That is the message from the board of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, which on Wednesday said it had extended the contract of music and artistic director Gustavo Dudamel through the 2025-26 season. At age 28, Dudamel started his appointment as the L.A. Phil’s music director in 2009, his original five-year term quickly extended through the 2018-19 season and later through mid-2022. During the decade that Dudamel has been at the conductor’s podium, the L.A. Phil has grown into one of the world’s most important orchestras. Partly through programming such as the Green Umbrella series, the annual Noon to Midnight marathon at Walt Disney Concert Hall and the Reykjavik Festival, the L.A. Phil also has brought younger fans into the fold. AdvertisementCiting a busy schedule of concerts in New York, Dudamel would not comment about the contract extension but did release a statement.

Source: Los Angeles Times January 15, 2020 18:02 UTC