Gustavo Dudamel has announced that he will leave Los Angeles and the LA Phil to take over the New York Philharmonic in 2026, starting a five-year contract there. This is no huge surprise, considering that NY Phil’s head honcha, Deborah Borda, used to helm our own “big orch”, and was part of the team that recruited Dudamel in the first place. (Don’t ever roll your eyes again when someone says that your network matters!)
We’ll still have him with us for a couple of years, but now for the big search: who will take over here? (Theories abound.)
In the meantime…
Read more in the LA Times, where Jessica Gelt and Mark Swed offer a thoughtful explanation of the situation. More analysis here
Or, read the announcement in the NY Times, which starts by defining Dudamel as the guy “whose fiery baton and bouncy curls have made him one of classical music’s most recognizable figures”. They offer more speculation about his “seismic” impact here.
For a slightly more “just the facts, Ma’am” news story, try NPR.
