Gustavo Dudamel takes on a mission beyond conducting the New York Philharmonic

-Lincoln Center in New York City witnessed a star-studded gathering recently, as prominent figures such as Steven Spielberg and Alec Baldwin celebrated Gustavo Dudamel (45 years old), the new music director of the New York Philharmonic Orchestra, amid enthusiasm not seen in the city's cultural circles for a long time. Dudamel, known as "The Dude" during his 17-season career at the helm of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, was an influential force in Los Angeles, both on stage and through his efforts to make the arts, often classified as elite, accessible to all.

Dudamel has succeeded in expanding the orchestra's influence through educational programs and the integration of classical music into popular culture. He participated, for example, in the half-time musical of the FIFA World Cup final last July, and he also led the orchestra in recording the soundtracks for famous films such as "West Side Story" and "Star Wars: The Force Awakens." Dudamel arrived in New York with a similar mission, affirming from the beginning his firm belief that music is a “fundamental right” of human rights.

“You really have to take risks for people to actually feel like they belong in this world,” he said in an interview last summer. Music for the People Dudamel's artistic vision was shaped by his childhood in the Venezuelan city of Barquisimeto, where he learned to play the violin through "El Sistema," the Venezuelan national system of orchestras and choirs for children and youth.

The program was founded in 1975 by José Antonio Abreu, a musician and economist who believed that classical music - long the preserve of a select few - could transform the lives of Venezuela's poorest children. According to official Venezuelan figures, more than one million people have participated in this program since its founding. The program works through community centers and provides free musical instruments and educational lessons to children, most of whom belong to families with limited income.

“What my colleagues in Venezuela are realizing about music is that it's not just a decorative item, it's not an extracurricular activity, it's not just a source of enjoyment, although it is fun,” said Anne Fitzgibbon, founder and executive director of Harmony, a New York City nonprofit that provides free music education to children in less fortunate communities. Fitzgibbon was inspired to establish this program after studying the "El Sistema" program in Venezuela as a Fulbright grant in 2007.

The program was established decades before Hugo Chavez came to power through a populist revolution that quickly turned into an authoritarian regime. Chavez, and then his successor Nicolás Maduro, have continued to fund the program, bringing its links to the state under scrutiny.

For years, critics have questioned Dudamel's silence regarding Chavez and Maduro, and the human rights violations and corruption that characterized their reigns, but he broke his silence in May 2017, following the killing of a young musician during a protest. He then wrote in an open letter: “I raise my voice against any form of oppression.

Eras should not be defined by the blood of our people.” Speaking to Ofoq News last summer, Dudamel praised “El Sistema,” saying: “It is not a system that is more like a music factory; "El Sistema uses music to change children's lives." 'Deep Listening' Dudamel has arrived in a city with several programs inspired by the El Sistema model.

According to the El Sistema USA network, which links these initiatives, there are about 150 organizations across the United States inspired by this approach, ranging from local community programs to the YOLA Youth Orchestra that Dudamel helped found in Los Angeles, all of which provide music education to more than 30,000 students. Carlos Sanchez was just 13 years old when he first played alongside Dudamel at a concert in his hometown of Maracaibo, the second largest city in Venezuela.

Years later, after studying double bass through the “El Sistema” program, he toured the world with the Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra under Dudamel. Sanchez currently serves as the director of UpBeat NYC, a community music center in the South Bronx that provides free music education to 230 students between the ages of 5 and 21.

“When I first came to UpBeat, I saw how the program treated children; it was exactly how I felt in my home country,” Sanchez said. Thanks to private donations and grants, UpBeat also provides assistance to families, including providing food and support during difficult times.

“It's not just a kid asking, 'Have you practiced your playing?'” Sanchez added. Organizations like UpBeat hope that Dudamel's arrival will put them in greater visibility, giving them the opportunity to expand and grow.

“He has influence on many levels, and we look forward to seeing how he uses that influence,” said Richard Miller, co-founder and co-executive director of the program. “We will be there for him, and we will try to guide him to ensure that support reaches the families that we represent and work with.”

Tang, co-president of the New York Philharmonic Orchestra, and his wife, Agnes Hsu-Tang, made a $40 million donation to support music education and bring the art of orchestration to new audiences. “In our generation, we have never had a music director who pays as much attention to what's happening on the conductor's stage and to what's happening in the schools,” said Gary Budd, vice president of education and community engagement at the New York Philharmonic. He acknowledged that the school system in New York still suffers from deep racial segregation, noting that his team is focusing its efforts on areas that lack the arts in the city, such as the Corona neighborhood in Queens, and the Canarsie neighborhood in Brooklyn.

Bud stressed that change will take time; Dudamel will only spend about 15 weeks a year with the orchestra, and he described the first season for any orchestral conductor as a period of “deep listening.” As for Miller, from the UpBeat Foundation, he expressed cautious enthusiasm, noting that the problems are deeply rooted, stressing the need to diversify the composition of the orchestra.

He also recalled that artists of Afro-Latin origins had struggled for decades to expand the audience base for classical music, and pointed out that the Lincoln Center itself was built on the ruins of the San Juan Hill neighborhood, from which black and Puerto Rican families were displaced to make room for the construction of the center. A few miles away from Lincoln Center, Sanchez said he hopes Dudamel will inspire the UpBeat students, just as he himself was inspired as a young man in Maracaibo.

“I knew nothing about all this until they came to me,” he said. “I hope with all my heart that he will be able to come, and that he will bring with him that same hope.”