Hey — your weekly Rx. No filler, I promise.
Words Worth Keeping
"I am filled with gratitude for the journey we have shared and all that we have collectively achieved."
— Gustavo Dudamel, on concluding his 17 years as Music & Artistic Director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic
Cologne, January 26, 2011. Gustavo turns 30, on tour. Classical musicians are very serious people.
This Week
He didn't open with a gala.
October 3, 2009 — Hollywood Bowl. Free outdoor concert. Beethoven's Ninth, open to anyone who showed up. Tocar, Cantar y Luchar — to play, to sing, to fight. Social change, resilience, empowerment. From night one.
October 8, 2009 — Disney Hall inaugural. World premiere of John Adams's City Noir, commissioned for the occasion. Mahler's First.
June 5–7, 2026 — Harmonium by Adams again. Cantata Criolla by Estévez, rooted in the Venezuela that made him. Walt Disney Concert Hall.
He came in through a wide-open door. He's leaving through the same one.
The Prescription
This one's just for me.
Dudamel is leaving Los Angeles for the New York Philharmonic. The New York Philharmonic is my hometown orchestra. I grew up with it. So tonight feels like a full circle in more ways than one — I get to watch someone magic land in the place that first made me love this.
That's the thing about the people who are truly great at this. You don't worry about where they're going. You just feel lucky you got to be in the room.
Miss him. Be excited for him. Both things are true.
That's what 17 years looks like when they're done right.
Happy practicing,
Chris @ Honesty Pill Coaching
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