The 42-year-old Venezuelan conductor agreed to a five-year contract as artistic and musical director; he will be the first Latino to lead the orchestra since its founding in 1842
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“What the orchestra told us very, very clearly is that the person they wanted, their dream candidate, was Gustavo,” New York Philharmonic director general Deborah Borda said. “When you’re trying to recruit the most sought-after director in the world, you don’t do a conventional search.”
Dudamel, who will hold the title of Music Director Designate in 2025-26, will also remain Music Director of the Paris Opera, a role he has held since 2021, and Music Director of the Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra of Venezuela, a position he assumed. in 1999 and for which he began to gain international recognition.
In a statement, Dudamel quoted the Spanish poet Federico García Lorca: “Every step we take on earth leads us to a new world.”
“I look forward to the world in front of me in New York with happiness and excitement, and with pride and love the world I have shared, and will continue to share, with my beloved Angelenos for the next three seasons and more,” said Dudamel. “All of us share the belief that culture creates a better world and our dream that music is a fundamental right.”
Dutch conductor Jaap van Zweden said in September 2021 that he would leave the New York Philharmonic after the 2023-24 season, after a six-season stint as music director that would be the shortest since Pierre Boulez succeeded Leonard Bernstein. and led the orchestra from 1971-77.
Borda informed the New York Orchestra and Dudamel the Los Angeles musicians of their decision in simultaneous announcements during their respective rehearsals at Lincoln Center’s David Geffen Room and the Walt Disney Room. The New York Philharmonic returned to the Geffen Hall in October after a $550 million renovation that improved its acoustics, views and amenities.
Dudamel is one of the few directors who in recent years have gained greater notoriety worldwide. A character in Amazon’s “Mozart in the Jungle” series was loosely inspired by Dudamel, who was also director of the soundtrack for Steven Spielberg’s version of Bernstein’s “West Side Story.”
Dudamel made his New York Philharmonic debut in November 2007. He has conducted the orchestra 26 times and is scheduled to conduct three performances of Mahler’s Ninth Symphony May 19-21.
“I remember the first day when we tried to sign him, he didn’t even have a manager. And look at how he has progressed since then,” Borda said. “I haven’t seen a director like that since Bernstein.” “He really is the principal that could be transformative for the future of this institution,” Ginstling said of Dudamel. “He may be able to appeal to new audiences and young audiences, as well as a broader audience.” Dudamel is a graduate of the Venezuelan music education program known as “El Sistema” and has earned recognition for his work with young musicians. He won the Gustav Mahler Conducting Competition in 2004. Although he initially refused to speak about Venezuela’s economic and political turbulence, he criticized the Venezuelan government for cracking down on protests in 2017. President Nicolás Maduro then canceled tours by the Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra in USA.
