Gustavo Dudamel has been honoured with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. An accolade usually reserved for actors and pop stars, Dudamel received the 2,654th star to be placed on Hollywood Boulevard.
Speaking at the dedication, composer John Williams said “You’d expect a conductor to be at least 60 to acquire the mastery required for this job…unless of a course a genius inexplicably arrives in the form of a 30-something wizard who knows, does and masters it all.”
Williams then described him as a “great educator, artist and communicator” and called him a “genius.”
Actor Helen Hunt also spoke at the ceremony, which was attended by celebrities including musician Chris Martin and actor Christoph Waltz.
“It is proof to me that magic does happen and that dreams do come true,” said Dudamel. “Who could imagine that a child from a working class family in Barquisimeto, Venezuela, whose only marketable skill is waving a stick in the air, could be standing here today.”
After thanking the people who had helped him in his career, Dudamel emphasised that LA Phil’s music should be “for the masses” and praised its inclusive spirit.
