Biography

Gustavo Dudamel is driven by the belief that music has the power to transform lives, to inspire, and to change the world. Currently serving as music and artistic director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic and music director of the Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra, his dynamic presence on the podium and his tireless advocacy for arts education has introduced classical music to new audiences around the globe and has helped to provide access to the arts for countless people in underserved communities. In 2026 Mr. Dudamel will become the music and artistic director of the New York Philharmonic, continuing a legacy that includes Gustav Mahler, Arturo Toscanini, and Leonard Bernstein.

One of the few classical musicians to become a pop culture phenomenon, Mr. Dudamel’s film credits include Steven Spielberg’s recent adaptation of Bernstein’s West Side Story, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, The Simpsons, and he led the LA Phil with Billie Eilish in the concert film Happier Than Ever: A Love Letter to Los Angeles. He has performed at the Super Bowl half- time show, the Academy Awards, the Nobel Prize Concert, and has worked with international superstars Christina Aguilera, Ricky Martin, Coldplay, and others. His extensive discography includes 67 releases and four Grammy Awards.

Inspired by his transformative experience as a youth in Venezuela’s immersive musical training program El Sistema, he created the Dudamel Foundation in 2012, which he co-chairs with his wife, actress and director María Valverde, with the goal to expand access to music and the arts for young people by providing tools and opportunities to shape their creative futures. In July and August 2022, the Dudamel Foundation brought its “Encuentros” initiative to the Hollywood Bowl as part of the 100th anniversary season, in a two-week intensive global leadership and orchestral training program for young musicians from around the world, culminating in a concert at the Hollywood Bowl and a tour with the “Orquesta del Encuentro” to the legendary Greek Theatre in Berkeley.