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With his curly mane and dimpled smile, Gustavo Dudamel doesn't look much older than the kids in the sensational Simón Bolívar Youth Orchestra of Venezuela who take their cues and inspiration from him on the podium. Dudamel, who turns 27 in January, is as energetic as a teenager, too, and the conductor's passionate style and personal charm have brought him to the forefront of the classical music world in just a few short years. Born in Barquisimeto, Venezuela, he received his most important early mentoring in conducting from José Antonio Abreu, founder of El Sistema, an extraordinary project that has brought thousands of young people, most of them poor, into music programs all across Venezueula. Dudamel was himself a product of El Sistema. The Simón Bolívar Youth Orchestra, which Dudamel has directed since 1999, contains the cream of the El Sistema crop, and its initial recordings of Beethoven and Mahler symphonies testify to the combined talent.
Berlin Philharmonic music director Simon Rattle has hailed Dudamel as "the most astonishingly gifted conductor I have ever come across," and such praise is hardly isolated. In 2009, he will succeed Esa-Pekka Salonen as music director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, a remarkable vote of confidence in Dudamel's artistry and potential.
GREAT PERFORMANCES: It has been quite a while since the classical music world has seen a conductor become such a star, such a sensation so quickly. How are you handling all of that, the publicity, the pressure, and demands on your time?
GUSTAVO DUDAMEL: It is beautiful to have this attention and people want to meet you, but I feel the same as before -- I am a conductor and a musician. I still have a lot of time to be with my wife, my family, and my friends.
GP: In November, you debuted with the New York Philharmonic, shortly after making a huge splash in that city with your Simón Bolívar Youth Orchestra. What was it like facing an ensemble of generally much older musicians? Did you feel any skepticism from them?
GD: I was really excited about that experience. It is a beautiful -- how to say? -- responsibility to face one of the major orchestras of the world and wonderful to have such an opportunity to share in all their years of experience. Those musicians have played with all the big conductors of the 20th century. To have an orchestra like this, a perfect machine, it is so easy to conduct. I didn't feel pressure. I am not nervous when I conduct. If you are nervous, you are not secure in what you are doing.
GP: Have you always been at ease conducting? When did you get your first experiences with a baton?
GD: My father was a musician who played trombone in a symphony orchestra, but also played salsa. I was in love with what my father was doing. I was in love with salsa also. At four years old, I studied with him, but my arms were too short to play trombone. So I switched to violin. And when I was six or seven years old, I started conducting in my house. My favorite game was conducting my toys while playing recordings of the best orchestras. I was interested in what a conductor does, how he doesn't have an instrument, he doesn't make a sound. When I was 12, playing violin in the local chamber orchestra, I had my first opportunity to conduct, when the conductor was late to rehearsal. It was so beautiful and so comfortable and something natural for me. I was absolutely in love with the violin at the time, but I felt that conducting was it.
GP: You have been music director of the Simón Bolívar Youth Orchestra since 1999. It is obvious from concerts and recordings that you have a really deep rapport with these players.
GD: Absolutely. They are my family. I really started to conduct with these musicians. And it so beautiful how we are learning together, improving together. It is beautiful to see how we all change with experience. I love to be with my orchestra because it is such a special orchestra, not a normal orchestra. They have a beautiful talent and, more than that, they love to play. They need to play music, not because it's their job, but because they love it so much.
GP: Everyone in the music business in this country seems to be talking about the Venezuelan "El Sistema" that has produced thousands and thousands of young musicians and youth orchestras in that country. Do you think such a program can work easily in other countries?
GD: Absolutely. A lot of people tell me they want to make this happen here and I say, "'Of course it can be done.'" Our societies [throughout] the world need to give this kind of opportunity to young people so that the knowledge of music and this sensibility is not lost in our time.
GP: Is there something about Venezuela that makes it such a successful place for your music programs?
GD: It is a country full of life and -- I don't know how to say -- crazy ways. We have thousands and thousands of kids changing their lives because of music. We have orchestras in all cities of Venezuela and we have more and more kids involved, almost 300,000 now. We are building up to have a million. That is the dream. I want to help Maestro [José Antonio] Abreu with this dream.
GP: Are you concerned about any negative impact on the youth program from the current political situation in your country?
GD: Politics are politics and music is music. It is a good thing that the government is very supportive of El Sistema and has been for 30 years.
GP: Carnegie Hall's Berlin in Lights Festival this season prominently featured the Berlin Philharmonic and the Simón Bolívar Youth Orchestra, which made quite a statement about your ensemble.
GD: We have a very close relationship with the Berlin Philharmonic. Groups of musicians come every year from Berlin -- strings players, woodwind quintet, brass ensemble -- to work with our musicians, to help, to give master classes. They are part of the family now. It's a dream to have musicians like this so close to you. We really are one family.
GP: The Berlin Philharmonic's music director, Simon Rattle, is one of your strongest advocates. What has it been like to work with him?
GD: He is not just a wonderful man; he is a beautiful soul. I worked with him in 2003 and 2004, then again in 2005. I learned a lot from him. And he comes to work with the Youth Orchestra all the time. To have a conductor like that in Venezuela every year is very important for us.
GP: What other conductors have influenced you?
GD: Claudio Abbado -- my God, he's like a father. He spends a lot of time in Venezuela with us. Daniel Barenboim, too. Zubin Mehta is also very close. And I've just met James Levine, who is also a wonderful man. All of them are very kind to me, very supportive.
Interview by Tim Smith for GREAT PERFORMANCES Online conducted in December 2007.
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