced by the New York Philharmonic: it takes Gustavo Dudamel, the Venezuelan conductor who until now was in charge of the Los Angeles Philharmonic. It will land in New York in the 2026 season. These cities, the largest in the US, have competed for decades – East Coast vs. West rap, Yankees vs. Dodgers, is New York pizza better or is tacos angelinos?-, also in the classical music scene. In recent years, the Los Angeles Philharmonic has lived its golden age under the baton of Dudamel, a prodigy who has seduced neophytes of music and convinced the guardians of essences. The Venezuelan was appointed to the position in 2007, at just 26 years of age. He was a longshot for the Californian orchestra, which had recently opened its new concert hall, the spectacular Frank Gehry-designed Walt Disney Concert Hall. And it worked out for him: Dudamel has not stopped growing and, with it, the Philharmonic, which has become a cultural engine of the city. Related News standard No Dudamel, under construction Pep Gorgori The Venezuelan maestro conducts Mahler’s Ninth at the Lyceum, as part of an exchange with the Paris Opera At 42, Dudamel is possibly the most famous figure in classical music to world level. With his distinctive curls and vivacity with the baton, he has a recognizable image on and off the stage. His fame and his restlessness have led him to step on various terrains: the Super Bowl of American football, cameos in series and movies, collaborations with pop stars like Billie Eilish, the direction of a film in the ‘Star Wars’ saga. ‘ or the recording of albums of the highest demand with the Berlin and Vienna Philharmonics. Dudamel now takes his fame, his virtuosity and pushes him to New York. It is the dream incorporation for his Philharmonic, which has just gone through years of crises that threatened his future, with financial difficulties and with an aging concert hall. Now, he has reopened the David Geffen Hall after a $550 million investment, taking with him the world’s most coveted piece of music. The key to the signing has been Deborah Borda, executive director of the New York Philharmonic. She has courted Dudamel for months to change coasts and has prevailed over other more powerful orchestras in the world. Borda had a trump card: She was also the one who brought in a 20-something Dudamel when she was executive director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic. “I contemplate with joy and emotion the world that I have before me in the city of New York,” Dudamel said in a statement, in which he also quoted a phrase attributed to Federico García Lorca: “Every step we take on earth leads us to a new world.” Dudamel trained as a musician in Venezuela, within the public classical music program known as El Sistema. He has combined his work in Los Angeles with that of musical director of the Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra since 2009 and the Paris Opera since 2021. During his time in California he promoted a young orchestra based on El Sistema and does not rule out doing something similar in New York. The management of the New York Philharmonic gathered the musicians on the stage of Lincoln Center on Tuesday to communicate the news. “Our next music director will be…” Borda said with a deliberate pause. “Gustavo Dudamel”, finished off the announcement, received by the orchestra with a standing ovation.