'After the first break in the first rehearsal we knew this young man was extraordinary. He has great charisma'

When Gustavo Dudamel conducted his Simón Bolívar National Youth Orchestra of Venezuela at the Usher Hall during the Edinburgh festival last year, the mighty old hall had heard nothing like it. A whirlwind of energy swept through the place, a blast of hot-blooded, passionate excitement.

The audience was brought to its feet, whooping and cheering. Richard Holloway, a former bishop of Edinburgh and now chair of the Scottish Arts Council, said: "It became a sort of watercooler event. People were asking afterwards, 'Were you there?' There was probably more kindness in Scotland for about three days afterwards. It enthralled, softened, delighted, chuffed people."

Dudamel, 27, is the hottest property in classical music. For Sir Simon Rattle, "he is the most astonishingly gifted young conductor I have ever come across". Dudamel's other powerful musical supporters include Claudio Abbado and Daniel Barenboim.

There seems an usual degree of agreement that his talent is genuine. Andrew Clements, the Guardian's music critic, said: "He is one of the most exciting talents I have come across."

David Welton, the managing director of the Philharmonia Orchestra who engaged Dudamel for concerts after hearing him at a young conductor's course three years ago, said: "After the first break in the first rehearsal we knew this young man was extraordinary. He clearly has great charisma, but he is also a musician's conductor. People find him incredibly easy to play for."

His prodigious talent has earned him one of the most glamorous jobs in the business: chief conductor of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, from 2009. Even before his arrival the buzz in the city is huge, far outstripping that associated with a classical musician. The Los Angeles Times has even speculated whether he and his wife, the journalist and former dancer Eloisa Maturen, might eclipse David and Victoria Beckham as the city's favourite "It" couple.

More importantly, Dudamel's explosive arrival has given hope that there can be life and energy in a classical music industry that is so often accused of dustiness, insularity and elitism.

Significantly, this energy comes from a non-European tradition. Hiring a Latin American chief conductor for an orchestra whose home city has a huge Hispanic population is, according to Clements, "a cunning decision".

Marshall Marcus, head of music on London's South Bank, where the Simón Bolívar orchestra will be resident for a week next year, takes it further. "In Europe and North America, being a classical musician puts you into a certain social class, even. There's none of that for Dudamel. If you are Venezuelan, you just don't have that baggage."

Dudamel was born in 1981 in Barquisimeto, Lara province. His father played trombone in salsa bands and he is the product of an extraordinary system known as El Sistema, a 33-year-old programme that gives 250,000 children intensive, daily, high-quality music training from the age of two upwards. Many of the children in the scheme live below the poverty line.

Dudamel was, by the age of five, already lining up his toys in the shape of an orchestra. He learnt the violin, but by his early teens was turning his hand to conducting. In the Venezuelan system children play in groups from the start, and those with talent have plenty of chance to conduct from a young age.

His talent was noticed and nurtured by the visionary founder of El Sistema, José Antonio Abreu. His breakthrough on to the international scene came in 2004, when he won the Gustav Mahler conducting competition, aged 23.

The relationship with Abreu remains perhaps the most important in Dudamel's life, beyond his family. Abreu's commitment to the Sistema is rooted in strongly held values: a profound belief in social justice and in the spiritual value of music.

Dudamel shares that kind of rootedness which should protect him from the dizzy highs and undoubted lows of a career in the limelight, thinks Jonathan Mills, director of the Edinburgh international festival. "He is uncommonly down to earth, focused on the music, and very joyful. His values are great, and that doesn't desert people."

At 27, Dudamel is still a young musician of promise, rather than a fully developed artist. According to Marcus: "I have heard him conduct seven concerts over the past 18 months. In every case, there has been uncontrolled hysteria from the audience. Increasingly, he is treated as a near messiah, with receptions far beyond that enjoyed by the likes of Simon Rattle at his age.

"At his best he is supreme. But there is a massive repertoire that he has yet to conquer, and the question 'Where will he be in a couple of decades?' - well, that's the interesting one."

Dudamel conducts the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra at Usher Hall, Edinburgh, on August 12, and at the Proms, London, on August 13.

The CV

Born January 26 1981 in Barquisimeto, Venezuela.

Married Eloísa Maturén in 2006.

Education Started violin lessons at 10. Attended the Jacinto Lara Conservatory and the Latin American Violin Academy. Begun conducting studies with Rodolfo Saglimbeni in 1996 and with José Antonio Abreu in 1999.

Career He has led the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Chicago Symphony, New York Philharmonic, Philharmonia, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, City of Birmingham Symphony, Israel Philharmonic, and Dresden State Orchestra.

Musical director of the Amadeus Chamber Orchestra (1996) and of the Orquesta Sinfónica Simón Bolívar (since 1999), principal conductor of the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra (since 2007). Signed a recording contract with Deutsche Grammophon in 2005. Appointed musical director of the Los Angeles Philarmonic (beginning 2009-10).