A star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame honoring conductor Gustavo Dudamel will be unveiled Tuesday in connection with his 10th year as music and artistic director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic and the celebration of the philharmonic's centennial.
Composer John Williams and actress Helen Hunt will join Dudamel in speaking at the 11:30 a.m. ceremony in front of the Musicians Institute on Hollywood Boulevard.
The ceremony comes two days before Dudamel begins conducting the philharmonic in a series of four concerts of Williams' work, including the themes from "Jurassic Park" and "Schindler's List" and selections from "Jaws," "Star Wars" and the Harry Potter and Indiana Jones films.
At Williams' request, Dudamel guest-conducted on the soundtrack for "Star Wars: The Force Awakens."
Born January 26, 1981, in Barquisimeto, Venezuela, the son of a trombonist and a singing teacher, Dudamel began reading scores by the time he was 10 years old.
Dudamel is a product of "El Sistema," Venezuela's acclaimed youth program of immersive musical training. When he was 12, he was hired as an assistant conductor with the Amadeus Chamber Orchestra in Barquisimeto.
At 17, he was appointed music director of the Simon Bolivar Youth Orchestra, now known as the Simon Bolivar Symphony Orchestra, and remains ts music director.
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Dudamel won a Grammy in 2012 for best orchestral performance for conducting "Brahms: Symphony No. 4." In 2016, Dudamel became the first classical musician to participate in the Super Bowl halftime show, conducting members of Youth Orchestra Los Angeles.
In December, Dudamel made his debut with the Metropolitan Opera, conducting Verdi's "Otello." Dudamel and the philharmonic are scheduled to perform at next month's Oscars.
