Dudamel Kicks Off New York Philharmonic Season with Lizzo, St. Vincent and Joaquina

The New York Philharmonic started its new season on September 10 with a night at Radio City Music Hall that nobody saw coming. Gustavo Dudamel, the orchestra’s new music and artistic director, built a program that moved from Gershwin’s“Strike Up the Band”to works by Philip Glass, Jessie Montgomery and Arturo Márquez, then kept right on going into rock, Broadway and Latin pop. St. Vincent and Broadway’s Aaron Tveit joined the bill, along with Venezuelan singer-songwriter Joaquina, who performed“Pesimista”and“El Alquimista”in a long red dress and said she was proud as a Venezuelan to see Dudamel leading one of the world’s major philharmonics.

The closer, though, belonged to Lizzo. She brought the night home with orchestral versions of“Cuz I Love You”and“Truth Hurts,”and she pulled out her flute for good measure. Actor Liev Schreiber hosted the evening with a playful tribute to Dudamel, who takes over from Jaap van Zweden after his run from 2018 to 2024.

So why does this matter to us out here in country music land? Because it’s the same truth we’ve always known. Good songs reach people when you put them in front of a live crowd with real heart behind them. Dudamel is throwing the doors open and inviting everybody in, and that’s something any fan of real music can respect. What’s an artist you’d love to see perform with a full orchestra behind them?