Too Much Dudamel? No Such Thing.
The New York Times
April 29, 2026
The flamboyant conductor Gustavo Dudamel got a jubilant reception at the New York Philharmonic’s spring gala on Tuesday.
Arms soaring, curls flopping, baton flashing, the celebrated conductor Gustavo Dudamel commanded the stage for around 90 minutes on Tuesday night inside David Geffen Hall at Lincoln Center for the New York Philharmonic’s annual spring gala.
“For me, it’s an honor, it’s a privilege, it’s a pleasure,” he said in the hall’s Grand Promenade after the concert, where he was immediately mobbed by well-wishers. “This is an amazing orchestra, an amazing institution, an amazing city.”
The sentiment has been a familiar refrain in the years since Dudamel, 45, was first announced as the Philharmonic’s next music leader in 2023, but his tenure is finally approaching: In the fall, after three years of guest-conducting a few concerts while leading the Los Angeles Philharmonic, he will officially take over as the orchestra’s music and artistic director.
The audience at David Geffen Hall couldn’t hide its excitement.
“He can have as many welcome parties as they can squeeze in,” said Jamie Bernstein, the daughter of the conductor Leonard Bernstein, as she sipped a martini before the performance.