Sunny Day: Gustavo Dudamel Will Appear on Sesame Street

Photo courtesy of the LA Phil

Gustavo Dudamel has had a lot on his plate lately: this weekend, he'll lead over 1,000 musicians in performing Mahler's Eighth Symphony, and no doubt he had a hand in planning this year's newly-released Hollywood Bowl line-up.

But that didn't stop the L.A. Philharmonic's superstar conductor from taking some time out for the kids -- next Monday, February 6, Dudamel will make a guest appearance on PBS' "Sesame Street." In the episode, he teaches young viewers the meaning of the word "stupendous" by conducting a sheep playing a violin, an octopus playing the drums and a chorus of penguins singing opera in what is no doubt a stirring rendition of Beethoven's Ode to Joy.

Dudamel has made no secret of his belief in the importance of music in the lives of kids. He himself was introduced to playing instruments as a child through his native Venezuela's groundbreaking music education program, El Sistema. Inspired by El Sistema, he helped to establish the Youth Orchestra L.A. (YOLA) program after starting his tenure with the L.A. Phil.