In accordance with current guidance from public health officials to prevent the spread of COVID-19, the Los Angeles Philharmonic Association is cancelling the remainder of its previously scheduled concerts for the 2020/21 season at Walt Disney Concert Hall through June 9, 2021.
While Walt Disney Concert Hall, the Hollywood Bowl, and The Ford are closed to the public due to COVID-19, the LA Phil is bringing its music and programming to the broadest possible audience through a far-reaching set of media partnerships and digital initiatives. These wide-ranging programs will continue in the new year and will include new episodes of the LA Phil’s innovative media project SOUND/STAGE, which brings together short concert films with essays, interviews, and bonus performances by some of today’s most exciting artists and thinkers; In Concert at the Hollywood Bowl, a six-episode television series hosted by Gustavo Dudamel airing on PBS stations nationwide starting January 15; and more.
Chad Smith, the Los Angeles Philharmonic’s David C. Bohnett Chair Chief Executive Officer, said, “As hard as it is to lose entire seasons at the Hollywood Bowl, The Ford and now Walt Disney Concert Hall, we are responding creatively under Gustavo’s leadership, so we can continue to bring music, learning programs and important conversations to the largest possible audience in Los Angeles and beyond. This is truly a joint effort of the entire LA Phil community, with leadership from our Board, ongoing support from our generous donors, the open-hearted collaboration of our brilliant orchestra and staff and the work of some of the finest media and programming partners in their fields. Together with all of Los Angeles, we will arrive on the other side of this pandemic. We now look toward next summer, when we will welcome audiences back to the Hollywood Bowl and The Ford and celebrate each iconic venue’s centenary with new meaning and purpose.”
Gustavo Dudamel, Music & Artistic Director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, said, “Cultural institutions like ours must be a part of the very fabric of our community, and during this challenging time we must strive to inspire and empower people even more through our music and programming. We must reach across genres through screens, livestreams, and more, and remember that each note we play also carries with it an element of hope for the future and a desire for a better world. In the end, I believe that music and art will heal the soul of our community.”
Launched in May 2020, the “Play Your Part” fundraising campaign aims to mitigate the approximately $105 million revenue loss the LA Phil will experience as a result of COVID-19. The campaign helps to support the LA Phil’s operations and programs such as YOLA (Youth Orchestra Los Angeles), which have continued to operate throughout the pandemic.
Thomas L. Beckmen, Los Angeles Philharmonic Board Chair, said, “As we look forward to brighter days, we must ensure that the LA Phil remains vibrant and is supported until we are once more able to gather. The LA Phil continues to be here for all of us, and so we must play our part in bolstering this great institution so it can serve the people and communities of Los Angeles and the world long into the future.
The LA Phil will continue to monitor the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and will reassess the Association’s situation as necessary.
