Table of Contents:
Music for All
Youth & Families | Emerging Artists & Arts Workers | Community Connections

Each season at the LA Phil begins and ends with a simple truth: Your support makes music accessible to more people, in more places, than ever before. 
 
Whether in classrooms or concert halls, city parks or digital spaces, donor generosity makes it possible for us to share the transformative power of music with people of all ages, backgrounds, and experiences. 
 
The 2024/25 season marked a turning point in our story—a year of remarkable growth, renewed connection, and profound artistic ambition. From Los Angeles to New York to Bogotá, we witnessed music’s ability to build bridges across geography, generation, and genre.  
 
And as we look ahead to Gustavo Dudamel’s legacy season as Music & Artistic Director (Walt and Lilly Disney Chair), we reflect with deep pride on how his visionary leadership has helped shape the LA Phil into one of the most access-driven and community-focused institutions in the world. 
 
Access is not a program—it is a philosophy. A philosophy that has taken root across everything we do: free and low-cost concerts that welcome new audiences, robust Learning programs that nurture the next generation of artists and leaders, and hands-on career development and training that open doors for young professionals in the performing arts.  
 
As you explore this report, we invite you to see the many ways your support opens doors—to opportunity, to expression, to community, and to joy. Thank you again for giving back to the LA Phil to create brighter futures for so many. 

Part One: Music for All—Youth & Families 

YOLA Class of 2025: By the Numbers

This year, 42 students graduated from YOLA (Youth Orchestra Los Angeles), each carrying with them not just a diploma but years of musical training, mentorship, and community. Representing four YOLA hubs across the city, the Class of 2025 reflects the program’s growing reach and influence on young people’s lives.

Pathways to Higher Education 

• 86% of students will attend four-year institutions 
• 10% will attend two-year colleges 

Students will pursue advanced education at outstanding institutions including Cornell University; Swarthmore College; UCLA; UC Berkeley; USC; California State University, Long Beach; Pasadena City College; Pepperdine University; Cal Poly Pomona; and the Peabody Institute of The Johns Hopkins University.

Academic and Artistic Ambitions 

• 44% of students will pursue degrees in STEM 
• 19% will major in the humanities 
• 17% will major in music 
• 10% are pursuing business and entrepreneurship 
• 12% of graduates will minor in music 
• 78% of the Class of 2025 identify as first-generation college students

The Class of 2025 embodies the spirit of YOLA—ambitious, resilient, creative, and ready to lead. 

YOLA Alumni Spotlight
The Voices of a New Generation

Composer Fellowship Program
Inventing the Future of Composition 

The LA Phil’s Composer Fellowship Program (CFP) continues to redefine what it means to be a young composer in the 21st century. Designed for high school students across Los Angeles, CFP offers a rare opportunity to compose for professional musicians, collaborate with world-renowned artists, and build a creative community rooted in experimentation, curiosity, and access. 

In 2024/25, under the visionary leadership of Program Director Andrew Norman and Lead Faculty (and CFP alum) Daniel Allas, the Fellows completed three ambitious composition projects—including works for string quartets, full orchestras, and unconventional chamber ensembles. One piece featured an empanada press and a laminated periodic table as percussion instruments.

Over the course of 30 sessions, students explored everything from aleatoric notation to digital scoring, supported by visiting artists and mentors such as Nico Muhly, Celka Ojakangas, Julia Adolphe, Chris Rountree, Sharon Lavery, and Seth Parker Woods. Students also participated in private instrument demonstrations, composition software workshops, and reflection exercises designed to deepen their artistic voice.

This season marked an important milestone in CFP’s legacy: 

• At Hollywood Bowl Opening Night, a new work by Ethan Chaparro, the 2023/24 Sue Tsao Composer Fellow, was performed by the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra and YOLA. This piece, titled A Troupe’s Cadence, is the first CFP work to be featured on the Bowl stage. 
   
• 2024/25 Sue Tsao Composer Fellow Kevin Rodriguez’s Atlácatl score saw its premiere with the YOLA National Overture Orchestra at the August 11 YOLA National Festival concert at Walt Disney Concert Hall.  
   
• Noah Godard, 2024/25 Steven Stucky Composer Fellow, is preparing a new work for an upcoming Neighborhood Concert.

Beyond its flagship curriculum, CFP has grown into a launchpad for emerging composers through alumni opportunities, peer mentorship, and broader community engagement. Thanks to the support of our philanthropic community, CFP remains tuition-free for all participants, advancing a future where composition is not an exclusive pursuit—but a wide-open world of possibilities.

Special annual support for the 2024/25 Composer Fellowship Program was provided in part by Faye Greenberg and David Lawrence and The Herb Alpert Foundation. Support for the LA Phil Composer Fellowship Program Endowment Fund is provided by Sue Tsao and the Estate of Mary Calfas Janos.  

YOLA on Tour: New York City & Bogotá 
Voces del Futuro / Voices of the Future 

In October 2024, nearly 50 young musicians from the YOLA Institute Symphony Orchestra and the YOLA National Symphony Orchestra joined peers from across South America for an unprecedented musical gathering: the Voces del Futuro Tour. Organized by the LA Phil in partnership with the Orquesta Filarmónica de Bogotá and the Asociación Nacional de Música Sinfónica, this weeklong exchange brought together 165 students from 13 countries to form one orchestra—united by their passion for music and their belief in a better future. 

Led by Gustavo Dudamel, along with LA Phil Assistant Conductor, Ann Ronus Chair, Rodolfo Barráez and conductor Tatiana Pérez, the Voces del Futuro orchestra rehearsed in Cajicá, Colombia, for five days before performing to a sold-out crowd at Teatro Mayor Julio Mario Santo Domingo in Bogotá on October 17. Their program—featuring works by Bernstein, Márquez, Tchaikovsky, and Colombian composers Bermúdez and Garavito—was a powerful expression of Latin American creativity and collaboration. Colombian music icon Carlos Vives made a surprise appearance, sharing the stage in a moment of joy and cultural pride.

The tour also included an intimate faculty performance for students at the Zipaquirá Salt Cathedral and guest performances throughout the week—from Banda Filarmónica Juvenil to regional music and dance from Cundinamarca. At every turn, students not only learned new repertoire—they also listened, collaborated, and formed lasting bonds across cultures and continents.

This was more than a tour—it was a statement of purpose. Voces del Futuro reaffirms the LA Phil’s belief that music can bridge divides, empower young people, and inspire change on a global scale.

Colombian journalist and activist Diego Aretz wrote of the concert:  

“Last night’s performance at the Teatro Mayor was a beautiful example of what music can do for us—especially for young people, who are so vulnerable these days in Colombia.... I seemed to sense something of [El Sistema Founder José Antonio] Abreu’s message, but above all, I rediscovered the profound power of music.”

Support for YOLA on tour was generously provided by The Rafael & Luisa de Marchena-Huyke Foundation. 

YOLA National Festival 2025 
A Nationwide Community of Musicians and Mentors 

Each summer, the YOLA National Festival (YNF) brings together nearly 200 young musicians from across the country for an immersive, tuition-free orchestral residency in Los Angeles. Representing El Sistema and other community-based music programs, these students come not only to hone their artistry but also to challenge themselves and perform with world-renowned conductors and teaching artists.

This year’s Festival, which ran from July 28 to August 13, marked a new chapter in the program’s evolution. For the first time, the LA Phil piloted a Chamber Music Program alongside its traditional orchestral training—providing deeper instruction in small-ensemble collaboration for musicians as young as 12.  

Students attended two weeks of intensive rehearsals, sectionals, and workshops, residing and rehearsing at California State University, Fullerton, with performances at Walt Disney Concert Hall on August 4 and August 11.  

This year’s Festival was especially momentous: Gustavo Dudamel, Music & Artistic Director, conducted the Symphony Orchestra during the August 4 concert, continuing his commitment to mentoring the next generation of artists.

“Chamber music is one of the most powerful tools for artistic and personal growth,” says Camille Delaney-McNeil, Vice President, Learning. “By launching this new program, we’re giving young musicians a space to lead, to listen, and to discover their voices more deeply than ever before.”

From large-scale symphonic works to the intimacy of string quartets and wind ensembles, this year’s Festival provided an unparalleled platform for musical development and connection. Our deepest thanks go to Maria Seferian, who provided generous support for the 2025 YOLA National Festival, and to LA Phil Learning donors, whose commitment helps ensure that the participation of young musicians in YNF remains completely free—with travel, housing, meals, and instruction all provided.  

Looking back on this memorable experience, these musicians will continue to write a shared story, one of excellence, inclusion, and the boundless possibilities that emerge when we invest in young people and give them the tools to thrive. 

Part Two: Music for All — Emerging Artists & Arts Workers 

Judith and Thomas L. Beckmen LA Phil Resident Fellows Program 
Training the Orchestra of Tomorrow 

At the LA Phil, we believe that excellence and equity go hand in hand—and nowhere is that more evident than in the Judith and Thomas L. Beckmen LA Phil Resident Fellows program. Launched as part of the LA Phil’s Centennial Campaign in 2018, this initiative was designed to increase diversity within American orchestras by supporting early-career musicians from historically underrepresented backgrounds and providing them with the tools, mentorship, and experience needed to earn permanent orchestral positions. 
 
Resident Fellows receive full-time pay, a living stipend, personalized coaching, and extensive performance opportunities with the LA Phil over a term of up to three years. Since its inception, the program has hosted 13 Fellows, five of whom have gone on to secure permanent positions with leading orchestras, including the Seattle Symphony, Kansas City Symphony, and Montreal Symphony Orchestra. 
 

Musician Profile: Ismael Guerrero, Cello, Alicia Miñana and Rob Lovelace LA Phil Resident Fellow Chair

For Ismael Guerrero, being a Beckmen LA Phil Resident Fellow is about more than mastering the repertoire—it’s about learning how to stay attuned to the unexpected.

“Ultimately, you want to be as prepared as possible, so that in the concert you can pay attention to what is happening onstage. That’s the magic—something might happen that wasn’t rehearsed, but if you’re ready, you can respond to it. That’s what it means to truly make music in the moment.”

Guerrero, who was born in Puerto Rico, also sees the Fellowship as a chance to give back and inspire others.

“At a youth concert, every time a musician walked onstage, the kids clapped—and when it was my turn, I just embraced it. That’s what music can be.”

The Beckmen LA Phil Resident Fellows program is more than a bridge to professional opportunity—it’s a commitment to changing the face of orchestras for generations to come.

The Judith and Thomas L. Beckmen LA Phil Resident Fellows program is supported by Judith and Thomas L. Beckmen, Nancy and Leslie Abell, Alicia Miñana and Rob Lovelace, the Eugene and Marilyn Stein Family Foundation, and Pasadena Showcase House for the Arts. 

Workforce Development Program 
Creating Pathways Behind the Scenes 

In partnership with local labor union IATSE Local 33, the LA Phil’s Workforce Development Program (WDP) is opening new doors to careers in stagecraft and live performance production. Designed for young adults interested in the technical side of the performing arts, this two-year paid training program provides hands-on experience at the Judith and Thomas L. Beckmen YOLA Center (BYC), one of the most advanced community arts facilities in the country.

Through close mentorship from the Lead Stage Technician, participants gain foundational skills across all areas of production—including carpentry, rigging, audio, video, lighting, and projection. The program also includes career planning, networking opportunities, and professional development workshops to help participants chart their futures in the entertainment industry.

The WDP reflects the LA Phil’s broader commitment to equity and access—not only for performers, but also for the essential behind-the-scenes professionals who help bring each performance to life. We are deeply grateful to the donors whose support makes this life-changing program possible and helps ensure that the next generation of stagehands, technicians, and production staff reflects the diversity and creativity of Los Angeles itself. 

Through Their Lens: 
Emerging Concert Photographers at The Ford 

As part of the LA Phil and The Ford’s Community Residencies initiative, the Las Fotos Project partnership offers a powerful platform for young artists to build creative careers—behind the camera.

Through a collaboration with Las Fotos Project’s Creative Entrepreneurship Opportunities (CEO) program, a cohort of teenage girls and gender-expansive youth from communities of color is selected each season to serve as official concert photographers at The Ford. Participants receive professional training, mentorship from industry leaders, and paid assignments to photograph 10 live performances—developing their portfolios while documenting world-class artists in action. 

This year’s program included:

• A professional development workshop led by LA Phil Senior Creative Director Natalie Suarez and photographer Elizabeth Asher
• Venue-specific training with Farah Sosa, LA Phil house photographer
• A new storytelling component, with photo essay instruction from acclaimed photojournalists Kate Kuo and Samanta Helou Hernandez

The students’ final works are exhibited in a dedicated gallery at The Ford and published online—amplifying their perspectives and honoring the power of visual storytelling. 
 
This residency is more than a learning opportunity—it’s a launchpad. With your support, these emerging creatives are gaining the confidence, experience, and professional networks to thrive in Los Angeles’ creative industries. 

Part Three: Music for All — Community Connections 

LA Phil Insight 
Connecting Music to Culture, Place, and Conversation 

Throughout the 2024/25 season, the LA Phil’s Insight program invited audiences to experience music in new and unexpected ways—through pop-up performances, film screenings, immersive exhibitions, and thoughtful conversations that deepen our connection to the world around us.

At its core, Insight reflects a belief that music is not just entertainment—it’s a way of exploring identity, place, memory, and meaning. From gospel to experimental minimalism, from queer legacies to urban nature, this season’s Insight programming connected culture and creativity in ways only Los Angeles could. 

Season Highlights

Good News: A Celebration of Gospel Music

In conjunction with Carlos Simon’s Good News Mass, Insight brought together curator Tyree Boyd-Pates, the Gospel Workshop of America – LA Chapter, and a community of artists and scholars to celebrate the joy and spiritual richness of gospel music. The week culminated in Praise Break, a dance party at Lodge Room featuring DJ D-Nice, J. Rocc, and a live performance by Jimetta Rose—turning the space into a house of joy. 

To the Fullest

A collaborative project with REDCAT and Wild Up, this series paid tribute to maverick composers Julius Eastman and Arthur Russell, exploring their genre-defying works through exhibitions and performances that honored their bold, expansive, and unapologetically queer artistic voices.

Schoenberg at 150

Insight marked the 150th birthday of Arnold Schoenberg—a Los Angeles transplant and revolutionary composer—with a downtown exhibition and an original illustrated map of his favorite local haunts designed by artist Juan Manuel Nares. The project reintroduced audiences to the radical modernist not just as a composer, but as a painter, thinker, and Angeleno.

The Ford in Focus: Cinema, Celebration, and Conversation

At The Ford, Insight continues to activate the amphitheater as a community hub and cultural crossroads:

• The Natural World of Studio Ghibli invited families to experience the wonder of animation under the stars.
• In September, Terry Riley’s 90th Birthday will honor a pioneer of minimalist music with performances by his son and the Bang on a Can All-Stars.
• The return of Vibe Check Live will transform the stage into an intimate forum for exploring Black horror, identity, and genre-bending storytelling. 

Together, these programs exemplify how Insight creates entry points into music for curious audiences, offering a space where art meets reflection, and where every performance becomes part of a larger conversation. 

LA Phil Insight is generously supported by Linda and David Shaheen. 

Seoul Festival 
New Voices, Bold Visions: A Celebration of Korean Creativity 

Curated by acclaimed composer Unsuk Chin, the LA Phil’s inaugural Seoul Festival brought together a thrilling mix of performances, premieres, and Insight programs to explore the rich and ever-evolving cultural landscape of South Korea. Over the course of a week in June 2025, the Festival highlighted the breadth of Korean influence on global classical music—bridging traditional instruments with experimental forms, established masters with emerging voices, and Los Angeles with Seoul. 

From large-scale orchestral works to chamber concerts and public conversations, the Seoul Festival reflected the LA Phil’s deep commitment to cultural exchange, artistic innovation, and inclusive storytelling. 

Festival Highlights

• New Voices from Korea, an opening-night Green Umbrella concert (presented with generous support from the Hillenburg Family and featuring the LA Phil New Music Group and Ensemble TIMF), spotlighted composers Yie-Eun Chun, Dongjin Bae, and Juri Seo, with two LA Phil–commissioned world premieres.
• Full-orchestra performances with rising stars Sunwook Kim, Yura Lee, Han Kim, Inmo Yang, and Jaemin Han—conducted by Hankyeol Yoon—paired works by contemporary Korean composers with masterworks by Brahms.
• Insight programming, co-curated by the Korean arts collective GYOPO, Sasami Ashworth, and Hannah Joo, created space for reflection and intergenerational storytelling through installations, panels, and a performance art showcase featuring diasporic Korean voices. 

The Festival concluded with performances of Chin’s own work Gougalon (Scenes from a Street Theater), a whimsical, memory-rich piece inspired by her childhood in Seoul—bringing the past and present into joyful collision.

More than a festival, Seoul was a conversation—one that affirmed the LA Phil’s role as a global stage for emerging voices and vibrant cross-cultural connection. 

The LA Phil at Coachella 
Reaching Billions of New Listeners 

In April 2025, the Los Angeles Philharmonic became the first major orchestra to perform at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival—delivering what Variety, Rolling Stone, and Billboard hailed as one of the festival’s defining moments. Under the baton of Gustavo Dudamel, the LA Phil brought classical repertoire to one of the world’s largest pop-culture stages, blending Wagner, Bach, and Stravinsky with special guest performances by Laufey, LL Cool J, Zedd, Cynthia Erivo, Dave Grohl, Maren Morris, and more.

Across two Saturdays, an estimated 50,000 people experienced the LA Phil live from the Outdoor Theatre in Indio, and millions more tuned in via livestream and social media. With over 2,000 press placements and more than 4.5 billion media impressions, this was not just a concert—it was the single most expansive access point to orchestral music in the LA Phil’s history. 

What made this moment so powerful wasn’t just the reach—it was the resonance. Festivalgoers roared at the opening chords of Beethoven’s Fifth and danced to Vivaldi as if it were a chart-topping single. The LA Phil’s genre-crossing performances turned classical music into a shared, celebratory experience in the heart of youth and pop culture.  

As Dudamel reflected, “This was a dream I’ve had for many years...to bring the orchestra into a festival that represents a culture itself.” 

Coachella 2025 was more than a milestone. It was a bold statement: Orchestral music belongs everywhere—and it can move anyone. 

WE❤️LA 
Music as a Tribute and Healing Force 

In response to the devastating wildfires that swept across Los Angeles in early 2025, the LA Phil mobilized its full organizational strength to honor first responders, support affected communities, and remind Angelenos of the healing power of music. 

On April 1, 2025, Gustavo Dudamel led the LA Phil in a powerful, free performance at the Hollywood Bowl, titled WE❤️LA. With appearances by Christina Aguilera, pianist Gerald Clayton, the Los Angeles Master Chorale, and the Palisades Charter High School Band, the evening featured works by Gabriela Ortiz, Mahler, and Gershwin and an electrifying suite of selections by John Williams.

From the emotional stillness of Mahler’s Adagietto to the triumphant fanfare of Star Wars, the program offered a journey of reflection, resilience, and celebration. Broadcast live on KUSC and KDFC and streamed online, the concert extended its reach to thousands more across California and beyond.

The concert was the centerpiece of a broader LA Phil initiative to support wildfire recovery. These efforts included:

• 5% of ticket proceeds from select Walt Disney Concert Hall performances donated to the Los Angeles County Parks Foundation to help rebuild devastated trails, nature centers, and community spaces. 
• Free ticket distribution for first responders and displaced families to concerts at Walt Disney Concert Hall.
• Donation drives for essential supplies hosted at the Hollywood Bowl, Beckmen YOLA Center, and Walt Disney Concert Hall in partnership with LA County Parks and the Social Justice Learning Institute.
• Relief funding, including the launch of the Los Angeles Music Fund to assist members of the LA music community impacted by the fires, and support for LA County’s Care Camps, where YOLA teaching artists and LA Phil musicians offered creative programming for displaced youth.

As Dudamel shared from the stage: “Just as an orchestra is stronger than its individual members, Los Angeles is most powerful when we are working together.”

The April 1 WE❤️LA concert was generously supported by Anne Akiko Meyers and Jason Subotky; Terri and Jerry Kohl; Gregory Annenberg Weingarten, GRoW @ Annenberg; and Barbara and Jay Rasulo.

The live presentation of WE❤️LA on Classical California KUSC was made possible through the endowed LA Phil Broadcast Program Fund, generously supported by the Lenore S. and Bernard A. Greenberg Fund. 

In Conclusion 
The Future Sounds Like This

Every performance, every partnership, every note shared across our city is powered by your belief in what music can do. Thanks to you, the LA Phil has redefined what access looks like—onstage, in schools, online, and around the world.

As we step into Gustavo Dudamel’s legacy season, we carry forward the values he has championed throughout his tenure: creativity without borders, opportunity without limits, and music for all. Together, we’re not just reflecting on a remarkable chapter—we’re writing the next one.

Thank you for making this future possible.