THE LOS ANGELES PHILHARMONIC ANNOUNCES THE FORD 2024 SEASON
Highlights include:
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Performances from Airborne Toxic Event, Alan Cumming and Ari Shapiro, José Feliciano and Tres Souls, Guster with the LA Phil, Prateek Kuhad, Meridian Brothers, Jeff Rosenstock, Devendra Banhart, Leith Ross and many more
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Three-concert residency curated by Jazz Is Dead record label spotlights inventive music by the Mizell Brothers, Ebo Taylor, Pat Thomas, Azymuth and Marcos Valle
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Natural World of Studio Ghibli explores the themes of nature and our place in it through three films by legendary Japanese studio
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The Motherboard Suite, featuring Saul Williams and directed by Bill T. Jones, explores intersection of race and technology tinted in Afrofuturism
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A celebration of J Dilla commemorating what would have been his 50th birthday with the legendary DJ Battlecat, Bilal plus J. Rocc & Special Guests
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Michelle Dorrance brings together dance stars from across the country in a night featuring world premieres and cutting-edge tap
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New project from contemporary Indian dance company Blue13 100 Seconds to Midnight draws inspiration from the “Doomsday Clock”
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Second annual Noche de Cumbia at The Ford with performances from Reyna Tropical and Los Gaiteros de San Jacinto
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Stephin Merritt of The Magnetic Fields joined by Song Exploder host Hrishikesh Hirway to delve deep into the band’s seminal album 69 Love Songs on its 25th anniversary
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Grandeza Mexicana Folk Ballet Company presents a new program highlighting the Mexican Revolution, with a special lens on women who fought for freedom in the war
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Partnership with Street Food Cinema for screenings of The Shining and Young Frankenstein
LOS ANGELES (April 16, 2024) – The Los Angeles Philharmonic Association today announces The Ford’s 2024 season, featuring performances from July 14 to October 31. This season, the fifth since the LA Phil began its stewardship of the beloved open-air amphitheater, a jewel nested in the Hollywood Hills, features a wide range of multidisciplinary and intercultural performances. The Ford 2024 season is teeming with innovative presentations incorporating music, dance, film, theater, poetry and spoken word, the return of the beloved LA Soundscapes family programming series; and the continuation of FordLab, designed to provide larger platforms for local and regional producers.
“There is such joy in bringing projects to life in partnership with artists,” said Cynthia Fuentes, Director of The Ford. “We aim to foster unique ideas, voices and presentations to create a season that tells a special story about Los Angeles. We are proud to welcome such a broad range of artists, art forms and communities to The Ford’s 2024 season. Our stage gives artists the space to be creative and explore new concepts and approaches. It also connects them with an audience who fully appreciates the one-of-a-kind experiences that happen in this space.”
Daniel Song, Interim CEO for the Los Angeles Philharmonic said, “The Ford brings such excitement to the LA Phil family. It is a place to take curatorial chances, whether on an emerging artist who is starting to break through in the vibrant LA music scene or a headline performer seeking to experiment with new work or perform in a more intimate setting. The Ford is no longer a ‘best kept secret’ among Angelenos, but a premier performance venue that is steeped in the rich musical history of Los Angeles and a coveted destination for artists and audiences alike.”
Music, Dance and Multidisciplinary Performances
DJ Battlecat pays tribute to fellow architect of West Coast hip-hop sound James Dewitt Yancey, better known as J Dilla, in honor of what would have been his 50th birthday, at DILLA JAZZ featuring DJ Battlecat and Bilal, plus J. Rocc & Special Guests. Presented in partnership with Just Jazz and Fusicology, DJ Battlecat brings together special guests to recreate some of J Dilla’s most iconic beats (July 18). Guster, who have been performing their brand of acoustic folk and pop for 32 years, bring their career-spanning concert to The Ford to perform with the LA Phil (July 20). Indian singer-songwriter Prateek Kuhad (July 26) brings a folk-inspired sets to The Ford, and Colombian band Meridian Brothers take the audience through a psychedelic tour of the history of Latin American tropical music (July 28).
Artist and activist Marc Bamuthi Joseph and longtime collaborator, composer and violinist Daniel Bernard Roumain, present The Just and the Blind, a multimedia performance that illuminates the unseen and under-heard experiences of incarcerated youth and the realities their families face by exploring the themes of racial profiling, sentencing and the prison-industrial complex from the perspectives of fathers of Black and Brown children (August 2). The 8th Annual Boleros De Noche evening returns, with the legendary José Feliciano and Tres Souls, to uplift and celebrate the history of Latin American bolero music in Los Angeles (August 3). Music and movement are combined for a night of visceral Afrofuturism with The Motherboard Suite, featuring groundbreaking artist Saul Williams directed by MacArthur Fellow Bill T. Jones. The work includes seven choreographers moving through a progression of otherworldly scenes (August 9). Argentinian band Los Cafres, one of the foremost reggae bands in Latin America, comes to The Ford (August 10). Grandeza Mexicana Folk Ballet Company presents its new program 100 Años de Libertad, which pays tribute to the men and particularly women who changed history fighting for freedom in the Mexican Revolution (August 17).
MacArthur Award recipient Michelle Dorrance brings together dynamic tap dancers, including Jillian Meyers and Josette Wiggan, from both coasts for a night of expansive dance (September 6). All bets are off and everything is a possibility when LA-based multi-instrumentalist Jeff Rosenstock pushes the parameters of punk rock at The Ford (September 13). Audiences can join the largest Quinceañera of the year at ¡Viva La Tradición! La Quinceañera featuring Las Colibrí, Mariachi Angeles de Pepe Martinez Jr., Julian Torres, Los Del Momento and Ballet Folklorico Ollin (September 14). As part of a joint Cumbia celebration with the Hollywood Bowl, Cumbiatón LA returns for their second annual Noche de Cumbia, offering a musical and visual journey through the origins of the beloved Afro-Indigenous sounds that created the music and dance genre. With Reyna Tropical, Los Gaiteros de San Jacinto and more special guests, the performance is produced in partnership with Cumbiatón LA and supported by Cumbiatón DJ’s as well as both traditional and contemporary Cumbia dancers from the United States and Mexico (September 21). The new contemporary dance project 100 Seconds to Midnight, choreographed by Achinta S. McDaniel for Blue13 Dance Company, draws inspiration from the infamous Doomsday Clock, a metaphorical countdown to indicate humanity’s proximity to global catastrophe that was created by J. Robert Oppenheimer, Albert Einstein and other prominent scientists. Rooted in the concept of doomsday as experienced by those who identify as South Asian, the poignant work explores themes of intersectional identities and histories, the erasure of Asian American, Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander (AANHPI) people in the United States, the generational effects of colonization, women’s duty, tradition and assimilation (September 28).
American-Venezuelan singer-songwriter Devendra Banhart who embraces an astonishingly wide range of musical ideas, from folk to blues to the avant-garde, returns to The Ford with Angeleno’s own singer-songwriter Marina Allen as opener (October 2). Island Womxn Rise showcases a wide range of Filipina talent from hip-hop trailblazers to rising stars. The event shares messages of pride and self-love with performances by Ruby Ibarra, Klassy, Rocky Rivera, Faith Santilla and Kimmortal (October 5). Alan Cumming and Ari Shapiro come together for a whimsical night of mirth and mayhem under the musical direction of Henry Koperski to debut of their new show Och & Oy! A Considered Cabaret (October 11). Airborne Toxic Event, known for their dramatic blend of rock and electronic music with orchestral arrangements (October 18) and Canadian, Juno Award-nominated singer-songwriter Leith Ross (October 19) make their venue debuts at The Ford.
Special Series
Jazz Is Dead is a landmark concert series and record label co-founded by music producers Adrian Younge, Ali Shaheed Muhammad (A Tribe Called Quest), concert producer Andrew Lojero and industry veteran Adam Block that highlights artists working on the outer edges of sound. ArtDontSleep partners with The Ford for a three-concert residency curated by Jazz Is Dead that spotlights their trademark, deep explorations of soulful music culture. The Mizell Brothers honors Larry and Alphonso “Fonce” Mizell, who revolutionized jazz-funk under the name Sky High Productions. Larry celebrates his 80th birthday with jazz luminaries Gary Bartz and The Blackbyrds as well as rising talents Melanie Charles and Katalyst (August 28). Jazz Está Morto: Marcos Valle, Azymuth with Special Guest Brainstory brings together two legends that shaped the music scene in 1970s Rio de Janeiro. The Brazilian musicians set off an electrifying evening of samba (September 17). Ghanaian guitarist, composer and producer Ebo Taylor’s 50-year career has combined traditional African music with American jazz and funk, and Taylor is joined by his longtime collaborator Ghanian highlife vocalist Pat Thomas (October 9).
The Natural World of Studio Ghibli celebrates the legendary animation studios’ films whose themes often explore natural environments, our relationship with nature and the spiritual aspect of the natural world. Experience classic Studio Ghibli films screened in Japanese with English subtitles presented in the picturesque outdoor setting of The Ford, including a showing of Princess Mononoke (August 23), the Oscar-winning Spirited Away (August 24) and a 40th anniversary screening of Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (August 25.)
Spoken Word and Film
The acclaimed culture podcast Vibe Check comes to The Ford, featuring audio-journalist Sam Sanders, poet Saeed Jones and theater producer Zach Stafford (July 14). The celebrated podcast Song Exploder comes to The Ford with host Hrishikesh Hirway and guest artist Stephin Merritt of The Magnetic Fields marking the 25th anniversary of the band's opus, 69 Love Songs, by deconstructing some of the album’s iconic tracks, followed by an intimate solo performance (July 24). The always-high-energy Flypoet Summer Classic returns to The Ford featuring leading performers who are National Spoken Word Champions, Grammy winners and more for an entertaining night of art, music and lyrical fire (September 7). The Ford partners with Street Food Cinema for a screening of the haunting horror staple The Shining (October 30) as well as the 50th anniversary celebration of cult classic Young Frankenstein (October 31). Both screenings will include pre-show events and encourage attendees to come in costume.
Family Programming
The return of the LA Soundscapes Family Shows begins with Bloco Obini, the all-female ensemble whose affirming power utilizes the healing spirit of the drum to educate, uplift and empower the community (August 11). A “tsunami of sound,” TAIKOPROJECT creates a thundering rhythm and sea of impactful movement by uniting ancient Japanese drumming tradition with 21st century American innovation (August 18). ¡FIESTA! brings a love letter to Latin America more than 50 years after the first iteration of ¡FIESTA! with a puppet show for a new generation of audiences (September 15). Un Fandanguito con Caña Dulce y Caña Brava features the energetic dancing and percussive stomping, innovative harp and guitar arrangements, and sounds and sentiments of son jarocho, the centuries-old tradition rooted in Spanish, African and Native cultures (September 29).
Partnerships
For the fourth consecutive year, The Ford's Community Residencies program will invite five photographers from the Las Fotos Project’s Creative Entrepreneurship Opportunities (LFP CEO) program to capture select concerts at The Ford. This partnership with LFP CEO, a social enterprise guiding teenage girls and gender-expansive youth to broaden their portfolios through hands-on experiences, contributes to the growth of this cohort’s professional development. This collaboration highlights The Ford's commitment to the LA Phil's dedication to Los Angeles communities and youth, increasing opportunities for youth-centered career development in the arts.
The Ford is excited to continue our partnership with LA Commons and pilot an apprenticeship program geared towards young professionals interested in live-event production. As LA Commons has worked in facilitating artistic processes that tell the stories of Los Angeles, four artists will create and facilitate the LA Soundscapes pre-concert art activities for LA Soundscapes audience members that represent LA’s culturally rich and multigenerational communities.
Ticketing
Ticket packages for The Ford are available online here beginning today. Single tickets will go on sale Tuesday, May 14 at 10AM. Programs, artists, dates, prices and availability are subject to change. Ticket limits may apply.
The LA Soundscapes series includes up to two FREE tickets for children 12 and under with every full-priced ticket purchased.
Shuttles and Parking
Shuttle service to The Ford includes service from Ovation Hollywood at Hollywood and Highland, as well as the Universal City/Studio City Metro station lot. Additional information about parking and shuttles is available here.
Press Materials
Cynthia Fuentes Biography (English)
Cynthia Fuentes Biography (Español)
Public Relations and Press Queries
Anna Ress
anna.ress@laphil.org
Leah Price
leah.price@laphil.org
Laura Cohen
lcmediapr@gmail.com
Tim Choy, Davidson Choy Publicity
t.choy@dcpublicity.com
Tess Carges
tess.carges@laphil.org
Thank You
The LA Phil thanks the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors for its support and funding, which brings performing arts to the people of Los Angeles. We value our partnership with the Los Angeles County Department of Parks and Recreation and thank it for its collaboration and funding of programming all summer long. The Ford is a Los Angeles County Department of Parks and Recreation cultural and performing arts park under the stewardship of the LA Phil.
About The Ford
The Ford is one of the oldest performing arts venues in Los Angeles, with an outdoor 1,200-seat amphitheater and a rich history dating back to 1920. Situated in a 32-acre park and under the stewardship of the Los Angeles Philharmonic Association, The Ford presents an eclectic summer season of music, dance, film and family events that are reflective of the communities of Los Angeles.
About the LA Phil
Under the leadership of Music & Artistic Director Gustavo Dudamel, the LA Phil offers live performances, media initiatives and learning programs that inspire and strengthen communities in Los Angeles and beyond. The Los Angeles Philharmonic orchestra is the foundation of the LA Phil’s offerings, which also include a multi-genre, multidisciplinary presenting program and such youth development programs as YOLA (Youth Orchestra Los Angeles). Performances are offered on three historic stages—Walt Disney Concert Hall, the Hollywood Bowl and The Ford—as well as through a variety of media platforms. In all its endeavors, the LA Phil seeks to enrich the lives of individuals and communities through musical, artistic and learning experiences that resonate in our world today.