Gustavo Dudamel exudes energy from every pore, as if the genius inside him wants to get out. His passion is undeniably Latino, but his musical talent makes him a citizen of the world — and that is how he has conquered numerous cities.

Dudamel recently set out to conquer Los Angeles, and he’s off to a fine start.

The Venezuelan musician is the new conductor of the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra, and he’s already become a classical music idol, helped along by an advertising campaign that can be seen on everything from public transportation to billboards and various other media around town.

Everyone is talking about him, everyone wants a picture with him, a hot dog at famous Pink’s has even been named “Dude Dog” after him, offering a topping of guacamole, jalapeño chili, fajita sauce, white and yellow cheese — and chips on the side.

Now the work starts, as Dudamel starts his duties conducting the LA Phil for the 2009-2010 season as the successor to Esa-Pekka Salonen’s successor.

“For me, it is really exciting to start my first season as music director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic,” Dudamel said recently. “In the first place, this is a beautiful challenge, and in the second place, it’s a wonderful opportunity to make great music with my new LA Phil family. The most important thing is to enjoy our time together.”

As part of the promotion before his lineup of concerts began, Dudamel offered a free show called “¡Bienvenido, Gustavo!” on October 3 at the Hollywood Bowl. He conducted the Expo Center Youth Orchestra and the Bowl Philharmonic for a crowd of 18,000 that was treated to a culmination complete with fireworks.

The show was presented live in high definition over the Philharmonic’s Internet portal — the first such effort by institution.

Dudamel said that he wanted an eclectic concert as a way to showcase Los Angeles’ musical diversity — and he especially wanted the tickets to be free.

“Involving the community in the arts is one of our most important goals,” he said when he announced the concert well in advance. “Classical music has been separated from the community; and even in this century, access to it is very limited.”

Next came a gala concert — “Gustavo Dudamel and the Los Angeles Philharmonic: The Inaugural Concert” — on October 8 in the Walt Disney Hall in Downtown Los Angeles, where most of the LA Phil season will take place. Dudamel chose a program that included Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No. 1 in D Major (Titan). He also delighted the audience with the world premiere of the latest work by the Pulitzer Prize-winning music composer John Adams, a symphony called City Noir and inspired by the mood and ambience of Los Angeles ‘noir’ films, especially those produced in the late 40’s and early 50’s.

Dudamel has currently become one of the most important and most popular stars in the world of classical music. The New York Times has compared him to talented conductors such as Bernstein, Metha and even Von Karajan, himself. Time magazine recently named him on its yearly list of the most influential people in the world for 2009 — and he is not even 29 years old yet.

Shana Mathur, the LA Phil’s vice president of marketing and communications, said that the intense promotional campaign for Dudamel’s inaugural season is intended to spread classical music to all communities.

“We wanted to introduce Gustavo, and to let people really get to know his personality through the colors and images and descriptive words that encompass his energy,” Mathur said. “We also tried to introduce the Spanish language to the general market and use adjectives that could be easily understood by those who don’t speak Spanish.”

That led to an advertising campaign with taglines such as “Bravo Gusto,” which hardly needs translation.

“It’s a way to be fun and reach all of Los Angeles,” Mathur said. “As a conductor, he (Dudamel) reaches more people than a regular conductor, so we had to talk louder than usual. This is a new era for the Philharmonic and we want to invite all kinds of people to experience classical music.”