Latin rhythms and melodies have been spicing up popular music for years. Now, the infectious influences from every corner of Central and South America are turning up in concert halls, performed by symphony orchestras across the United States. This season’s arrival of Venezuela’s superstar conductor Gustavo Dudamel as music director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic has ignited a love affair with tonalities from south of the U.S. border.

“Arts organizations that recognize and incorporate Hispanic culture are both at the cutting edge and ensuring their own future,” remarks Carol Reynolds, music history professor at Southern Methodist University, in Dallas. “The incorporation of Latin-based music into the classical world is long overdue.”

Source: The Christian Science Monitor