The Glenn Gould Prize is awarded to renowned conductor Gustavo Dudamel

Gustavo Dudamel, one of the world’s most acclaimed conductors, is the 2022 winner of the $100,000 Glenn Gould Prize.

The award was announced Sunday in Toronto at the Royal Conservatory of Music’s TELUS Center for Performance and Learning. It was the culmination of a weekend of events organized by the Glenn Gould Foundation to mark the 90th anniversary of the birth of a famous Canadian pianist.

“It was one of the greatest honors of my life when, in 2008, my maestro José Antonio Abreu was named the Glenn Gould Prize winner. To now receive this prestigious award myself is something that fills me with deep gratitude,” Dudamel said in a statement.

He is musical and artistic director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic and musical director of the Opéra National de Paris and the Orchester Symphonique Simón Bolívar. His busy schedule did not allow him to be present for the announcement.

“The greatest art brings to light the best of us and reminds us of all that unites us. Likewise, the work of geniuses like Maestro Abreu and Glenn Gould is a beacon that shows us the way to create a better world together. “said the Venezuelan conductor.

The Glenn Gould Prize celebrates artistic excellence, innovation and humanitarianism. Nominees from a wide range of creative disciplines are nominated around the world by members of the general public. Originally awarded every three years, but since 2014 every two years, the prize was first awarded in 1987 to Canadian composer R. Murray Schafer.

Among the 14 winners of the award to date are the likes of American composer Philip Glass, American soprano Jessye Norman, Canadian jazz pianist Oscar Peterson and José Antonio Abreu, the Venezuelan musician and activist best known for founding a program of music education funded by public funds and of international influence. called El Systema.

The foundation launched a complementary protected award in 1993, with the recipient choosing the main award winner. In 2008, Abreu appointed the then 27-year-old Dudamel. He is the first Glenn Gould Award recipient to be a past recipient of the Protected Award. In due course, Dudamel, 41, will announce his own winner’s pick for the $25,000 prize.

In October 2009, Abreu and Dudamel were celebrated in Toronto when Dudamel led the Simón Bolivar Youth Orchestra of Caracas—composed of El Sistema graduates like Dudamel himself—in their sold-out Canadian debut. Shortly thereafter, Dudamel assumed his current position with the Los Angeles Philharmonic. He was appointed musical director of the Opéra National de Paris in August 2021. Dudamel retains his association with what is now called the Orchester Symphonique Simón Bolívar.

Dudamel is one of the most prominent, popular and popular conductors in the world today. He conducted the score for Steven Spielberg’s 2021 film adaptation of “West Side Story”, the opening and closing credits of John Williams’ 2015 “Star Wars: The Force Awakens”, performed with the LA Philharmonic at the 2019 Academy Awards, and performed in the 2016 Super Bowl Halftime Show with Coldplay, Beyoncé and Bruno Mars.

His stellar reputation is built not only on his charismatic podium presence and extraordinary musical talent, but also on his passionate commitment to music education and the spread of classical music to underserved communities.

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