LOS ANGELES , California ( CNN ) -- He got a standing ovation before the orchestra even played a single note . Gustavo Dudamel has been compared to the legendary Leonard Bernstein by one critic . For weeks now , anticipation has been growing for the arrival of fiery young Venezuelan conductor Gustavo Dudamel to take over the Los Angeles Philharmonic , and the crowd could n't wait to roar its approval at his arrival . Dudamel , 28 , engenders a passion among music lovers that is entirely new to the world of classical music . Tickets for his Saturday debut as music director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic disappeared within minutes -- the fastest sellout in the history of the 18,000-seat Hollywood Bowl . `` He is a phenomenon , '' said Mark Swed , Los Angeles Times music critic . `` He generates excitement the likes of which has n't come around in a very , very long time -- maybe since Leonard Bernstein . '' Watch the exciting Dudamel wield the baton » . Swed was in the audience two years ago when Dudamel conducted the Simon Bolivar Youth Orchestra at the Walt Disney Concert Hall , delivering a reading of Beethoven 's Fourth Symphony that left fans delirious . `` I have n't seen that kind of reaction from a crowd since I saw the Beatles at Dodger Stadium , '' Swed said . Dudamel 's face has been a common sight for months in Los Angeles . His billboards look down on freeway commuters . He adorns city buses . At the famous Hollywood hot dog stand Pink 's , there is even a dog named in his honor -- the `` Dude Dog , '' piled high with jalapeno peppers , guacamole and tortilla chips . While it 's not exactly Venezuelan cuisine , in Los Angeles , there can be no surer sign that the conductor known as `` The Dude '' has arrived . So where did Dudamel get this musical magic ? He said at least a part of his talent is inherited . `` I started studying music when I was 4 , '' he said . `` I wanted to play trombone like my father . '' Soon young Gustavo entered into El Sistema , Venezuela 's state-financed music education program . Hundreds of thousands of children have received instruments and music instruction through the nation 's massive system of youth orchestras . `` You can not imagine , '' said Dudamel , `` how it changes the life of a kid if you put a violin or a cello or a flute [ in his hand ] . You feel you have your world . You have your life there , and it changes your life . This happened to me . '' As music director of the philharmonic , Dudamel said he hopes to spread a little of the El Sistema magic in Los Angeles . He already has organized one youth orchestra in the run-down neighborhoods of south Los Angeles . Those music students opened for the orchestra at the Hollywood Bowl . The concert also featured student musicians playing alongside jazz legend Herbie Hancock . Cuban pianist Alfredo Rodriguez and bluesman Taj Mahal rounded out an eclectic bill designed to pull in a broad cross-section of music lovers . But it was Dudamel and Beethoven 's Ninth Symphony that brought the crowd to its feet at the concert 's end . It was a promising beginning for a man many are hailing as the savior of classical music . They hope Dudamel can bring a whole new audience to symphonic music , and believe the Los Angeles Philharmonic is the perfect podium for the young maestro . `` He fits in with this town in a lot of ways , '' Swed said . `` Obviously being Spanish-speaking in a city where the majority of people either speak Spanish or understand some Spanish ... you know he fits in . The youth culture ? He is young . He is also great , which does n't hurt . ''
Gustavo Dudamel , known as `` The Dude , '' brings Beatles-like frenzy to Los Angeles . The Venezuelan , 28 , is the new conductor of the Los Angeles Philharmonic . His Saturday debut sold out 18,000-seat Hollywood Bowl faster than anyone ever . Los Angeles Times music critic calls Dudamel `` a phenomenon ''