Conductor Gustavo Dudamel, who became a global star as the music director for the Los Angeles Philharmonic, will leave the LA Phil to take over as musical and artistic director of the New York Philharmonic. Though, you should note, this is set to happen in three years.
Dudamel, 42, joined the Los Angeles Philharmonic in 2009, and he won’t be leaving quickly. The five-year contract he signed with the New York City orchestra does not start until the 2026-27 season.
The charismatic conductor, known for his broad smile and floppy curls, announced the move on social media with words from the Spanish poet, Federico Garcia Lorca, “Every step we take on earth leads us to a better world.”
“Today I am honored to be named the next musical and artistic director of the New York Philharmonic, adding to a legacy that includes great masters Gustav Mahler, Arturo Toscanini and Leonard Bernstein,” Dudamel wrote before thanking those with whom he has worked including the Youth Orchestra of Los Angeles, one of his most beloved accomplishments in Los Angeles.
“Most of all I’m thankful,” he continued. “I am grateful to my beloved family of the Los Angeles Philharmonic and YOLA for helping me learn and grow through countless challenges and triumphs; to my Maestro Abreu and the children, youth and teachers of Venezuela who have been with me since the beginning; and to the musicians and the leadership of the New York Philharmonic as we embark on this beautiful new path together.”
Chad Smith, the LA Phil’s chief executive officer, thanked Dudamel for his work in Los Angeles and wished him the best in his new role.
“Since he first took the stage at the Hollywood Bowl as the music and artistic director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic in 2009, Gustavo’s passion and musicianship have thrilled millions of people around the world,” Smith said in a written statement.
“From programming some of the most ambitious works ever staged, inspiring the orchestra to reach new levels of artistry, expanding the limits of Walt Disney Concert Hall, and demonstrating the power of music to change people’s lives through YOLA, Gustavo has left indelible marks on classical music, the LA Phil and Los Angeles,” he continued. “We are deeply proud of what we have achieved, and will continue to, under his guidance.”
A native of Venezuela, where he began his career as a violinist before taking up the conductor’s baton, Dudamel will be the first Latino artist to lead the New York Philharmonic. New York Philharmonic CEO Deborah Borda, who as an LA Phil official helped bring Dudamel to the West Coast, was instrumental in recruiting him to New York City.
“What the orchestra told us very, very clearly was that the person that they wanted, their dream candidate, was Gustavo,” Borda told the Associated Press. “When you’re trying to recruit the most sought-after conductor in the world, you don’t run a sort of classic search.”
Dudamel will succeed conductor Jaap van Zweden, who plans to leave the New York Philharmonic after the 2023-24 season. He will continue the roles he held while with the LA Phil as music director of the Paris Opera and also the Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra in Venezuela where he has held that position since 1999.
Members of both orchestras were told of Dudamel’s move during rehearsals on Tuesday at Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles and Lincoln Center’s David Geffen Hall in New York City.
“(His) infectious joy and deep musicality and humanism connects with audiences,” Borda said of Dudamel, then noting how far he’s come in the years she’s known him.
“I remember the first day we tried to book him — he didn’t even have a manager,” she said of the LA Phil’s initial approaches to Dudamel. “And look at how he’s progressed since then. I hadn’t seen a conductor like this since Bernstein.”
Dudamel promised in his statement to continue to bring the music he loves to audiences in New York City, Los Angeles, and the world.
“I behold with joy and excitement the world that lies before me in New York City, and with pride and love the world that I have shared – and will continue to share – with my beloved angels over the next three seasons and beyond,” he wrote in his statement. “We are all united by the belief that culture creates a better world and the dream that music is a fundamental right. Looking forward to pouring into the work ahead.”
But first, a few more years in Los Angeles, as Smith of the LA Phil noted, and almost certainly guest-conducting appearances thereafter.
We are excited to continue working with Gustavo through our 2025-26 season, which will mark his 17th year with the LA Phil,” Smith said. “And we will look forward to welcoming him back as a guest conductor for years to come.
“From our earliest days, the LA Phil has been a trailblazer, boldly embracing the new, welcoming the world’s greatest artists to our stages and redefining the role of an orchestra in our community,” he added. “The search for our next music director will be conducted with this same spirit as we define the future of our organization.”
The Associated Press also contributed to this story.