Dudamel Rehearses First New York Philharmonic-Spanish Harlem Orchestra Concert Before Taking Post at 45
Updated
Updated · Vogue · Sep 8
Dudamel Rehearses First New York Philharmonic-Spanish Harlem Orchestra Concert Before Taking Post at 45
1 articles · Updated · Vogue · Sep 8
Summary
United Palace in Washington Heights hosted Gustavo Dudamel as he rehearsed the first-ever joint performance by the 184-year-old New York Philharmonic and 25-year-old Spanish Harlem Orchestra.
Tonight’s program blends classical and salsa under Dudamel’s baton, with Leonard Bernstein’s Times Square: 1944 and Villa-Lobos’s Toccata highlighting the crossover he says must feel "honest."
The rehearsal comes months before Dudamel formally becomes the Philharmonic’s music and artistic director, capping a long transition since his 2023 appointment and a 17-year run leading the Los Angeles Philharmonic.
Dudamel, 45, cast the collaboration as part of a broader mission to show classical music is connected to the present, reflecting the bridge-building ethos he traces to Venezuela’s El Sistema.