The NYC Arts in Education Roundtable is thrilled to announce that Gustavo Dudamel will be joining us for a keynote conversation at our annual arts in education Face to Face Conference this April. Dudamel currently serves as Music and Artistic Director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic and Music Director of the Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra. In 2026 he will become The Oscar L. Tang and H.M. Agnes Hsu-Tang Music and Artistic Director of the New York Philharmonic, after serving as Music Director Designate in the 2025–26 season.
Dudamel will be part of a keynote conversation with Roundtable Board Co-Chair, Gary Padmore, on Thursday, April 25 at noon at The City College of New York’s Shepard Hall. The 31st annual Face to Face Conference will take place April 15-22 virtually and in-person on April 24-25.
The complete Face to Face 2024 conference schedule will be announced next week. Early-bird conference registration is currently open and regular registration will open Thursday, February 22. Please visit the Face to Face website for more information.
About Gustavo Dudamel
Gustavo Dudamel is driven by the belief that music has the power to transform lives, to inspire, and to change the world. Through his dynamic presence on the podium and his tireless advocacy for arts education, he has introduced classical music to new audiences around the globe and has helped provide access to the arts for countless people in underserved communities. Dudamel currently serves as Music and Artistic Director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic and Music Director of the Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra. In 2026 he becomes The Oscar L. Tang and H.M. Agnes Hsu-Tang Music and Artistic Director of the New York Philharmonic, after serving as Music Director Designate in the 2025–26 season, continuing a legacy that includes Gustav Mahler, Arturo Toscanini, and Leonard Bernstein.
Dudamel is one of the few classical musicians to become a bona fide pop-culture phenomenon. His film credits include Steven Spielberg’s adaptation of Bernstein’s West Side Story, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, and The Simpsons, and he led the LA Phil with Billie Eilish in the concert film Happier Than Ever: A Love Letter to Los Angeles. He has performed at the Super Bowl halftime show, the Academy Awards, and the Nobel Prize concert, and has worked with international superstars Christina Aguilera; Ricky Martin; Tyler, The Creator; Coldplay; and others. His extensive discography includes 67 releases and 4 Grammy Awards.
Inspired by his transformative experience as a youth in Venezuela’s immersive musical training program El Sistema, in 2012 he created the Dudamel Foundation, which he co-chairs with his wife, actress and director María Valverde, “to expand access to music and the arts for young people by providing tools and opportunities to shape their creative futures.” In July and August 2022 the Dudamel Foundation brought its Encuentros initiative to the Hollywood Bowl, as part of the 100th-anniversary season, in a two-week intensive global leadership and orchestral training program for young musicians from around the world; it culminated in a concert at the Hollywood Bowl and a tour with the Orquesta del Encuentro to the legendary Greek Theatre in Berkeley, California.