Red-hot maestro Gustavo Dudamel on how his orchestra is changing the world. Plus, the return of Hamer Hall.

The September issue of Limelight is available now in newsagents and from our online store. The cover star, firebrand young Venezuelan conductor Gustavo Dudamel, tells his inspirational story: how he rose through the ranks of the revolutionary El Sistema music education program to become the world’s most in-demand maestro. His thrilling new CD of Beethoven’s Eroica is Limelight‘s Recording of the Month.

We celebrate Hamer Hall’s rebirth following extensive renovations to the tune of $135.8 million. Could Melbourne’s once-dodgy hall have become the country’s finest concert venue? Limelight delivers the verdict.

SIPCA 2012 winner Avan Yu shares the secrets of his success in his exclusive, tell-all Sydney International Piano Competition diary.

We delve into one of the most tantalising mysteries in classical music: the inspiration behind Elgar’s Enigma Variations.

Meanwhile, in composition today, Andrew Ford reflects on Australian classical music’s identity crisis, and we catch up with one of Australia’s greatest musical iconoclasts: composer, violinist and adventurer Jon Rose.