As the Los Angeles Philharmonic kicks off its 95th season, it will do so with decided reverence for its past and steely resolution regarding its future. Over the course of the 2013/2014 season, the L.A. Phil will mark the 10th Anniversary of the Walt Disney Concert Hall with a series of events and special performances scaled to match not only the gravity of the occasion, but also the significant impact that both the venue and the Philharmonic have had and continue to have on the Los Angeles community.
A month-long celebration will begin in earnest on Monday, Sept. 30, with a highly anticipated opening night gala featuring Music Director Gustavo Dudamel, world-renowned cellist Yo-Yo Ma and an installation by video artist and director Netia Jones.
“The 10th birthday of Walt Disney Concert Hall is a wonderful reason for our great city of Los Angeles to celebrate,” Dudamel said via a press release. “Our friend and colleague, Frank Gehry, lovingly built this world-renowned masterpiece as a living room for the people, and we get to share it with you through our music-making. This season, I am excited by all of our musical offerings, from the works that inspired me to become a musician to the numerous commissions and premieres that have become a trademark of the L.A. Phil. An additional delight for me is to have my two musical families—the L.A. Phil and the Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra of Venezuela—working together once again, this time with Tchaikovsky.”
The collaboration of the L.A. Phil and the Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra of Venezuela is but one of the spectacular highlights of the season ahead. In total, the 2013/2014 season will see a record number of commissions and premieres—13 commissions, 11 world premieres, four U.S. premieres and four West Coast premieres—from the L.A. Phil.
A few notable performances to jot down on your calendars include:
Mon., Oct. 7: An Evening with Fiona Apple & Blake Mills
Fiona Apple will perform an intimate, one-night-only concert that will feature songs throughout her career.
Tue., Nov. 5: Rita Wilson and Friends
L.A.-born actress and wife of Tom Hanks promises to reveal her expressive, denim-and-suede vocals in a nostalgic throwback to the soft rock of L.A. in the 1970s and early ‘80s, seen from a point of grown-up serenity and knowing humor.
Sun., Feb. 9: Herbie Hancock, Dianne Reeves & Christian McBride
To celebrate 10 years of Walt Disney Concert Hall, all of the L.A. Phil’s Creative Chair for Jazz artists will come together for a special, improvisational, one-of-a-kind night.
Sat., April 26: Cheyenne Jackson, Music of the Mad Men Era
Cheyenne Jackson—star of Broadway, Glee and 30 Rock—will perform swinging tunes from a time when bossa nova was new, the lounges of Las Vegas were hip and catchy new dance music was all the rage.
For a complete look at the 2013/2014 LA Phil season schedule, go to laphil.com.
