Gustavo Dudamel conducts Encuentros Orchestra

Under the leadership of Gustavo Dudamel and María Valverde, the Dudamel Foundation and the LA Phil will co-present their first Encuentros in the United States in July and August 2022.

Encuentros explores cultural unity and celebrates harmony, equality, dignity, beauty, and respect through music, with the goal of inspiring and teaching a new generation of young leaders to work toward building a better world. The Dudamel Foundation and LA Phil are inviting 90 young musicians (ages 18–26) from the Americas, Europe, Asia, and Africa—top tier players from a host of international El Sistema-inspired programs—to work together with students from the United States, side-by-side in the Encuentros Orchestra.

During the two-week intensive global leadership and orchestral training program, workshops and concerts will be conducted by Dudamel with additional sectionals and master classes led by a faculty of musicians from the LA Phil and guest instructors from other top international orchestras. The young musicians will also participate in community initiatives, mentorship opportunities with the YOLA National Festival, and projects throughout Los Angeles, culminating with concerts at the Hollywood Bowl and in Santa Barbara and Berkeley.

For this very special concert, multi-Grammy-winning vocalist, bassist, and composer esperanza spalding—who recently took home a 2022 Grammy for Best Jazz Vocal Album—joins conductor and orchestra under the stars at UC Berkeley’s magnificent William Randolph Hearst Greek