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Gustavo Dudamel: Classically Hot

08:51 H | Topics: Los Angeles - Music - Venezuela

On beautiful weekends when the high hits 90 degrees (in mid-April), I absolutely love living in LA. Of course, there are a lot of other things to add to the list besides the weather.

One of those is the fact that the LA Philharmonic will be led by 27-year-old Venezuelan, Gustavo Dudamel, next year. Apparently, I'm not the only one who is psyched about this. Pink's hot dog stand, an LA institution known for it's celebrity dogs, has named a hot dog after Dudamel, "the Dude Dog... a stretch hot dog topped with American and Swiss cheese, "fajita mix" grilled veggies, jalapenos and tortilla chips."

Of course, fitting in well to LA celebrity culture doesn't make one a good conductor of classical music. If you're wondering if he's any good, check out the video below:

In the video, Dudamel conducts Venezuela's Simón Bolivar Youth Orchestra in Danzón No. 2 by Mexican composer Arturo Márquez.

Not only is his "direction f---ing amazing" (in the words of Astrid at Pues Nada), but the young musicians are equally impressive. The LA Times describes the link between the youth orchestra and Dudamel's own training as a classical violinist and conductor:

The orchestra, whose members are all under 25, is the flagship of El Sistema (the System), Venezuela's 32-year-old program of social action through music, which has provided musical training for more than 250,000 children and teenagers, many from impoverished backgrounds.

Dudamel is perhaps the most prominent product of El Sistema. Born in 1981 to a trombonist father and a voice-teacher mother in Barquisimeto, Venezuela -- where he reportedly conducted orchestras of toy soldiers -- he joined El Sistema at age 4 and has said that through it he received his first violin and conductor's baton, his "gifts from heaven." He began studying violin and conducting at age 10.

For more Dudamel conducting and an interview, check out YouTube. Who can resist those curls bouncing around as he makes classical music exciting?

Via // Pues Nada and LA Times