Dudamel bids farewell to LA Phil with benefit concert for Venezuela

Gustavo Dudamel closed his 17-year tenure as music director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic with a benefit concert at the Hollywood Bowl on Sunday, August 23, raising funds for victims of the June earthquakes in Venezuela. The event, titled "Un concierto para Venezuela," drew nearly 17,000 people and featured Latin pop stars Natalia Lafourcade, Carlos Vives, and Meme del Real, as well as Beck and Coldplay's Chris Martin Source: El Nacional (VE), elpaises.

A farewell era

Dudamel, who took the baton in 2009, transformed the LA Phil into a cultural force, diversifying audiences and integrating Latin American composers into its repertoire Source: infobae. His tenure included historic performances at Coachella and the World Cup final, and he championed the YOLA youth orchestra program, inspired by Venezuela's El Sistema Source: infobae.

The benefit concert

Proceeds from the concert will be channeled to Venezuela through the UN Development Programme and the Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean, with the LA Phil contributing $50,000 Source: El Nacional (VE). Dudamel expressed that "Venezuela siempre será mi hogar" and that the concert was a reminder to Venezuelans that they are not alone Source: elnacionalve.

What's next

Dudamel will officially assume the role of music and artistic director of the New York Philharmonic in September 2026 Source: infobae. The concert marked the end of an era, but as Dudamel said, "Este no es nuestro último concierto, porque nunca es nuestro último concierto" Source: El Nacional (VE).