About the LA Phil
Redefining what an orchestra can be, the LA Phil is as vibrant as Los Angeles, one of the world's most open and dynamic cities. Led by the extraordinary Gustavo Dudamel, this internationally renowned orchestra harnesses the transformative power of live music to build community, foster intellectual and artistic growth and nurture the creative spirit.
The LA Phil takes audiences on sweeping musical journeys through electrifying performances, cutting-edge music education, and innovative outreach programs, crossing borders and transcending boundaries to enrich the cultural life of Los Angeles.
Gustavo Dudamel
Music and Artistic Director, Los Angeles Philharmonic
Walt and Lilly Disney Chair
Grammy®-winning symphonic and operatic conductor Gustavo Dudamel serves as Music & Artistic Director of the LA Phil. The impact of his leadership extends from the greatest concert stages to classrooms, cinemas, and innovative digital platforms around the world. Under his care, the LA Phil has programmed the best and boldest in new music while continuing to explore the riches of classical repertory that have become his trademarks.
MEET THE ORCHESTRA
Los Angeles Philharmonic
The Los Angeles Philharmonic brings the incomparable conducting talents of Gustavo Dudamel together with some of the most skilled orchestral musicians from around the globe.
CREATIVE COLLABORATORS
John Adams
Creative Chair
John Adams, one of the most admired and respected composers in North America and winner of the 2003 Pulitzer Prize for Music, serves as creative chair of the LA Phil. Over the past 25 years, his music has played a decisive role in the shaping of contemporary music, and his compositions have been performed by major orchestras around the world.
Yuval Sharon
Artist-Collaborator
A recent recipient of the vaunted MacArthur “genius” grant, Yuval Sharon creates unconventional work that reshapes our fundamental understanding of what an opera can look, sound, and feel like. He is a founder and artistic director of The Industry in Los Angeles, an acclaimed company devoted to new and experimental opera.
Herbie Hancock
Creative Chair for Jazz
Herbie Hancock – the William Powers & Carolyn Powers Creative Chair for Jazz – is an icon of modern music. Over his illustrious five-decade career, he has won 14 Grammy® awards, and his strident spirit helped to define both post-war jazz and hip-hop. Few artists have had greater influence on acoustic and electronic jazz and R&B.
Esa-Pekka Salonen
Conductor Laureate
After serving as music director since 1992, Esa-Pekka Salonen was named conductor laureate of the LA Phil in 2009. A renowned composer, he combines intricacy and technical virtuosity with playful rhythmic and melodic innovations, marking him as one of the most important artists in classical music today.
Susanna Mälkki
Principal Guest Conductor
Susanna Mälkki, the LA Phil’s principal guest conductor, is a highly regarded, internationally distinguished artist whose exceptional conducting talent has taken her to symphony and chamber orchestras, contemporary music ensembles and opera houses around the world.
Paolo Bortolameolli
Assistant Conductor
Praised by composer George Crumb for his “sensitive and insightful interpretation,” conductor Paolo Bortolameolli brings a visual, synthetic, and collaborative approach to music that is infused by his fascination for and interplay among the arts. With his passion for connecting the 21st century audience to the concert stage, Bortolameolli enjoys conducting orchestral music, working with youth orchestras, collaborating with today’s composers, lecturing, and writing.
Juan Felipe Molano
Youth Orchestra Los Angeles (YOLA) Conductor
Graduated with special honors as an orchestral and opera conductor from the Vienna Conservatory, Juan Felipe Molano was appointed in 2014 as the conductor for Youth Orchestra Los Angeles (YOLA) after an international search and auditions by the Los Angeles Philharmonic.
OUR HISTORY
The LA Phil Story
One hundred years ago, the Los Angeles Philharmonic was founded as L.A.’s first permanent symphony orchestra. A century later, the LA Phil is recognized as one of the world’s outstanding orchestras, leading the way in groundbreaking programming and high-impact educational initiatives. Throughout its history, the LA Phil has been enriched by the remarkable talent and artistic vision of globally renowned conductors such as Artur Rodzinski, Otto Klemperer, Zubin Mehta, Carlo Maria Giulini and Andre Previn.
Archival Services
The Los Angeles Philharmonic Archives serves LA Phil staff and outside researchers through collecting, preserving, and making available materials that document the orchestra’s activities since its founding in 1919.