Dudamel announced as Musician of the Year

7 November 2012, 12:35

Time is 'right' for conductor Gustavo Dudamel to win the award, alongside Vocalist of the Year, Joyce DiDonato, at the Musical America Awards 2013

Musical America, an online international performing arts and music directory, has announced conductor Gustavo Dudamel as Musician of the Year as part of the Musical America Awards, recognising excellence in the arts.

Dudamel is known not only as a world-class conductor, but as an advocate for music accessibility. He conducts the Simon Bolivar Symphony Orchestra, part of Venezuela's publicly funded music education project, El Sistema. Musical America has named El Sistema's founder, José Antonio Abreu, as Educator of the Year.

"Rarely has the time been as right as in the case of Gustavo Dudamel," said Musical America Directory Editor, Sedgwick Clark. "Rarely has a young artist captured the public fancy so completely."

Other 2013 winners include David Lang, Composer of the Year, pipa player Wu Man, instrumentalist of the Year, and Joyce DiDonato, Vocalist of the Year. The awards ceremony will be held on 6 December at New York's Lincoln Center.