In October, the Philharmonic named Chad Smith, its widely respected chief operating officer, as its new chief executive. Mr. Smith has a long association with Mr. Dudamel: In a statement, Mr. Smith noted that the two men had planned Mr. Dudamel’s American debut at the Hollywood Bowl together, 15 years ago. Mr. Dudamel — who was born in Venezuela and trained there by El Sistema, the free music program that teaches music to children, including in some of its poorest areas — occupies a unique position in music. He is sought by leading orchestras, including the Berlin Philharmonic and the New York Philharmonic, which he will conduct for two weeks beginning Wednesday evening. By the end of his contract, Mr. Dudamel will have been at the Philharmonic’s podium for 17 seasons, the same as his predecessor, Esa-Pekka Salonen.

Source: International New York Times January 15, 2020 18:00 UTC