Gustavo Dudamel is an internationally violinist and operator conductor. He is currently a music director with “Orquesta Sinfónica Simón Bolívar, a Venezuelan orchestra named after Simon Bolivar, a national hero. He is also working with “Los Angeles Philharmonic” an American orchestra that is headquartered in California. He was born on January 26, 1981, in the country of Venezuela. He is married to actress María Valverde and with one child from his previous marriage.
He hails from a musical family. His father was a voice teacher and trombonist. This might have played a significant role in shaping his career interest. He started the music career early in his life where he enrolled in El Sistema (one of the leading Venezuelan music school). At the age of 10, he took interest in violin and majored in it. Similarly, he also studied composition. Other schools that he attended are ‘Jacinto Lara Conservatory’ and ‘Latin-American Violin Academy’.
In addition, in the year 1995, he studied conducting with Rodolfo Saglimbeni and José Antonio Abreu who are prominent figures in the specialization and he was able to learn a lot about conducting and gained various experiences by the opportunity given to him to appear in different shows as a guest. Later, he was appointed a director with national youth orchestra of Venezuela “Orquesta Sinfónica ‘where he was also able to gain a lot of experience and develop his skills. He, later on, attended Charles Dutoit’s and has worked in different places such as Berlin and Salzburg.
Gustavo Dudamel has had a prosperous career in conducting as a result of which he won several major awards e.g. “Gustav Mahler Conducting Prize,” held in Germany in the year 2004. This gave him the platform and his reputation rose and attracted the attention of prominent conductors like Simon Rattle and Claudio Abbado who were able to work with him. He was hired as principal conductor with Gothenburg Symphony between 2007 and 2008. He has performed in these concerts La Scala and Don Giovanni, 2006. Vienna Philharmonic in 2007 and performed at the Vatican in a concert held in memory of Pope Benedict XVI.
He has been able to work on different assignments e.g. he conducted Simon Bolivar Symphony Orchestra in 2013, Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra in the year 2014 and also in the year 2015 also conducted in the opening scenes and closing scenes of the Star ways and finally in 2016 performed in the super bowl.
Currently, he is working with (LAP) Los Angeles Philharmonic where he was named a director. He has made an appearance in various television shows and documentaries, for example, he featured in Oscar Y Luchar, featured on the 60 minutes show “Gustavo the great”. Dudamel is featured in the 2011 documentary “Let the Children Play,” a movie which seeks to promote music among the young children.
We can do it today.
The other awards are, Gramophone Artist of the Year by the British classical music magazine in the year 2011, in the year 2012 won the Grammy award for the exemplary orchestra performance, the lifetime achievement award by Leonard Bernstein, he was also inducted into the gramophone hall of fame.
- Gustavo Dudamel.” Gustavo Dudamel, 30 Nov. 2017.
- Márquez:, Arturo, director. Gustavo Dudamel. Gustavo Dudamel, 10 Oct. 2014.