Gustavo Dudamel is a world-renowned Venezuelan conductor and violinist who is currently the Music and Artistic Director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic. He is known for his passionate and energizing performances. He began playing the violin at the age of five and later attended the National Conservatory of Music where he became a conducting student, distinguishing himself as a prodigy. Dudamel received international recognition as a conductor in 2005 when he won the Bolivarian Games in Caracas and the Gustav Mahler Conducting Competition in Bamberg. He has since traveled and conducted orchestras around the world including the Vienna Philharmonic, Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra and the Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra. He has also conducted in major concert halls such as Carnegie Hall in New York City and the Royal Albert Hall in London.