The end of the jet-set conductor

"The Dude abides. Not for long, though." Tim Mangan wonders about Gustavo Dudamel's absences from the LA Philharmonic. The specifics can be debated, but a larger point seems clear. With the complicated cultural and financial pressures now circling orchestras, the modern music director needs more than ever to be on the scene. This means showing up for more than the standard twelve weeks; leading school concerts; participating in fund-raisers; giving interviews; meeting prospective audiences at campus events; attending other people's concerts; appearing at gallery openings and other cultural gatherings; and generally being a visible citizen of the city. More than ever, each orchestra needs to convince its community of the music's power, and the chief conductor is—or should be—the best person to make the case. The old international star system is fading; it's local fame that counts.