THE DUDAMEL FOUNDATION AND THE LA PHIL CO-PRESENT
ENCUENTROS LA 2022
SUMMER MUSIC EDUCATION AND GLOBAL LEADERSHIP PROGRAM FOR YOUNG ORCHESTRA MUSICIANS

Over 100 students from 22 countries will form the Encuentros Orchestra in the first Encuentros (Encounters)
in the United States, July 19–August 5, 2022

Encuentros festival culminates in concert tour Musical Encounters with Dudamel and esperanza spalding, with a world premiere LA Phil commission by Giancarlo Castro D’Addona, at the Hollywood Bowl and UC Berkeley, August 2 & 4, 2022

The young musicians will also participate in community initiatives, mentorship opportunities with the YOLA National Festival and projects throughout Los Angeles

Spanish Translation Here.

Los Angeles (June 30, 2022) — Under the leadership of Gustavo Dudamel and María Valverde, the Dudamel Foundation and the LA Phil will co-present Encuentros LA 2022, their first Encuentros (Encounters) in the United States, July 19–August 5, 2022.

Encuentros is a global music education program that 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 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 UC Berkeley.

In honor of the Hollywood Bowl’s first 100 seasons, over 100 top-tier young musicians (ages 18–26) from the Americas and around the world—from 34 youth orchestra and El Sistema-inspired programs in 22 countries—will work side-by-side in the Encuentros Orchestra.

Capping the two-week orchestral training festival, Gustavo Dudamel, the Encuentros Orchestra including members of YOLA (Youth Orchestra Los Angeles) are joined by multi-Grammy-winning vocalist, bassist and composer esperanza spalding—who recently took home a 2022 Grammy for Best Jazz Vocal Album.

Celebrating the next generation of arts leaders, Musical Encounters with Dudamel and esperanza spalding will include a world premiere LA Phil commission by award-winning composer and El Sistema alum Giancarlo Castro D’Addona, concerts at the Hollywood Bowl on August 2, 2022, and in partnership with Cal Performances at UC Berkeley’s William Randolph Hearst Greek Theatre on August 4, 2022.

LA Phil Chief Executive Officer and David C. Bohnett Chief Executive Officer Chair Chad Smith said, “When Gustavo first joined us more than a decade ago, we never could have predicted that YOLA, the seed he planted at the EXPO Center in South LA with just 80 students, would blossom into this—a completely interconnected and global expression of our shared values of access, inclusion and the sheer power of music to transform the lives of individuals and communities. Every aspect of our organization, from YOLA to YOLA National to our Dudamel Conducting Fellows to our musicians and audiences, is engaged in Encuentros LA 2022, and we couldn’t be more excited to see it all come together on the Hollywood Bowl stage.”

During the intensive orchestral global leadership and music training program, workshops and rehearsals will be conducted by Dudamel and LA Phil Dudamel conducting fellows with additional sectionals and masterclasses led by a faculty of musicians from the LA Phil and guest artists from top orchestras from around the globe, including the Berliner Philharmoniker, Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra, Opéra National de Paris, Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra, Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional de Chile and SWR Symphonieorchester Stuttgart.

LA Phil Music & Artistic Director and Dudamel Foundation Co-Chair Gustavo Dudamel explained, “I have always believed that every child should be given the opportunity to learn at the highest level. And so it is a dream for María and me to be able to create this beautiful Encuentros, where talented young musicians from around the world get the chance to work with some of the most incredible artists in our field. We are trying to build a community together, founded on empathy, discipline, respect and inclusion.”

Dudamel Foundation Co-Chair María Valverde added, “This shared experience is not just about making music, it is the cultural, social and spiritual act of creation. Sharing conversations and experiences with these incredible role models will offer all of us a space to experiment and to grow, and together we hope to inspire the leaders of a new generation to build a better world together.”

Career training sessions on leadership and social change will explore the power and use of language, how to leverage social and digital media to share stories, and audience education around diversity of experience, and create pathways for a mission-driven career in music. Small group and one-on-one meetings will encourage shared learning and career training for young musicians to delve into a range of important issues: portfolio development, arts management, communications and public relations, and interviewing skills and networking.

Focusing on the idea of reciprocal mentorship, each of the Dudamel Foundation artists will be paired with YOLA National students who will serve as mentors, role models and peers. In turn, each of the Dudamel Foundation artists will be mentored by world class teaching artists from the LA Phil and around the world.

Cultural exchange and dialogue will be encouraged through a series of public and private talks and discussions hosted by friends and colleagues, with additional details to be announced.

The Encuentros Festival is generously supported by Judith and Thomas L. Beckmen and the de Marchena-Huyke Foundation.

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Encuentros LA 2022 Festival Dates:
Encuentros: July 19–August 5
YOLA National Festival: July 23–August 3
YOLA National Festival Concert WDCH (conducted by Gustavo Dudamel & Dudamel Conducting Fellows): July 31
Encuentros Hollywood Bowl Concert (conducted by Gustavo Dudamel): August 2
Cal Performances at UC Berkeley: August 4

Encuentros LA 2022 Concert Program:
Giancarlo Casto D’ADDONA new work (LA Phil commission and LA world premiere)
esperanza SPALDING selected songs
DVOŘÁK Symphony No. 9, “From the New World”

International Partners:

ARGENTINA
Teatro Colón

BRAZIL
Núcleos Estaduais de Orquestras Juvenis e Infantis da Bahia (NEOJIBA)

BOLIVIA
Fundación Musical Bravura

CANADA
Sistema New Brunswick

CHILE
Fundación de Orquestas Juveniles e Infantiles (FOJI)

COLOMBIA
Iberacademy
Fundacion Orquesta Filarmonica Juvenil de Bogotá

COSTA RICA
Centro Nacional de la Música
Instituto Nacional de la Música Escuela de Artes Musicales
Universidad de Costa Rica

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
Fiesta Clásica

ECUADOR
Fundación Orquesta Sinfónica Juvenil de Ecuador (FOSJE)

EL SALVADOR
Ministerio de Cultura de El Salvador

JAPAN
Friends of El Sistema Japan

MÉXICO
Secretaría de Cultura de México
Instituto Nacional de Bellas Artes y Literatura (INBAL)
Conservatorio Nacional de Música (CNM)
Escuela Superior de Música (ESM)
Sistema Nacional de Fomento Musical (SNFM)
Cultura Comunitaria
Sistema Sonemos
Fundación Arturo Márquez

PANAMÁ
Red de Orquestas y Coros Juveniles de Panamá
Facultad de Bellas Artes de la Universidad de Panamá
Universidad de Panamá

PARAGUAY
Proyecto Orquesta Sinfónica Juvenil de Asunción-Paraguay

PERÚ
Sinfonía por el Perú

PORTUGAL
Jovem Orquestra Portuguesa (JOP)
Orquestra Geração / Sistema Portugal

SCOTLAND
Sistema Scotland / Big Noise

SOUTH KOREA
Korea Arts & Culture Education Service (KACES)

SPAIN
Conservatorio Superior de Música “Eduardo Martínez Torner” (CONSMUPA)
Joven Orquesta de la Comunidad de Madrid
Joven Orquesta de Canarias
Orquesta Joven de la Sinfónica de Galicia
Joven Orquesta de Euskal Herria

UNITED STATES
YOLA (Youth Orchestra Los Angeles)

YOLA National
Conservatorio de Música de Puerto Rico

URUGUAY
Sistema de Orquestas y Coros Juveniles e Infantiles del Uruguay

VENEZUELA
El Sistema Venezuela

About the Los Angeles Philharmonic
Under the leadership of Music & Artistic Director Gustavo Dudamel, the LA Phil offers live performances, media initiatives and learning programs that inspire and strengthen communities in Los Angeles and beyond. The Los Angeles Philharmonic orchestra is the foundation of the LA Phil’s offerings, which also include a multi-genre, multidisciplinary presenting program and such youth development programs as YOLA (Youth Orchestra Los Angeles). Performances are offered on three historic stages—Walt Disney Concert Hall, the Hollywood Bowl and The Ford—as well as through a variety of media platforms. In all its endeavors, the LA Phil seeks to enrich the lives of individuals and communities through musical, artistic and learning experiences that resonate in our world today.

About the Dudamel Foundation
The Dudamel Foundation is transforming the world through art, culture and music. Founded in 2012, our mission is to expand access to music and the arts for young people by providing tools and opportunities to shape their creative futures. We believe that access to art and music is a fundamental human right in a just and peaceful society. We believe that making music encourages focus and discipline, respect for others, a spirit of collaboration, values that promote social justice and make us all better global citizens. We believe that young people of all economic and social backgrounds should have access to art and beauty, which is why we strive to provide young people across the world with opportunities to discover and make music and art on their own terms.

Since 2012, the Dudamel Foundation has collaborated with institutions across the globe to enrich lives through cultural democracy, civic engagement and community dialogue. Inspired by Gustavo’s vision of music to unite and inspire us, the Dudamel Foundation established Encuentros (English: “Encounters”) as a path to explore cultural unity, celebrate harmony, and foster equality, dignity, beauty, and respect through music. The orchestral youth leadership program promotes the concept of a "United Americas.” So far, more than 500 young musicians from across the Americas and Europe have participated, discovering the power of music for social change and developing leadership skills and tools they can apply in their own communities. In 2022, the Orquesta del Encuentro comes to the United States for the first time with the two-week Encuentros LA hosted by the Los Angeles Philharmonic.