From his childhood in Venezuela’s famed El Sistema music education program to his rise as one of the world’s leading conductors, Gustavo Dudamel reflects on the experiences that shaped his musical life. In conversation with David M. Rubenstein, Dudamel recounts conducting his first orchestra at age eleven, discusses the collaborative art of leading musicians, and shares how he prepares scores entirely from memory. Looking ahead to his tenure as music and artistic director of the New York Philharmonic, he explores the role orchestras can play in connecting communities and inspiring new generations of listeners.

Recorded on September 17, 2025

At the beginning of 1776, virtually no one in the colonies was advocating independence. What changed over the course of one year? From Thomas Paine’s Common Sense in January to the Continental Congress that first grounded the idea of independence, historian Edward Larson, in conversation with David M. Rubenstein, traces a narrative path that reminds us why, as we approach the 250th anniversary of American independence, 1776 matters.

Recorded on January 26, 2026

Secretary of defense and friend and ally to two presidents, Robert S. McNamara was one of the most controversial men in American history for his role in the Vietnam War. Beyond his time at Harvard Law, his service during World War II, and his leadership of the Ford Motor Company and the World Bank, he is inevitably remembered for his fierce escalation of an unpopular and arguably unwinnable war. Authors Philip and William Taubman join David M. Rubenstein to provide a window into McNamara’s mind, including his relationship with the Kennedy family and the evolution of his views on Vietnam.

Recorded on January 16, 2026

The American Revolution was three wars rolled into one: a fight for independence, a civil conflict, and a struggle between nations. In this conversation with David M. Rubenstein, bestselling author Geoffrey Ward examines the many sides of the war through the stories of not just the Founding Fathers, but the soldiers, women, Loyalists, and others whose lives—and country—were forever changed by the movement. 

Recorded on December 12, 2025

The teenagers who made up the US Naval Academy class of 1940 arrived in Annapolis as boys on the eve of Hitler’s aggression and graduated as Europe collapsed, only to find themselves thrust into every major front of World War II, from Pearl Harbor to Tokyo Bay and Normandy. Renowned military historian Craig Symonds joins David M. Rubenstein to discuss the young men’s sacrifice, loss, and extraordinary coming-of-age in history’s deadliest conflict.

Recorded on November 24, 2025

History may be written by the victors, but it is illustrated by its painters, and perhaps few so famously or evocatively as John Trumbull—American Revolution army officer, spy, artist. In this conversation with David M. Rubenstein, Richard Brookhiser, Trumbull biographer and senior editor at National Review, delves into Trumbull’s tumultuous life.

Recorded on November 14, 2025

Covering 2.2 million acres, Yellowstone National Park is a geographic behemoth and, as the birthplace of America’s national park system, a cultural giant as well. But since its official establishment in 1872, the bucolic lands have been the source of frequent conflict: between Native Americans and Europeans, and tourism and environmental conservation. In this episode, prizewinning author Randall K. Wilson explores the complex history of the park, from its geological roots to its role in our understanding of the environment and our nation as a whole.

Recorded on August 25, 2025

Some of the most significant moments in American history have occurred over meals, as US presidents broke bread to strengthen alliances, diffuse tensions, and broker peace: Thomas Jefferson’s nation-building receptions; Richard Nixon’s practiced use of chopsticks to pry open China; Jimmy Carter’s cakes and pies that fueled a détente between Israel and Egypt at Camp David. Author Alex Prud’homme joins David M. Rubenstein to discuss the political power wielded by the White House kitchen.

Recorded on June 30, 2024

Elizabeth Schuyler Hamilton’s gravestone identifies her merely as the daughter of Philip Schuyler and the widow of Alexander Hamilton, while her sister, Angelica, has only a marker next to the Livingston family vault, but neither memorial does justice to the complexity of the two women. Eliza was a vital aid to her husband’s political efforts, as well as a later reformer in her own right, and Angelica was a socialite who maintained friendships with the likes of Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson. In this conversation, historian Amanda Vaill offers a fuller portrait of these women and the Founding Era.

Recorded on November 7, 2025

In addition to being America’s first vice president and second president, Founding Father John Adams was a diplomat, the father of another president, and an avid diarist. In this conversation with David M. Rubenstein, Gordon S. Wood, Pulitzer Prize-winning historian of the Revolutionary era, tackles this multifaceted figure, from his role in the birth of our nation to the precedents he set for all those who followed him.

Recorded on September 4, 2025