The Dude Abides

As leader of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Gustavo Dudamel has transformed the city’s — and classical music’s — audience. As he prepares to take over the New York Philharmonic in 2026, he’s determined to expand his mission even further

BY LEILA COBO

ON A BALMY recent August evening, Gustavo Dudamel strode onto the stage of the Hollywood Bowl wearing a huge golden gauntlet on his left hand. He wouldn’t get to use it. Dudamel is dramatic, but he’s no comic book villain; he’s the music director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and he was there to conduct the orchestra for the world premiere of Marvel Studios’ Infinity Saga Concert Experience. So instead of wielding the power of assorted Infinity Stones to change the world, Dudamel accepted the “vibranium baton” presented to him by Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige (a reference to the fictional metal of the Marvel universe) and performed some magic of his own, conducting two-plus hours of raucous music from 25 different Marvel movies, backed by gigantic video screens with 3D…

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Billboard (Digital) - 1 Issue, October 5, 2024

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