Classical Music Is in Crisis. Gustavo Dudamel Is Here to Save It.

About This Episode

This week marks the start of the Gustavo Dudamel era in New York.The superstar conductor was just 28 when he became the musical director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic in 2009. A native of Venezuela and a product of its El Sistema musical training program, Dudamel quickly established himself not just as a great conductor, but also as a cultural force of nature. In his time in Los Angeles, he expanded the Philharmonic’s repertoire, created a successful youth outreach program, won prestigious awa