Gustavo Dudamel and the Los Angeles Philharmonic

Venezuelan conductor and violinist Gustavo Dudamel has taken the classical music world by storm, beginning with exciting performances with youth orchestras around the globe, and shortly thereafter, a post as the music director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic in Los Angeles, California and its youth projects. Dudamel has come a long way and is, perhaps, the fastest rising star in the classical music world to date. His performances with the Los Angeles Philharmonic have begun to acquire the red carpet scenery you expect at movie premiers and award shows -- including actors and actresses and throngs of screaming, adoring fans. In 2009, Dudamel was named one of TIME Magazine’s 100 most influential people in the world. His glamorous repertoire aside, Dudamel is doing some truly amazing things, not just forging a bridge between classical music and hollywood -- though, there are the obvious benefits of making classical music more accessible. He's working with Youth Orchestra Los Angeles (YOLA), the Los Angeles Philharmonic’s initiative to establish youth orchestras in underserved communities in Los Angeles. The unprecedented program is designed to connect children and parents, who would otherwise not have the opportunity to learn and perform classical music, with a concert hall, instruments, and instruction. It's exciting to watch him conduct new talent; this is possibly the most exciting orchestral performance I have ever seen: Gustavo Dudamel conducts the Venezuelan Youth Orchestra  in a performance of Leonard Bernstein's Mambo in 2007. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pEMIX-N3B5Q More: Gustavo The Great (CBS)