LOS ANGELES PHILHARMONIC ANNOUNCES
20TH ANNIVERSARY SEASON AT WALT DISNEY CONCERT HALL

20 YEARS AND BEYOND

2023/24 Season Highlights Include:

• Season-long tribute to Walt Disney Concert Hall architect Frank Gehry

• California Festival, a statewide celebration of new music with over 50 partnering institutions

• John Williams two-year retrospective honoring the music of the movies

• Revival of acclaimed Fidelio opera production, in collaboration with Deaf West Theatre, the Dudamel Foundation and El Sistema’s Coro de Manos Blancas (White Hands Choir)

• 12 world premieres of LA Phil commissions

Guest conductors include Esa-Pekka Salonen, Zubin Mehta, Susanna Mälkki, John Adams, Thomas Wilkins, Michael Tilson Thomas, Thomas Adès, Herbert Blomstedt, Simone Young and Louis Langrée among others 

Guest artists include Yefim Bronfman, Herbie Hancock, Maria João Pires, Yuja Wang, María Dueñas, Itzhak Perlman, Sheku Kanneh-Mason, Yo-Yo Ma, Anthony McGill, Ryan Speedo Green, Tamara Wilson, Japanese Breakfast, Marisa Monte, Jamie Cullum, Cécile McLorin Salvant, Natalie Merchant and many more 

LOS ANGELES (February 28, 2023) – Los Angeles Philharmonic Music & Artistic Director Gustavo Dudamel, Walt and Lilly Disney Chair, and Chief Executive Officer Chad Smith, David C. Bohnett Chief Executive Officer Chair, today announced details of the orchestra’s 20th anniversary season at the Frank Gehry-designed Walt Disney Concert Hall. The 2023/24 season, “20 Years and Beyond,” is inspired by Gehry’s innovative, groundbreaking design of the iconic home of the Los Angeles Philharmonic and will present a diverse range of artists and performances. Curated to invite audiences into an exploration of Los Angeles’ limitless creativity, the season will present one-of-a-kind experiences that demonstrate what can happen when world-class artists and ambitious ideas converge at one the world’s most notable venues. The 2023/24 season further advances the LA Phil’s commitment to building upon the legacy and expanding the future of music, from co-producing the first-ever California Festival, a statewide celebration of new music, to introducing programs that honor and celebrate those who have helped define decades of artistry.  

Gustavo Dudamel said, “This season we celebrate an icon, Frank Gehry, and his iconic creation, Walt Disney Concert Hall, an extraordinary building that has shown us new ways to look, listen, feel and create. Our programs echo that same spirit of endless exploration, from the statewide creative explosion of the California Festival to the continent-spanning Pan-American Music Initiative, to the fantastical world-building scores of John Williams, to the revival of our groundbreaking production of Beethoven's Fidelio with Deaf West Theatre and the Coro de Manos Blancas (White Hands Choir) - a production that took us to the most profound depths of the human experience. We look forward to sharing this journey with you.” 

Chad Smith said, “Since its opening 20 years ago, Walt Disney Concert Hall has welcomed Angelenos, Californians, and people from all over the world to be moved by extraordinary music. An anniversary year like this one not only invites us to look back at a historic 20 years of creativity in this inspiring hall but also invites us to continue to challenge convention and take artistic risks as we look ahead toward our future.” 

This season features several major initiatives envisioned by Dudamel, including a season-spanning celebration of architect Frank Gehry; the California Festival: A Celebration of New Music, a two-week, statewide festival of music written within the past five years from around the world; the launch of a two-year retrospective on the music of the movies curated by composer John Williams; the return of the acclaimed collaboration of the LA Phil, Tony Award®- winning  Deaf West Theatre, the Dudamel Foundation and El Sistema’s Coro de Manos Blancas (White Hands Choir) in Beethoven’s Fidelio, created for both Deaf and hearing audiences; and the continuation of the Pan-American Music Initiative curated by Mexican composer Gabriela Ortiz. The 2023/24 season welcomes an all-star lineup of guest conductors and soloists, with Dudamel leading 12 programs. 

The LA Phil presents 12 world premieres of LA Phil commissions during the 2023-24 season: two new works by Gabriela Ortiz, a symphony by Jonathan Bailey Holland, Timo Andres’ piano concerto for Aaron Diehl, and works by Sam Adams, Alejandro Cardona, Francisco Cortés-Álvarez, Zosha Di Castri, Miguel Farías, Veronika Krausas, Saad Haddad and Andreia Pinto-Correia. U.S. premieres include Thomas Adès’ Tower for Frank Gehry, Oliver Leith’s Last Days, a 90-minute opera inspired by Gus Van Sant’s film of the same name and co-directed by Matt Copson and Anna Morrissey, Enno Poppe’s work Fett, Esa-Pekka Salonen’s Fanfare and Ileana Perez Velázquez’s work Columnas de Luz. 

The LA Phil will also tour Barcelona, Paris and London in 2023-24. Additional details will be announced in the coming months.

SEASON HIGHLIGHTS 

Celebrating Frank Gehry 

As the LA Phil celebrates 20 years performing in Walt Disney Concert Hall, the season pays tribute to the architect and collaborator Frank Gehry, who brought to life a vision of a concert hall that creates an intimate connection between artist and audience and has become an international destination and local landmark. From designing Walt Disney Concert Hall and the Judith and Thomas L. Beckmen YOLA Center at Inglewood to setting designs for major productions, Gehry has helped further cement Los Angeles as a cultural beacon for music and the arts.   

Celebrations begin October 5 with the opening-night gala Celebrating Frank Gehry, with a special performance conducted by Gustavo Dudamel honoring his friend and frequent collaborator.  

LA Phil Conductor Laureate Esa-Pekka Salonen, who served as the orchestra’s Music Director when Walt Disney Concert Hall opened in 2003, leads performances with the orchestra and violinist Pekka Kuusisto from October 27-29 that feature the U.S. premiere of Salonen’s Fanfare (LA Phil commission), inspired by Walt Disney Concert Hall, paired with Nico Muhly’s Shrink.   

The U.S. premiere of Thomas Adès’ Tower for Frank Gehry is presented November 4-5 in a program led by Dudamel and featuring pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet. The concert also includes Khachaturian’s Spartacus Suite No. 2 and Piano Concerto as well as Janáček’s Sinfonietta. 

The festivities continue from January 18-21 when Dudamel conducts the LA Phil and guest vocalists in a collaborative staging of Wagner’s opera Das Rheingold featuring scenic design by Frank Gehry. The production is directed by Alberto Arvelo and features an acclaimed cast including Ryan Speedo Green, Raehann Bryce-Davis, Simon O’Neill, Barry Banks, Jochen Schmeckenbecher, Morris Robinson, Peixin Chen, Jessica Faselt, Ann Toomey, Alexandria Shiner, Taylor Raven, Tamara Mumford and Kyle Albertson.  

The LA Phil Humanities Initiative will partner with Getty to feature Frank Gehry’s Walt Disney Concert Hall models in an exhibition curated by Maristella Casciato, Senior Curator of Architecture, Gary Riichirō Fox, Curatorial Assistant and the architectural models research team at the Getty Research Institute, as well as an interactive digital feature produced with Serena Parr and Todd Swanson in Getty Digital, and Emily Pugh, Digital Humanities Specialist at the GRI.  

The LA Phil Humanities Initiative is generously supported by Linda and David Shaheen. 

California Festival: A Celebration of New Music

The LA Phil joins music organizations and ensembles from throughout California for the recently announced California Festival: A Celebration of New Music, highlighting the collaborative and innovative spirit that thrives in the Golden State. 

Conceived by Gustavo Dudamel, San Diego Symphony Music Director Rafael Payare and San Francisco Symphony Music Director Esa-Pekka Salonen, the Festival runs November 3-19, presenting new music from around the world performed by more than 50 California-based organizations and ensembles including symphony orchestras, chamber music groups, jazz ensembles and choirs. The Festival is designed to showcase today’s most compelling and forward-looking composers with performances of works that have been written within the past five years. Simultaneously, the Festival unifies the artistic community and creative spirit of California with a widely varied program that celebrates and elevates a diverse collection of voices and experiences. 

As its contribution to the California Festival, the LA Phil presents six programs—including four world premieres—of classical and organ music as well as the Green Umbrella and Songbook series and the Pan-American Music Initiative.

Curated by Gabriela Ortiz, the program Canto en resistencia, November 9-12, offers two world premieres performed by the LA Phil led by Dudamel: Oritz’s Seis piezas a Violeta and Miguel Farías’ Song Cycle.  

On November 14, the LA Phil New Music Group led by conductor Vimbayi Kaziboni, presents Dylan Mattingly’s Sunt Lacrimae Rerum (these are the tears of things) (LA Phil commission), and the world premiere of a new work for ensemble by Sam Adams (LA Phil commission), with additional works to be announced. 

On November 15, cellist and project creator Alisa Weilerstein presents one of six Fragments, her ambitious, multi-year project for solo cello that weaves together the 36 movements of Bach’s unaccompanied cello suites with 27 newly commissioned works. It will be directed by Elkhanah Pulitzer. 

Closing out the California Festival for the LA Phil is the world premiere of Revolución diamantina composed by Gabriela Ortiz and conducted by Dudamel, November 16-19. In this new work, Ortiz, who has spoken about multidisciplinary collaboration as a way of “creating bridges through the most diverse artistic expressions to talk about the issues we face as humanity,” will explore the layers and powers of feminism. The new ballet score, an LA Phil commission, will be presented in concert performance and will return in a future season fully choreographed. Also on the program is Tania León’s Stride and Piazzolla’s Four Seasons of Buenos Aires. 

John Williams Spotlight 

To honor a storied 40-year history with the LA Phil, the 2023/24 season kicks off a two-year retrospective dedicated to the music of film, curated by the legendary composer John Williams, whose unparalleled career has influenced generations of music and movie lovers alike. The John Williams Spotlight also commemorates the composer’s close friendship and collaborations with Gustavo Dudamel. Programs range from live-to-picture performances of complete Williams’ scores to concerts honoring the musical history of Hollywood. The retrospective launches at the Hollywood Bowl when Dudamel and Williams share the podium for Maestro of the Movies: John Williams with the LA Phil from July 7-9. The Spotlight continues at Walt Disney Concert Hall with E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial in Concert, performed live to picture November 2-3, conducted by Dudamel.  

February 2-4, David Newman conducts A Century of Film, evenings that feature a musical journey through cinematic history and the soundtracks that scored Hollywood’s greatest moments. In Superman in Concert, a one-night-only event on March 15, Thomas Wilkins conducts one of Williams’ most beloved scores from the 1978 film live to picture accompanied by the LA Phil; and on May 18-19, Dudamel conducts the Grand Suite from Harry Potter paired with Philharmonia Fantastique by Mason Bates.  

Fidelio Returns

Last season’s critically acclaimed innovative staging of Beethoven’s only opera, Fidelio, created for both Deaf and hearing audiences, returns to Walt Disney Concert Hall for two nights only, May 16-17. Dudamel and the LA Phil join forces with Deaf West Theatre (Artistic Director DJ Kurs), El Sistema’s Coro de Manos Blancas and a stellar cast of singers and actors for the return of this landmark production of Beethoven’s timeless tale of triumph over oppression. Told through the composer’s music sung by hearing vocalists alongside the expressive gestural poetry of sign language by Deaf actors, the story explores the search for communication—both primal and sublime—that is at the heart of all artistic expression. Directed by Alberto Arvelo with co-director Joaquín Solano, the evening will also feature singers Tamara Wilson, Andrew Staples, James Rutherford, Gabriella Reyes, Patrick Blackwell, Shenyang and David Portillo.  

Gustavo Dudamel

In addition to the performances noted above, Dudamel leads five programs, including Mahler’s Symphony No. 6, “Tragic” (January 11-12); January 25-28, program to be announced; to the world premiere of a new work by Andreia Pinto-Correia (May 2-5). The May program features pianist Maria João Pires, LA Phil Principal Cello Robert deMaine, and Principal Viola Teng Li and includes Mozart’s Piano Concerto and Don Quixote by Strauss. On May 9-12 violinist María Dueñas partners once again with Dudamel for a program featuring John Williams’s Olympic Fanfare and Theme, Gabriela Ortiz’s Altar de cuerda (LA Phil commission) and Dvořák’s Symphony No. 9, “From the New World.” On October 6-8, Dudamel is joined by cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason for an evening pairing European and Latin American composers with Shostakovich’s Cello Concerto No. 1, Stravinsky’s The Firebird Suite (1919 version) and Villa-Lobos’ Uirapuru completing the program.  

Pan-American Music Initiative (PAMI)

Now in its third season, the Pan-American Music Initiative grew out of Gustavo Dudamel’s vision to build bridges of understanding between artists and audiences across the Americas. Curated by Mexican composer Gabriela Ortiz, this season of the initiative is showcased during the California Festival and features themes of Latina feminism and art as cultural protest in concerts that include world premiere commissions from a number of composers, collaborations with artists from across the Americas and a brand-new ballet score by Ortiz, Revolución diamantina.  

On April 30 conductor Carlos Miguel Prieto leads the LA Phil New Music Group and flutist Alejandro Escuer in a program with two world premieres: a new work by Francisco Cortés-Álvarez (LA Phil commission) and Alejandro Cardona’s Hacha de trueno (both LA Phil commissions). The program also includes Columnas de Luz by Ileana Perez Velázquez and Alejandro Viñao’s Cuaderno del Ritmo.  

Green Umbrella

The LA Phil’s Green Umbrella series builds on its history of adventurous programming, beginning with the November 14 California Festival concert. The series continues on February 6, as the LA Phil New Music Group presents the U.S. premiere and one-night-only presentation of Oliver Leith’s Last Days based on the film Last Days written and directed by Gus Van Sant and produced by HBO Films. With a text written by Matt Copson, co-directed by Copson and Anna Morrissey, and conducted by Thomas Adès, Last Days comes to Walt Disney Concert Hall following the production’s sold-out world premiere at the Royal Opera House’s Linbury Theatre in London (2022). On March 19, Timo Andres, Anton Batagov, Maki Namekawa and more perform Philip Glass’ Complete Etudes, 1-20. The series continues with John Adams (April 16, see following) and the Pan-American Music Initiative concert (April 30).   

John Adams  

John Adams, the John and Samantha Williams Creative Chair of the LA Phil, conducts two memorable programs. On March 22-24, Adams conducts the LA Phil with pianist Aaron Diehl performing the world premiere of Timo Andres’ new piano concerto written for Diehl, paired with Adams’ own City Noir (both LA Phil commissions). The weekend will also feature Esa-Pekka Salonen and the San Francisco Symphony performing Adams’ LA Phil-commissioned work Naïve and Sentimental Music (March 22). On April 16, as part of the Green Umbrella series, Adams leads the LA Phil New Music Group with clarinetist Anthony McGill in Anthony Davis’ You Have the Right to Remain Silent. The program also launches a new initiative, the LA Phil Etudes, a series of pieces written for the principal players of the LA Phil. The set of works will be performed across the 2023/24 and 2024/25 Green Umbrella seasons. The evening also includes the world premiere of a work by Zosha Di Castri (LA Phil commission). 

Guest Conductors

The 20th anniversary season showcases a roster of acclaimed conductors including Thomas Adès, Herbert Blomstedt, Karina Canellakis, Gustavo Gimeno, Louis Langrée, Susanna Mälkki, Zubin Mehta, Carlos Miguel Prieto, Esa-Pekka Salonen, Michael Tilson Thomas, Thomas Wilkins and Simone Young, along with rising stars Alpesh Chauhan, Domingo Hindoyan and Vimbayi Kaziboni and the return of Dudamel Fellows Elim Chan and Gemma New.  
 
Rising young conductor Alpesh Chauhan OBE leads the LA Phil and violinist Hilary Hahn in a program featuring the world premiere of a work by Saad Haddad (LA Phil commission) on October 20-22. 
 
In addition to his October performances, LA Phil Conductor Laureate Esa-Pekka Salonen leads a program including his Karawane and Ravel’s Daphnis and Chloé, featuring the Los Angeles Master Chorale on December 1-3. On March 22, he leads the San Francisco Symphony, where he serves as Music Director, and violinist Lisa Batiashvili in Sibelius’ Violin Concerto along with John Adams’ Naïve and Sentimental Music.  

On December 7-10, LA Phil Conductor Emeritus Zubin Mehta leads the LA Phil with pianist Seong-Jin Cho in Robert Schumann’s Piano Concerto and Mahler’s Symphony No. 1. The following week Mehta conducts the Beethoven symphonies Nos. 3 and 6 (December 14-17).  

On January 6-7, sought-after conductor Gemma New leads the world premiere of Veronika Krausas’ Sphinx (LA Phil commission) featuring LA Phil bassists Christopher Hanulik and David Allen Moore and keyboardist Joanne Pearce Martin on harpsichord. The program also includes Mozart’s Symphony No. 38, “Prague.” Thomas Adès returns to the LA Phil along with his longtime collaborator Kirill Gerstein to lead a program February 9-11 of Adès’ compositions, The Tempest Symphony and Concerto for Piano and Orchestra and Ravel’s Piano Concerto for the Left Hand and La valse. From February 23-25, Susanna Mälkki conducts the LA Phil with pianist Danill Trifonov in Brahms’ Academic Festival Overture and Piano Concerto No. 2, as well as the U.S. premiere of Enno Poppe’s Fett (LA Phil commission, not performed February 23).  

Twelve-time Grammy^®-winning conductor Michael Tilson-Thomas leads Stravinsky’s Petrushka and Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 4 on March 28-30. Louis Langrée conducts the world premiere of a symphony by Jonathan Bailey Holland (LA Phil commission) along with Ravel’s Tzigane, featuring LA Phil Principal Concertmaster Martin Chalifour, and Saint-Saens’ Symphony No. 3, “Organ” (April 12-14). 

Celebrity Recitals, Chamber Music and Organ Recitals 

The 2023/24 season recital series showcases acclaimed artists including virtuoso violinist Itzhak Perlman and pianist Rohan De Silva (January 23), violinists Leila Josefowicz (February 28) and Ray Chen (March 27), the legendary cellist Yo-Yo Ma with pianist Kathryn Stott (April 3), and pianists Yefim Bronfman (April 24), Víkingur Ólafsson (May 1) and Yuja Wang (May 12).  

On April 9 choreographer and dancer Benjamin Millepied returns to the stage accompanied by pianist Alexandre Tharaud with their program UNSTILL LIFE, featuring works by Bach and Beethoven among others. On October 11, violinist Lisa Batiashvili, cellist Gautier Capuçon and pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet perform trios by Haydn, Ravel, and Felix Mendelssohn; and Members of the Los Angeles Philharmonic will present chamber music throughout the season.  

Three organists return to breathe life into “Hurricane Mama”: James McVinnie (November 12); Christian Schmitt (January 7); and Wayne Marshall (February 25). Anna Lapwood makes her LA Phil recital debut on April 21. 

Songbook, Jazz and KCRW Series

The 2023/24 Songbook, Jazz and KCRW series feature intimate performances from the best songwriters, jazz artists and bands from around the world. 

The Songbook series features American alternative rock singer-songwriter Natalie Merchant on September 30; on May 31, Mexican musician and songwriter Silvana Estrada shares a bill with award-winning American jazz vocalist Cécile McLorin Salvant; and on November 9 Canto en resistencia with Gustavo Dudamel and special guests to be announced, also part of the California Festival.  

Jazz performances spotlight English jazz-pop singer and songwriter Jamie Cullum on September 29, the Brad Mehldau Trio on November 8, the delicately nuanced vocal style of Melody Gardot on March 3, and icon of jazz and LA Phil Creative Chair for Jazz Herbie Hancock on April 20.   

Expanding the LA Phil’s partnership with public radio station KCRW, the new KCRW Series at Walt Disney Concert Hall celebrates music from around the world, including Japanese Breakfast, the indie pop band led by Korean-American musician Michelle Zauner, with opener Ichiko Aoba (September 28); Brazilian singer, composer, instrumentalist and producer of Brazilian popular music and samba Marisa Monte (October 20); Flamenco! Maria Bermudez Sonidos Gitanos (November 25); and, from India, independent singer-songwriter and instrumentalist Prateek Kuhad (February 16). 

Deck the Hall

Holiday favorites return with A Chanticleer Christmas (December 13) and Melissa Peterman hosting the Holiday Sing-Along (December 16). David Newman conducts John Williams’ score for Home Alone in Concert (December 20-22), and Arturo Sandoval returns with his Swinging Holiday (December 23). The year closes with a New Year’s Eve party with Pink Martini featuring China Forbes (December 31).

TICKETS & PROTOCOLS

Tickets for Walt Disney Concert Hall’s 2023/23 season will be available online at laphil.com or via phone at 323 850 2000 on the following dates: 

• Subscriptions are available now.

• “Create Your Own” packages will be available April 4.

• Walt Disney Concert Hall Box Office opens for single-ticket sales at 10 a.m. August 22. 

Visitors are encouraged to check Walt Disney Concert Hall's current safety information at laphil.com here.

Press Materials

23/24 Press Release (PDF version)

23/24 Press Release (Español)

23/24 Chronological List of Events

23/24 Commissions and Premieres

23/24 Sponsors

23/24 Learning and Community Fact Sheet (English)

23/24 Learning and Community Fact Sheet (Español)

Gustavo Dudamel Materials

Zubin Mehta Biography

John Adams Biography

Herbie Hancock Biography

Esa-Pekka Salonen Biography

LA Phil History

Public Relations and Press Queries

Lisa Bellamore
lisa.bellamore@laphil.org

Anna Ress
anna.ress@laphil.org