Hollywood Bowl Orchestra

The Hollywood Bowl Orchestra is composed of approximately 65 regular players, an international mix of classically trained musicians who are among the best studio musicians in Los Angeles. Many spend their days on Hollywood’s scoring stages. It might be surprising to learn that there is no overlap between the musicians of the Los Angeles Philharmonic and those of the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra—another indicator that LA has a tremendous pool of musical talent.

Musicians have been performing at the Hollywood Bowl since its opening in 1922. “Bowl Orchestra” was used as early as 1925, and “Hollywood Bowl Orchestra” appeared on live recordings made in 1928. Leopold Stokowski was Music Director of the Hollywood Bowl Symphony Orchestra from 1945 to 1946. During that time, the orchestra recorded a number of classical works. In the 1950s and 1960s, Capitol Records issued an extensive series of recordings of the Hollywood Bowl Symphony Orchestra with a number of different conductors, including Carmen Dragon, Felix Slatkin, Alfred Newman, and Miklós Rózsa, with album titles such as Rhapsody Under the Stars, Chopin by Starlight, Fiesta!, Marche!, and many others.

From the 1950s on, there was no official Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, until it reappeared in 1991, under the auspices of the Los Angeles Philharmonic Association, as a completely new ensemble under the direction of Principal Conductor John Mauceri. After retiring from the orchestra in 2006, Mauceri was awarded the lifelong title of Founding Director of the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra.

In 2008, Thomas Wilkins began an appointment as Principal Guest Conductor of the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra. In June 2014, he became the orchestra’s Principal Conductor, in which position he continues to lead the ensemble each summer in a wide range of concerts at the fabled outdoor venue.

From Mozart to Motown, the repertoire of the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra is as diverse as Hollywood itself. In a single season, the orchestra may perform everything from Broadway favorites to film music, pop music to jazz, and classical music to world premieres by living composers. In essence, the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra does it all.