Curated by Creative Chair John Adams, the LA Phil Etudes is a series of solo works by some of today’s leading composers written to spotlight each instrument of the orchestra.

Since its establishment in 2021, the LA Phil Etudes project has commissioned 16 compositions by different composers for premiere by members of the Los Angeles Philharmonic on our Green Umbrella concert series.

Historically, études (or “studies”) are short pieces composed for the purpose of practice and technical refinement. With this in mind, Adams’ requirements for the composers were fairly open-ended so long as they encouraged musical rigor! The LA Phil Etudes remind us of the practice, dedication, and care needed to master an instrument. 

The LA Phil Etudes project is an LA Phil commission with generous support from the Lenore S. and Bernard A. Greenberg Fund.