Celebrate 17 Years of Gustavo Dudamel with free live broadcast from Classical California (Photo – LAPhil.com)
Want to catch iconic conductor Gustavo Dudamel’s final Disney Hall concert this Sunday, but can’t swing the $300-400 price tag? You’re in luck! Classical California radio is bridging the gap and broadcasting the event direct, live and free from Walt Disney Concert Hall.
By Melanie Hooks
Tune in online here Sunday, June 7, 2026, at 2:00 pm to join the celebration of the Phil’s beloved Artistic Director’s 17 years in Los Angeles before he assumes his new AD tenure at the New York Philharmonic this autumn.
Classical California will also be going behind-the-scenes for Dudamel’s legendary final live broadcast and sharing those moments on all their social media accounts (Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok).
Program Notes from the Phil
Gustavo Dudamel honors his Venezuelan and American identities, presiding over two poetry-inspired choral symphonic works in his final Walt Disney Concert Hall program as Music & Artistic Director.
At times hushed and mysterious and at others pulsating and ecstatic, Harmonium was a breakthrough for John Adams’ compositional voice. Borrowing texts from Emily Dickinson and John Donne, Adams explores time, harmony, and rhythm, unraveling gentle meditations into an awe-inspiring swirl of sound.
In the second half, Dudamel guides Cantata Criolla, another breakthrough work that is not just definitive of composer Antonio Estévez’ voice but an emerging national Venezuelan style. The cantata follows Florentino, a troubadour on the Venezuelan plains who challenges the devil to a battle of wit and song. Estévez’s cross-cutting rhythms and musical textures follow the contest from ominous peril to triumph.
Driven by his belief that music can build bridges between cultures, Dudamel selected the cantata as one of the first pieces he wanted to bring to Los Angeles in his inaugural season as Music Director, and it fittingly sets the stage for Gustavo’s finale concert of the 2025/26 season.
Performers
Los Angeles Philharmonic
Gustavo Dudamel, conductor
Anthony León, tenor
Gustavo Castillo, baritone
Los Angeles Master Chorale
Grant Gershon, Artistic Director
Jenny Wong, Associate Artistic Director
Classical California, a public service of University of Southern California, also airs on LA local radio at 91.5 FM and in multiple other California markets. See their website for those stations, an ongoing live stream, archived programs, and a wealth of classical resources.
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