Gustavo Dudamel is Our August 2022 Music Director
Born in Venezuela, Dudamel is one of the world’s most prolific maestros. He has performed with Beyoncé and Billie Eilish and conducted the score for Steven Spielberg’s 2021 West Side Story reboot, and he currently serves as the music director of the Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra in Caracas, as well as the Los Angeles Philharmonic and the Paris Opera. “What makes me love what I do is to be able to share joy with people,” says Dudamel. On August 2, he will lead the Encuentros Orchestra—made up of youth musicians from 19 countries—in a performance of Dvořák’s Symphony No. 9 for his final appearance in a summer concert series marking the Hollywood Bowl’s 100th anniversary.
“It’s amazing to be back,” says Dudamel of the return of live music. “We understand the real meaning of playing for an audience.” For this issue, Dudamel curated a playlist around the performance theme, choosing songs that he says are “connected with special friends and moments.” Along with “Fruta Fresca” by Colombian singer-songwriter Carlos Vives, he included “El Puñal y el Corazón” by Mexican ensemble Café Tacvba and Coldplay’s “Viva la Vida.” “Chris Martin is a brother,” says Dudamel of the latter group’s frontman. “And we share the vision of music as a tool of social transformation.”
Listen to Gustavo Dudamel's playlist exclusively on Apple Music.
This article originally appeared in the August 2022 issue of Harper's BAZAAR, available on newsstands July 26.
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