On May 7, LA Philharmonic Music & Artistic Director Gustavo Dudamel will receive the UCLA Medal, the university’s highest honor given to an individual of extraordinary accomplishment. The UCLA Medal will be presented by UCLA Chancellor Gene Block in a ceremony at Schoenberg Hall at The UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music.
As part of the ceremony, Dudamel will conduct a rehearsal featuring Danzón No. 8 by Arturo Márquez, a work inspired by the Cuban dance style (danzón) and among the most popular Mexican orchestral pieces written in the 20th century. The rehearsal will include musicians from UCLA Philharmonia, the flagship orchestra of The UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music and one of Southern California’s premiere training orchestras, and YOLA, the LA Phil’s music education program that currently serves nearly 1,700 young musicians from more than 200 schools across Los Angeles County.
The event will not be open to the public, but it will be livestreamed on The UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music website on May 7, at 5:00 p.m.
The UCLA Medal, designed by Tiffany & Co., is awarded by the Chancellor to individuals of exceptionally distinguished academic and professional achievement, whose body of work or contributions to society illustrate the highest ideals of UCLA, and whose career has manifestly benefited the public. Among the leaders in government, education, science, industry, and the arts who have previously received the UCLA Medal are Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Gehry, Carol Burnett, Toni Morrison, Quincy Jones, and President Jimmy Carter.