Gustavo Dudamel awarded inaugural $1 million Herb Alpert Honor for expanding youth access to music

Gustavo Dudamel, world-renowned conductor and current music and artistic director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic (and incoming leader of the New York Philharmonic), has been named the inaugural recipient of the $1 million Herb Alpert Honor from the Herb Alpert Foundation, recognizing his global push to expand youth access to music through the Dudamel Foundation. The unrestricted grant backs programs rooted in equity, cultural exchange, and education, inspired by initiatives like El Sistema, a global music education program that uses music education to drive social change for underserved youth. Dudamel called access to art a “fundamental human right,” pledging to scale impact and empower the next generation worldwide.