French President Emmanuel Macron has bestowed conductor Gustavo Dudamel with the distinction of being an Officer in the French Order of Arts and Letters.

He was issued with the honor following the performance of “Tosca” at the Opéra Bastille on Sept. 3, 2022. Dudamel was previously named Chevalier in the French Order of Arts and Letters in 2009 by former French President Frédéric Mitterrand.

Dudamel was announced as the next music director of the Paris Opera back in April of 2021 and commenced his tenure that fall for the 2021-22 season.

“From the first downbeat, my experience with the artists of the Paris Opera was simply magnificent,” Dudamel said in a press release following his announcement. “The immediate sensation at that decisive encounter – feelings of trust, connection, musicality, and a shared vision – were born from this first meeting in 2017. The exceptional level of the musicians of the Orchestra and the artists of the Chorus and the strong bond that we were able to weave together during the rehearsals and the performances of ‘La Bohème’ are what made me accept Alexander Neef’s proposal.”

In addition to “Tosca,” which runs through Sept. 24, 2022, Dudamel is set for performances of Mahler’s Ninth Symphony in Paris on Sept. 16 and 22. He is also set to lead numerous performances with the Los Angeles Philharmonic throughout the remainder of 2022 and will return to Paris for “Tristan und Isolde” in January. He is also set to conduct “Nixon in China” at the Opéra Bastille in March.