GUSTAVO DUDAMEL AND THE LA PHIL ANNOUNCE NEW MEDIA PARTNERSHIPS
AND DIGITAL, ARTISTIC AND LEARNING INITIATIVES
AS THE FALL 2020 SEASON AT WALT DISNEY CONCERT HALL IS CANCELED 

Partners include PBS, NPR AFFILIATES, APM, Deutsche Grammophon
Programs include LA Phil Orchestral Streaming Series and Online Ford Festivals 

YOLA Brings Open-Source Learning Online with YOLA National at Home
to Support and Educate
Young Musicians and Teachers Across the Country

LOS ANGELES, CA, July 16, 2020—Los Angeles Philharmonic Music & Artistic Director Gustavo Dudamel and David C. Bohnett Chair Chief Executive Officer Chad Smith today announced a far-reaching set of media partnerships and digital initiatives designed to bring the music and programming of the LA Phil to the broadest possible audience. Wide-ranging programs on multiple platforms will make the LA Phil’s work accessible while Walt Disney Concert Hall, the Hollywood Bowl and The Ford are dark due to COVID-19. That period has been extended, as the LA Phil has canceled its fall 2020 season at Walt Disney Concert Hall through December 31, 2020 in response to the guidance of public health officials.

Chad Smith said, “Under Gustavo’s leadership, we are finding creative ways forward during an otherwise uncertain time. We are leveraging established media partnerships, doubling down on YOLA, and taking an ideas-driven approach to our programming. The future of the LA Phil is very much a reflection of the values Dudamel embodies as an artistic leader. These investments will enable us to bring music, learning programs and important conversations to the largest audience possible in Los Angeles and beyond. We are grateful for the leadership of our Board and for the ongoing support of donors who make our work possible. We are also fortunate to have the collaboration of our innovative orchestra in moving this work forward, as well as some of the finest media and programming partners in their fields. The projects we announce today will serve the public both now and long after we celebrate the reopening of Walt Disney Concert Hall, the Hollywood Bowl and The Ford.” 

Gustavo Dudamel said, “The silencing of our music has been deafening. I have been working non-stop since March, here in California, to find new, safe and impactful ways to address how we will adapt to the many challenges we are facing as both an institution and an art form. I believe that the LA Phil is uniquely equipped to address this ever-changing situation: We have always spoken about a ’culture of the new‘ in Los Angeles, and we intend now to embrace that ideal with a renewed commitment and passionate energy.

“I've spent these days speaking with the members of our extraordinary orchestra and board, attending countless online meetings with our committed staff, creating media and broadcasting projects with our loyal partners, recording socially distanced performances at the Hollywood Bowl, and continuing to teach our young YOLA students to hold on to their hopes, dreams and that unique form of California optimism. The arts must now play a stronger role than ever in our new society, and I join alongside all of our allies, never ceasing to hope, dream and work toward better times.

“The music we make is for everyone. It unites us in our diversity and comforts our souls in moments of crisis. I hope that our offerings delight and inspire, and look forward to seeing everyone in brighter days, when we can gather and share our music together again.”

The media partnerships and programmatic initiatives being announced today represent all of the LA Phil’s venues (Walt Disney Concert Hall, the Hollywood Bowl and The Ford) as well as its signature learning initiative, Youth Orchestra Los Angeles, better known as YOLA. These programs leverage several pre-existing relationships with organizations like PBS, Deutsche Grammophon, KUSC and KCRW, while also establishing new community-based partnerships in support of our humanities-related initiatives and The Ford’s online offerings. New and expanded activities include:  

Broadcasts

In Concert at the Hollywood Bowl

A six-episode television series hosted by Gustavo Dudamel, In Concert at the Hollywood Bowl provides unprecedented access to the past decade of orchestral, rock, jazz, dance and songs from Broadway musicals and the movies at the Hollywood Bowl. Airing Wednesdays at 9pm locally on KCET beginning August 19 and Fridays at 8pm on PBS SoCal beginning August 21 as well as on PBS stations nationwide in early 2021, In Concert at the Hollywood Bowl includes archival performances by Gustavo Dudamel and the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Rodrigo y Gabriela, Natalia Lafourcade, Los Angeles Azules, La Santa Cecilia, Misty Copeland, Dianne Reeves, Kamasi Washington, Herbie Hancock, Carlos Santana, Cindy Blackman Santana, Wayne Shorter, Kristin Chenoweth, Audra McDonald, Sutton Foster, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Vin Scully, Carlos Vives,  Café Tacvba, Pink Martini, Thomas Wilkins, Nile Rodgers & CHIC, John Williams, and more.

In addition to unforgettable concert performances, the program produced in partnership with KCET also offers artist conversations and insights into the Hollywood Bowl’s unique history as a venue created to democratize the concert experience and that has, since its founding, welcomed artists from diverse cultural backgrounds. 

LA Phil x KCRW: World Festival at the Hollywood Bowl

Created in partnership with the LA Phil, KCRW’s World Festival has been bringing an eclectic array of artists from around the world to the Hollywood Bowl stage for 20 years. Following the cancellation of the 2020 Bowl season due to COVID-19, the LA Phil and KCRW, Southern California’s flagship public radio station, collaborate to present highlights of past World Festivals through an exclusive series of archival concerts to be broadcast this summer.

National and International Radio Broadcasts

Building on the success of the “At Home with Gustavo” program, the LA Phil will continue its expansive worldwide radio broadcasts and the on-demand streaming of LA Phil concerts from Walt Disney Concert Hall with Classic FM in the UK, WFMT, American Public Media’s Performance Today and SymphonyCast programs, and listener-supported KUSC this fall.

Online Programs

Los Angeles Philharmonic Streaming Concert Series

As public health guidelines allow, Gustavo Dudamel and the Los Angeles Philharmonic will capture a series of concerts at the Hollywood Bowl for online streaming. Featuring a diverse range of composers and exploring themes ranging from suffrage to neoclassicism to the meaning of goodbyes, the concerts were designed with media in mind – they will be easily accessible online and include additional documentary content that provides context for the music being performed while also connecting the work to our contemporary moment and other modes of artistic expression. Additional information will be available at the beginning of August. 

The Ford

Beginning this August, The Ford will bring its commitment to supporting the diverse cultural communities of Los Angeles online through a series of new and archival streaming performances, in-depth conversations, family workshops and virtual festivals. These programs will engage returning Ford artists as well as community-based organizations new to The Ford. Special attention will be given to local artists collectives, with programmatic focuses on contemporary Native American cultural expressions, the intersection of Black street dance and activism and the food justice movement. In the spirit of The Ford being an accessible space for intercultural dialogue, all events will be free.

YOLA National and Online Learning Hub

Since the start of the pandemic, the LA Phil has worked to ensure the continuation of YOLA online while also expanding its offerings in the digital space more broadly. The organization is currently staging YOLA National at Home, which will run through July 31. The online symposium provides free learning opportunities for young people and adults, including open-source courses, masterclasses with LA Phil musicians and keynote addresses by Gustavo Dudamel and Thomas Wilkins. The symposium’s content is available on-demand via YouTube and the LA Phil website to anyone who registers here.

This content will additionally form the basis of a more robust online Learning Resource hub, which will include artistic conversations, video masterclasses, activity books and curricular materials for young learners, composer listening guides, curated playlists and access to more than 100 Upbeat Live podcasts featuring discussions with the leading artistic and intellectual voices of our day. 

Recordings

Ives Symphony Cycle

On August 28, Deutsche Grammophon will digitally release Gustavo Dudamel and the Los Angeles Philharmonic’s performance of the complete Charles Ives symphony cycle at Walt Disney Concert Hall. The rarely heard symphony cycle was recorded shortly before the start of the pandemic as part of the LA Phil’s Dvořák and Ives festival and was made possible by Michele Moehring.

John Adams, Must the Devil Have All the Good Tunes?

The Dolby Atmos and e-video release of John Adams’ piano concerto Must the Devil Have All the Good Tunes?, recorded by Gustavo Dudamel and the Los Angeles Philharmonic featuring pianist Yuja Wang at Walt Disney Concert Hall, will be released on August 21 and as a limited edition 1LP vinyl on October 16 by Deutsche Grammophon. The piece, which was recorded in March 2019 and released digitally in April 2020, was made possible by the Lenore S. and Bernard A. Greenberg Fund.

Future Albums

In the coming months, the LA Phil will continue to release albums previously recorded, such as Dvořák’s Symphonies 7, 8 and 9; Schumann’s complete symphony cycle; and the world premiere recording of Louis Andriessen’s The only one, which was commissioned by the LA Phil with generous support from the MaddocksBrown Fund for New Music and recorded by Esa-Pekka Salonen with guest vocalist Nora Fischer at Walt Disney Concert Hall.

Play Your Part

Fundraising Campaign

The LA Phil launched the “Play Your Part” fundraising campaign to help mitigate the approximately $90M revenue loss it will experience as a result of COVID-19. The campaign helps to support the LA Phil’s operations and programs like YOLA, which have continued to operate throughout the pandemic.

Thomas L. Beckmen, LA Phil Board Chair, said, “The LA Phil gives Los Angeles so much, year in and year out, whether it’s bringing inspiration to us by performing at Walt Disney Concert Hall, spreading joy at the Hollywood Bowl, energizing the community at The Ford, or reaching out to our young people through YOLA. Now all of us must do what we can to play our part and keep this great institution vital for the future until we are able to gather together again.” 

Online Benefit Concert

On August 7, the LA Phil will debut the “Play Your Part” online benefit concert featuring Gustavo Dudamel, Thomas Wilkins, and the GRAMMY Award-winning producer and singer-songwriter Brandi Carlile. Carlile had been scheduled to open the Hollywood Bowl’s 2020 season with the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra and YOLA. Following the season’s cancellation, she instead connected with the young musicians of YOLA online, and they will perform together as part of the “Play Your Part” benefit. The program will be available for streaming on-demand from August 7 till 14 on the Hollywood Bowl website.  

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Additional Information for Ticketholders

Ticket holders with questions about the cancelation of the fall 2020 Walt Disney Concert Hall season can contact the LA Phil by email at information@laphil.org or by phone at 323 850 2000 between 10am and 5pm Monday through Friday. To avoid experiencing longer than normal wait times due to heavy phone volume, email is encouraged. 

For more information about Walt Disney Concert Hall, the Hollywood Bowl and The Ford, please visit the following link.

About the Los Angeles Philharmonic

The Los Angeles Philharmonic Association, under the vibrant leadership of Music & Artistic Director Gustavo Dudamel, presents an inspiring array of live performances – orchestral, pop, rock, country, jazz, blues, Latin, world music, opera, chamber, Baroque, organ and celebrity recitals, theatrical performances, explorations of film music, dance, comedy, groundbreaking multimedia productions and an unmatched commitment to commissioning and performing music from the composers of today – at three of L.A.’s iconic venues, Walt Disney Concert Hall (laphil.com), the Hollywood Bowl (hollywoodbowl.com) and The Ford (theford.com). The LA Phil’s season at Walt Disney Concert Hall extends from September to June and at the Hollywood Bowl and The Ford throughout the summer. With the preeminent Los Angeles Philharmonic at the foundation of its offerings, the LA Phil aims to enrich and transform lives through music, with a robust mix of artistic, learning and community programs.