Gustavo Adolfo Dudamel Ramírez was born on January 26, 1981. He is a conductor from Venezuela. He currently serves as the music director for the Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra and the Los Angeles Philharmonic. In 2026, he will become the Music and Artistic Director of the New York Philharmonic.

Early life

Gustavo Dudamel was born in Barquisimeto, Venezuela, to a father who played the trombone and a mother who taught voice. He began studying music at a young age. In 1986, he joined El Sistema, a well-known Venezuelan music program that helps people through music. He first learned to play the violin and later studied how to write music. He attended the Jacinto Lara Conservatory, where a teacher named José Luis Jiménez taught him violin. After that, he worked with José Francisco del Castillo at the Latin-American Violin Academy.

In 1995, Dudamel started learning how to conduct an orchestra. His first teacher was Rodolfo Saglimbeni, and later he studied with José Antonio Abreu. In 1999, he was chosen as the music director of the Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra, which is Venezuela’s national youth orchestra. He traveled to many countries with the orchestra. In 2002, he attended a master class led by Charles Dutoit in Buenos Aires, Argentina. In 2003, he worked as an assistant conductor to Simon Rattle in Berlin, Germany, and Salzburg, Austria.

Career

Dudamel won several competitions, including the Gustav Mahler Conducting Competition in Germany in 2004. His fame grew, drawing the attention of famous conductors like Simon Rattle and Claudio Abbado, who invited him to conduct the Simón Bolívar Orchestra in Venezuela. In April 2006, Dudamel was chosen as principal conductor of the Gothenburg Symphony for the 2007/2008 season.

In November 2006, Dudamel made his debut at La Scala in Milan with the opera Don Giovanni. On September 10, 2007, he conducted the Vienna Philharmonic for the first time at the Lucerne Festival. On April 16, 2007, he led the Stuttgart Radio Symphony Orchestra in a concert at the Vatican’s Paul VI Audience Hall to celebrate Pope Benedict XVI’s 80th birthday. Hilary Hahn played the solo violin, and the Pope and other church leaders attended.

In 2013, El Sistema arranged for Dudamel to conduct the Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra during the funeral of Hugo Chávez, which was attended by nearly 20 world leaders.

In 2015, Dudamel conducted the opening and closing music for the movie Star Wars: The Force Awakens, as requested by John Williams. At the 2016 Super Bowl, Dudamel and Youth Orchestra Los Angeles (YOLA) performed with Coldplay and sang with Chris Martin, Beyoncé, and Bruno Mars.

On January 1, 2017, Dudamel conducted the Vienna Philharmonic in the New Year’s Day Concert, becoming the youngest person to lead this event. In December 2018, he made his debut at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City, conducting Verdi’s Otello.

From 2018 to 2019, Dudamel was the artist-in-residence at Princeton University in New Jersey, celebrating the university’s 125th anniversary. His work included discussions with experts, chamber concerts with musicians from his orchestras, and a performance with the Princeton University Orchestra and Glee Club in April 2019.

Dudamel first guest-conducted at the Opéra national de Paris in 2017. In April 2021, the Opéra National de Paris announced Dudamel as its next music director, starting August 2021, with a contract for six seasons. In May 2023, Dudamel announced his resignation as music director, effective August 2023.

Dudamel conducted the Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra during its appearance at the 2023 Edinburgh International Festival, the first time he led the orchestra since 2017.

Dudamel made his U.S. conducting debut with the Los Angeles Philharmonic (LAP) at the Hollywood Bowl on September 13, 2005, performing La Noche de los Mayas by Silvestre Revueltas and Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 5. He later returned to conduct the orchestra in January 2007, performing Dances of Galánta by Zoltán Kodály, Rachmaninoff’s Third Piano Concerto with Yefim Bronfman, and Bartók’s Concerto for Orchestra. This performance was recorded and released by Deutsche Grammophon.

In April 2007, the LAP announced Dudamel as its next music director, starting the 2009–2010 season. His initial contract was for five years, beginning in September 2009. In 2011, the orchestra extended his contract through the 2018–2019 season. In 2015, the contract was extended through the 2021–2022 season. In 2020, the contract was extended through the 2025–2026 season. In 2023, the LAP announced Dudamel would end his music directorship at the close of the 2025–2026 season.

Dudamel first guest-conducted the New York Philharmonic in 2007. After 26 additional guest appearances, the New York Philharmonic named Dudamel its next

Awards and media

Gustavo Dudamel is featured in the documentary film Tocar y Luchar, which highlights El Sistema. In November 2007, Dudamel and the Orquesta Sinfónica Simón Bolívar received the WQXR Gramophone Special Recognition Award in New York City. A US television news feature on Dudamel was shown on 60 Minutes in February 2008, titled "Gustavo the Great."

On July 23, 2009, Dudamel was chosen by José Antonio Abreu, the Eighth Glenn Gould Prize laureate, as the winner of the prestigious The City of Toronto Glenn Gould Protégé Prize.

In 2010, Dudamel was named one of Time magazine’s most influential 100 people. He is featured in the 2011 documentary Let the Children Play, which focuses on his work promoting music to help children.

Gramophone named Dudamel its 2011 Gramophone Artist of the Year. In 2011, he was inducted into the Royal Swedish Academy of Music. In February 2012, Dudamel won a Grammy Award for Best Orchestral Performance for his recording of Brahms Symphony No. 4 for Deutsche Grammophon. In 2013, Dudamel was named Musical America’s Musician of the Year and inducted into the Gramophone Hall of Fame. In 2014, he received the Leonard Bernstein Lifetime Achievement Award for the Elevation of Music in Society from the Longy School. In 2016, he was awarded the Americas Society Cultural Achievement Award.

The character of Rodrigo in Amazon’s Mozart in the Jungle was partly based on Dudamel. In the first episode of the show’s second season, Dudamel appeared as a guest actor, playing the role of a stage manager.

In June 2018, Dudamel received Chile’s Pablo Neruda Order of Artistic and Cultural Merit. In the same month, the Venezuelan American Endowment for the Arts (VAEA) awarded him the Paez Medal of Art 2018.

On October 18, 2018, Dudamel was announced as the 25th recipient of the Dorothy and Lillian Gish Prize.

Dudamel received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on January 22, 2019.

At the 64th Annual Grammy Awards, the Grammy Award for Best Choral Performance was given to Dudamel’s 2019 recording of Mahler’s Symphony No. 8.

Dudamel made guest appearances in Sesame Street and The Simpsons.

In the summer of 2019, Dudamel conducted the orchestra during the recording sessions for Steven Spielberg’s 2021 film adaptation of West Side Story.

In 2020, Dudamel made a cameo appearance as Trollzart in DreamWorks’ Trolls World Tour.

In April 2023, Dudamel was elected into the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. On May 23, 2024, he was awarded the honorary degree of Doctor of Music from Harvard University. In 2024, Dudamel received the Golden Plate Award of the American Academy of Achievement, presented by Awards Council member Andrew Lloyd Webber at David Geffen Hall at Lincoln Center in New York City.

He is a foreign member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Music.

In 2025, at the 67th Annual Grammy Awards, Gustavo Dudamel won a Grammy Award for his track "Ortiz: Revolución Diamantina" in the category Best Classical Compendium. In 2026, at the 68th Annual Grammy Awards, Dudamel won again in the same category for his track "Ortiz: Yanga."

Political views

In 2015, he wrote an opinion article for the Los Angeles Times, explaining that taking sides in Venezuela’s conflict might make El Sistema political, which could harm the organization. He said, "For those who think I’ve been silent too long, I say, don’t mistake my lack of a political stance for a lack of compassion or ideals." In 2017, after a violist named Armando Cañizales was killed during protests in Venezuela, Dudamel criticized the government of Nicolás Maduro for the first time. He wrote on social media, "I raise my voice against violence and repression. Nothing can justify bloodshed. Enough of ignoring the just demands of a people suffering from a severe crisis."

In 2019, during a speech when he accepted a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, he said the honor should belong to Venezuela. He mentioned that January 23, 2019, was an important day because it was planned as a national protest related to the Venezuelan presidential crisis. He added that the voices of the people must be heard and respected. In 2022, Dudamel returned to Venezuela and reunited with family, friends, and people connected to El Sistema. He stated, "I have made it my personal mission not to rest until music is truly a fundamental human right for everyone. El Sistema has survived through seven different governments in Venezuela. It is not about politics. It is about the shared belief that art must be part of everyday life." He noted that the political situation had improved but that challenges remained. He said, "People want to end this unrest and move forward. There has been a change, but we need to keep working to improve things because they are still very difficult."

Personal life

Dudamel has been married two times. His first marriage took place in 2006 to Eloísa Maturén in Caracas. Maturén, who is also from Venezuela, is a ballet dancer who was classically trained and a journalist. The couple had a son named Martín Dudamel Maturén, who was born on April 1, 2011. Dudamel and Maturén divorced in March 2015. In February 2017, Dudamel married Spanish actress María Valverde in Las Vegas, Nevada. They had first met in 2016, and the marriage was kept private. Dudamel became a citizen of Spain in 2018.

Discography

• Beethoven: Symphonies Number 5 and 7 [with the Simón Bolívar Youth Orchestra of Venezuela] CD
• Birthday Concert for Pope Benedict XVI [with Hilary Hahn and the Radio-Sinfonieorchester Stuttgart] DVD
• Mahler: Symphony Number 5 [with the Simón Bolívar Youth Orchestra of Venezuela] CD
• Bartók: Concerto for Orchestra [with the Los Angeles Philharmonic] Digital Download only
• The Promise of Music [with the Simón Bolívar Youth Orchestra of Venezuela] DVD
• Fiesta [with the Simón Bolívar Youth Orchestra of Venezuela] CD
• Berlioz: Symphonie Fantastique [with the Los Angeles Philharmonic] Digital Download only
• Gustavo Dudamel and the Los Angeles Philharmonic: The Inaugural Concert [with the Los Angeles Philharmonic] DVD; e-Video
• Mahler: Symphony Number 1 (From the Inaugural Concert) [with the Los Angeles Philharmonic] Digital Download only
• Discoveries [with the Simón Bolívar Youth Orchestra of Venezuela] CD
• Live from Salzburg [with the Simón Bolívar Youth Orchestra of Venezuela] DVD
• Tchaikovsky: Symphony Number 5; Francesca da Rimini [with the Simón Bolívar Youth Orchestra of Venezuela] CD
• Piotr Anderszewski: Voyageur intranquille; a film by Bruno Monsaingeon. Credited: with the artistic participation of Philharmonia Orchestra London – conducted by Gustavo Dudamel] Blu-ray
• Celebración – Opening Night Concert & Gala [with Juan Diego Flórez and the Los Angeles Philharmonic] DVD; Digital Download
• John Adams: City Noir (From the Inaugural Concert) [with the Los Angeles Philharmonic] Digital Download only
• Rite [with the Simón Bolívar Youth Orchestra of Venezuela] CD
• Sibelius: Symphony Number 2 – Nielsen: Symphonies Number 4 and 5 – Bruckner: Symphony Number 9 [with the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra] CD
• Tchaikovsky & Shakespeare [with the Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra of Venezuela] CD
• New Year's Eve Concert 2010 [with Elīna Garanča and the Berliner Philharmoniker] DVD
• John Adams: Slonimsky's Earbox – Bernstein: Symphony Number 1 "Jeremiah" [with the Los Angeles Philharmonic] Digital Download only
• Brahms: Symphony Number 4 [with the Los Angeles Philharmonic] Digital Download only
• An American in Paris [with the Los Angeles Philharmonic] e-Video only
• Dances and Waves [with the Vienna Philharmonic] CD; DVD; Digital Download
• Mendelssohn: Symphony Number 3 [with the Vienna Philharmonic] Vinyl only (LP)
• Beethoven: Symphony Number 3, "Eroica" [with the Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra of Venezuela] CD
• Discoveries [with Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra of Venezuela, Berliner Philharmoniker, Wiener Philharmoniker, Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra] CD+DVD; Digital Download
• Mahler: Symphony Number 8 [with Los Angeles Philharmonic and the Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra of Venezuela] DVD; Blu-ray; e-Video
• Summer Night Concert (Sommernachtskonzert) 2012: Dances and Waves; Wiener Philharmoniker; DVD; Deutsche Grammophon
• Mahler: Symphony Number 9 [with Los Angeles Philharmonic] CD
• Verdi: Messa da Requiem [with Los Angeles Philharmonic and Los Angeles Master Chorale] Blu-ray
• Rachmaninov: Piano Concerto Number 3; Prokofiev: Piano Concerto Number 2 [with Yuja Wang, piano and Simon Bolivar Symphony Orchestra of Venezuela] CD
• Richard Strauss: Also Sprach Zarathustra; Till Eulenspiegels lustige Streiche; Don Juan [with Berliner Philarmoniker]
• Mahler: Symphony Number 7 [with Símon Bolívar Symphony Orchestra of Venezuela] CD
• Gustavo Dudamel: The Liberator (Libertador); Original Soundtrack [with Orquesta Sinfónica Simón Bolívar de Venezuela] CD
• John Adams: The Gospel According to the Other Mary, a passion oratorio in two acts [with Los Angeles Philharmonic and Los Angeles Master Chorale] CD
• Wagner [with Símon Bolívar Symphony Orchestra of Venezuela] Digital Download
• Philip Glass: Double Piano Concerto [with Katia and Marielle Labeque (Piano), Los Angeles Philharmonic] Only at iTunes
• John Williams: Star Wars: The Force Awakens. [Special guest conductor for four tracks] CD, DVD, Blu-ray, Digital Download
• New Year Concert [with Vienna Philharmonic] CDs and Digital download
• The Nutcracker and the Four Realms original soundtrack CD and Digital Download
• Dvořák: Symphonies Numbers 7–9 [with Los Angeles Philharmonic] Digital Download