Gustavo Dudamel and the Los Angeles Philharmonic will present “A Concert for Venezuela” at the Hollywood Bowl on 23 August, raising funds for communities affected by the devastating earthquakes that recently struck the conductor’s home country.
Announcing the event on social media, Dudamel described the concert as “an invitation to stand together and transform our compassion into action.”
“Venezuela will always be my home, and every moment, my thoughts are with the families whose lives have been forever changed by this tragedy,” he wrote. “The suffering is immense, but so is the strength and resilience of our people.”
According to Dudamel, proceeds will support humanitarian relief and long-term recovery efforts through partnerships with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean (CAF).
The announcement gives concrete form to the international fundraising initiative Dudamel unveiled shortly after the earthquakes, when he pledged to organise a major benefit concert and launched a donation campaign in collaboration with the UNDP.
The disaster has also affected the conductor’s professional activities. Earlier this month, an overseas appearance by the Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra of Venezuela under Dudamel was postponed after earthquake damage forced the closure of the country’s main international airport, leaving organisers unable to confirm a new travel date.
The Hollywood Bowl event is expected to become one of the largest international musical initiatives organised in response to the disaster, combining fundraising with a message of solidarity for the Venezuelan people.
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