Dudamel pushes back after Chalamet says “no one cares” about opera and ballet

Renowned conductor Gustavo Dudamel has pushed back against comments by actor Timothée Chalamet suggesting that audiences no longer care about traditional performing arts such as opera and ballet.

Speaking Tuesday evening at Lincoln Center during an event unveiling his first season as music director of the New York Philharmonic, Dudamel said the actor’s remarks reflected a misunderstanding of the art forms and their continued relevance.

“Sadly sometimes it’s a little bit of ignorance but, look, that is why we have to open more spaces for people to connect with classical music,” Dudamel said.

The Venezuelan conductor addressed an audience that included musicians, donors, board members and journalists gathered at the David Geffen Hall stage. His comments were met with strong applause from attendees.

The controversy stems from remarks Chalamet made earlier this year during a public conversation with actor Matthew McConaughey at a town hall hosted by CNN and Variety at the University of Texas at Austin.

During the discussion, McConaughey asked Chalamet whether shrinking attention spans among audiences were influencing the type of films studios choose to produce.

Chalamet responded by reflecting on how entertainment industries try to promote traditional forms of culture.

“I admire people, and I’ve done it myself, to go on a talk show and go: Hey, we’ve got to keep movie theaters alive. We got to keep this genre alive,’” Chalamet said.

“And another part of me feels like if people want to see it, like ‘Barbie,’ like ‘Oppenheimer,’ they’re going to go see it and go out of their way to be loud and proud about it. And I don’t want to be working in ballet or opera or things where it’s like where it’s like, ‘Hey! Keep this thing alive,’ even though no one cares about this anymore. All respect to the ballet and opera people out there. I just lost 14 cents in viewership.”

The remarks quickly drew criticism online from organisations and supporters of the performing arts.

Dudamel responded by stressing the deep cultural connections between modern cinema and older artistic traditions such as opera and classical music.

“Everybody has the right to say, but you have to do things with knowledge, with facts. I think we have to say to the young generation, the opposite,” Dudamel said.

“It’s very funny. Cinema is a result of opera, of music, of all of these kind of things.”

Chalamet, 30, recently received his third Academy Award nomination for his performance in the film “Marty Supreme.”

Dudamel, meanwhile, is preparing to begin his first season leading the New York Philharmonic, one of the most prominent orchestras in the world.