Sunday, February 17, 2008

Rising Young Classical Star

60 Minutes had an interesting piece tonight by Bob Simon on a rising star in the classical world, Gustavo Dudamel. At the amazingly young age of 26, the Venezuelan has been hired as the next music director for the Los Angeles Philharmonic, a job he starts in 2009.

His dashing good looks may first catch your eye, but Dudamel's exuberant conducting style will also grab your attention. It's always a wonderful thing for classical music when a young "rock star" stirs things up and attracts notice to a style of music that may seem too stodgy or highbrow to some.

But one of the most exciting aspects of Dudamel's upcoming tenure in L.A. is the program he says he wants to set up for the area's kids. Venezuela has a nationwide program that gets kids mostly from poor neighborhoods off the streets and into youth orchestras to learn how to play instruments. Dudamel, a product of that program, says he wants to do the same in L.A. to bring kids from poor communities to the music.

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