Gustavo Dudamel, Herbie Hancock, H.E.R.,

Lucinda Childs and Los Angeles Philharmonic

to Perform at

Walt Disney Concert Hall Annual Gala Concert

Architect Frank Gehry to be Honored at

20th Anniversary Celebration of the Opening of

Walt Disney Concert Hall

Thursday, October 5, 2023

The Los Angeles Philharmonic and Music & Artistic Director Gustavo Dudamel celebrate the 20th anniversary of Walt Disney Concert Hall at its annual gala concert by honoring Frank Gehry, the architect of the iconic downtown LA venue and the Judith and Thomas L. Beckmen YOLA Center at Inglewood. Throughout the gala, performances by the LA Phil, dancer and choreographer Lucinda Childs, LA Phil Creative Chair for Jazz Herbie Hancock and award-winning American R&B singer H.E.R. will pay homage to Gehry through a variety of works inspired by the sea and fish forms that have informed Gehry’s seven-decade career.

The gala concert program will feature FOG by Conductor Laureate Esa-Pekka Salonen, which he composed in 2019 for Frank Gehry on the occasion of his 90th birthday. Salonen drew his inspiration from the first notes played for the architect in the Hall in 2003 while it was under construction. Fog was written as a fantasy around Bach’s Partita in E: Preludio for solo violin, which will also be performed. Its name is both a play on the architect’s initials (Frank Owen Gehry) and Gehry’s sailboat, Foggy. Adding another layer to his tribute, Salonen’s harmonies use a musical spelling of Frank’s name.

During the piece, dancer and choreographer Lucinda Childs will take the stage to perform her choreography inspired by Gehry’s sea forms.

The program also includes LA Phil Creative Chair for Jazz Herbie Hancock performing his original piece Maiden Voyage, conducted by Dudamel.

H.E.R. makes her Walt Disney Concert Hall debut, joining her friend Dudamel to perform two songs set to orchestral arrangements in honor of Gehry.

The gala program honoring Frank Gehry will fittingly close with Debussy’s La mer.

All gala proceeds support the Los Angeles Philharmonic and its learning and community programs.

The evening is made possible with the proud support of Rolex.

WHO:

Los Angeles Philharmonic

Gustavo Dudamel, conductor

Frank Gehry, honoree

Special Guests

Herbie Hancock, LA Phil Creative Chair for Jazz

Lucinda Childs

H.E.R.

WHAT:

LA Phil Gala: Celebrating Frank Gehry

BACH Partita in E: Preludio

Esa-Pekka SALONEN FOG

Choreographed and Performed by Lucinda Childs

Herbie HANCOCK Maiden Voyage

Herbie Hancock

H.E.R. with LA Phil

DEBUSSY La mer

WHERE:

Walt Disney Concert Hall

111 S. Grand Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90012

WHEN:

Thursday, October 5, 2023

6PM Cocktail Reception

7PM Concert

9PM Dinner

Afterparty at THE GRAND LA

TICKETS:

VIP tables and tickets on sale now. Further concert details to be announced. Gala dinner tables and special gala ticket packages include a private pre-concert cocktail reception, premium concert seating and more. Visit our Gala page for more details, or contact Special Events at gala@laphil.org or 213 972 3051. Programs, artists, dates, prices and availability are subject to change.

About the LA Phil 

Under the leadership of Music & Artistic Director Gustavo Dudamel, the LA Phil offers live performances, media initiatives and learning programs that inspire and strengthen communities in Los Angeles and beyond. The Los Angeles Philharmonic orchestra is the foundation of the LA Phil’s offerings, which also include a multigenre, multidisciplinary presenting program and such youth development programs as YOLA (Youth Orchestra Los Angeles). Performances are offered on three historic stages—Walt Disney Concert Hall, the Hollywood Bowl and The Ford—as well as through a variety of media platforms. In all its endeavors, the LA Phil seeks to enrich the lives of individuals and communities through musical, artistic and learning experiences that resonate in our world today. 

Sophie Jefferies, sjefferies@laphil.org

Laura Cohen, lcmediapr@gmail.com 

Holly Wallace, hwallace@laphil.org

Kassandra Winchester, kwinchester@laphil.org