You can be the conductor!

Bravo Gustavo! Gustavo Dudamel is the young conductor from Venezuela who is taking the USA by storm. He was recently appointed music director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic. In response to the excitement created by his arrival in LA (his appearance here in San Francisco next fall is already sold out) Scott Arenstein has created a special music game Bravo Gustavo!. In an iPhone application, one can use the phone as a baton and conduct the orchestra using Dudamel’s virtual shoes. With Berlioz’s Symphonie Fantastique users try to strike the right key at the right moment to accent the music. You earn points for each correct click as the iPhone puts you in front of a virtual orchestra. The tempo of the orchestra responds to the movement of the iPhone “conductor”. The goal for Arenstein is to reach out to people not familiar with classical music and give them a unique experience. Since tickets for Dudamel’s concerts are all sold out, this application also allows people to get engaged with him without going to a concert. The music had to be slightly altered to afford the best opportunities for gaming and, while this is common in pop music, this was a new venture for classical musicians. So if you see someone waving their iPhone on the streets, you may see someone aiming to become the next wunderkind of conducting.