Music, artistic director of LA Philharmonic named commencement speaker

Gustavo Dudamel started conducting music at 12 years old. 

By ASIANA GUANG
The ceremony will take place May 14 at 6:30 p.m. in the L.A. Memorial Coliseum. (Talha Rafique / Daily Trojan file photo)

Music and artistic director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic Gustavo Dudamel will serve as the keynote speaker at USC’s 143rd commencement ceremony, the school announced in a press release Monday morning. 

According to the release, Dudamel stepped onto his first conductor podium at age 12; five months later he was assistant conductor in Barquisimeto, Venezuela. He began his tenure as music director for the L.A. Philharmonic in 2009, and spearheaded the Youth Orchestra Los Angeles initiative which today supports more than 1,500 youth from underserved communities. 

“Gustavo Dudamel has transformed how this city experiences music,” President Beong-Soo Kim said in the press release. “He is living proof that joy and excellence are transformative qualities, and that is exactly the message we want to convey as we send our graduates into the world.”


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The ceremony will take place May 14 at 6:30 p.m. in the L.A. Memorial Coliseum.

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