Power to the People! Festival, Co-Curated by
Gustavo Dudamel and Herbie Hancock,
Celebrates the Intersection of Music and Humanitarianism
March 5 – April 11, 2020

Los Angeles, CA (December 2, 2019) – “Power to the People!” has a place in the history of protest as a slogan written on placards and chanted in the streets, but its sentiments of solidarity and humanitarian spirit have been immortalized in music. Between March 5 and April 11, 2020, the LA Phil’s Music and Artistic Director Gustavo Dudamel and Creative Chair for Jazz Herbie Hancock will bring together musicians, artists and activists representing a variety of musical traditions and social movements for Power to the People!, a festival about finding your voice and using it.

Musical performances include Herbie Hancock with Gustavo Dudamel and the LA Phil (March 5); Patti Smith and Her Band (March 6); Residente with Gustavo Dudamel and the LA Phil (March 7); Conrad Tao (March 10); Terence Blanchard performing the music from Spike Lee films with Ben Harper (March 14); Cécile McLorin Salvant performing her song cycle Ogresse (March 15); and the West Coast debut of Ted Hearne’s Place. Two Toyota Symphonies for Youth performances, for children aged 5 to 11, address the festival’s themes and feature the Los Angeles Philharmonic (April 4 and 11).

Power to the People! also features talks, participatory events, and performance art at Walt Disney Concert Hall and venues throughout Los Angeles. Imani Uzuri invites participants to sing songs of resistance (March 7 and 8); Terence Blanchard discusses his career and collaborations (March 12); A Noise Within and the LA Phil join together for an evening of political theater (March 13); Dr. Angela Davis delivers a talk on creativity’s role in social change (March 18); and Seth Parker Woods and Spencer Topel perform Iced Bodies (March 21).

“Ever since my experience with El Sistema as a young boy in Venezuela, I have passionately believed in the power of music to unite, heal, and inspire us to build a better world,” said Dudamel. “The extraordinary artists in this festival, each with their own unique vision of how art can change society for the better, serve as a powerful reminder that, no matter the challenges that face us, there is always hope for the future.”

“I’m so thrilled to be collaborating with Gustavo Dudamel to gather together composers, musicians and activists who are carrying the torch for a wide variety of communities. These are artists who help us understand one another, who fight for the rights of all people to be treated as equals. It’s a celebration not only of great music, but of people who teach us how to find our voice and who use theirs to preserve the dignity and rights of all,” said Hancock.

Power to the People! is presented in collaboration with the California African American Museum. Additional partners include A Noise Within, American Cinematheque, and Power California, who will lead a voter registration drive at the festival’s concerts.

This festival is generously supported by Margaret Morgan and Wesley Phoa, and the National Endowment for the Arts.

March 5, 2020: Herbie Hancock with Gustavo Dudamel and the LA Phil at Walt Disney Concert Hall

From subversive statements to songs of solidarity, music has always had a role to play in the movements that shift attitudes and shape nations. Join Gustavo Dudamel, Herbie Hancock, and the Los Angeles Philharmonic to kick off Power to the People!, a celebration of the music that moves mountains.

This performance is made possible by the Frank Gehry Fund for Creativity.

March 6, 2020: Patti Smith and Her Band at Walt Disney Concert Hall

Patti Smith’s work as a songwriter, poet, photographer and visual artist is united by her relentlessly humanist perspective. She has an uncanny ability to find humanity among the devastation of war and torture, and her 1988 hit “People Have the Power,” a celebration of our collective ability to “redeem the work of fools” and pursue righteousness, has become an international protest anthem. For this performance, the poet laureate of punk rock and her band will celebrate the power of humanity. Registration period for tickets: Dec. 3, 10am – Dec. 6, midnight. During this period, registration forms are available at https://my.laphil.com/en/secure/4993/2020-patti-smith/register/, via the user’s LA Phil account. New patrons may create an account for free. One registration per household. Eligible registrants will receive a promotion code on Dec. 9 that will be valid beginning Dec. 10, at 10am. Only validated accounts will have access to purchase tickets.

March 7, 2020: Residente with Gustavo Dudamel and the LA Phil at Walt Disney Concert Hall

Puerto Rican rapper, writer  and producer Residente is the winner of 25 Latin Grammys^®, more than any other artist in history. He first rose to prominence with the socially minded rap group Calle 13, so his commitment to justice is central to – and inseparable from – his music. He moves gracefully from the heartbroken to the empowered, incorporating traditional Latin American instrumentation and textures into high-powered hip-hop. This powerful performance with the LA Phil and Gustavo Dudamel highlights the passion and power that’s central to his work – and his life. Tickets for this performance go on sale on December 5, 2019.

March 7 and 8, 2020: Imani Uzuri: Revolutionary Choir at CAAM and BP Hall, Walt Disney Concert Hall

Join vocalist and composer Imani Uzuri’s Revolutionary Choir salon — a freedom and protest song teach-in of historical and new songs of resistance and resilience. All voices are welcome to learn and sing liberation songs. This free event will take place at CAAM on March 7, and at Walt Disney Concert Hall’s BP Hall on March 8.

March 8, 2020: Power to the People!

Gustavo Dudamel and the LA Phil collaborate with a special guest to be announced for a gospel-inflected program that pays homage to the role of the church as a place for young artists to find their voice in organizing and supporting social justice movements and for offering resilience and hope through music.

March 10, 2020: Conrad Tao at Walt Disney Concert Hall

No look at the music that has empowered people throughout history would be complete without Frederic Rzewski’s epic The People United Will Never Be Defeated!, 36 variations on the Chilean song, which requires staggering virtuosity, extended techniques and unflagging concentration. Pianist Conrad Tao, whose talents are rooted in both standard and experimental repertory, displays his expertise to this recital that also includes Rzewski’s Which Side Are You On?, part of his recently released album American Rage.

This performance is part of the LA Phil’s Colburn Celebrity Recitals series, endowed by a generous grant from the Colburn Foundation.

March 12, 2020: Songversation with Terence Blanchard at California African American Museum

USA Fellow and five-time Grammy^®-winning trumpeter/composer Terence Blanchard has been a consistent artistic force for making powerful musical statements about American tragedies — past and present. Blanchard will discuss his legendary career and nearly three-decades-long collaboration with director Spike Lee. This event is free.

March 13, 2020: A Noise Within X LA Phil

A Noise Within and the LA Phil join forces to present a staged reading of potent political theater designed to incite and inspire.

March 14, 2020: The Movie Music of Spike Lee & Terence Blanchard at Walt Disney Concert Hall

The Movie Music of Spike Lee & Terence Blanchard showcases the long and fruitful collaboration between the uncompromising filmmaker and the brilliant trumpeter and bandleader whose lush scores augment the humanitarian spirit and political heart of Lee’s movies. This incredible music comes to life at the hands of Blanchard’s sensational quintet and guest vocalists, including Ben Harper. Specially curated images from the films are projected throughout the performance.

March 15, 2020: Cécile McLorin Salvant – Ogresse at Walt Disney Concert Hall

“There’s a woman lived in the woods on the outskirts of town. Her skin was chocolate brown. Upon her head she wore a crown of bones.” With these powerful words, Cécile McLorin Salvant begins her extraordinary song cycle Ogresse, a stunning fairy-tale suite with very real implications. This genre-hopping big-band work is the most ambitious project yet from a remarkable talent.

March 18, 2020: Dr. Angela Davis – Power to the Imagination: The Role of Art and Creativity in Social Change at Walt Disney Concert Hall

Acclaimed scholar and activist Dr. Angela Davis offers a cultural perspective on the role art has played in social justice movements and its potential to effect change today. Tickets for this event go on sale December 10, 2019.

March 21, 2020: Seth Parker Woods and Spencer Topel – Iced Bodies at Walt Disney Concert Hall’s BP Hall

An iconic performance art piece from the 1970s is reimagined for today with Iced Bodies. An ice cello, dyed black and embedded with electronics, is played by Seth Parker Woods and translated into sound by composer Spencer Topel, paying tribute to an avant-garde past while reflecting on the black bodies lost to mental illness and violence in the African American community. This free performance will take place in BP Hall inside Walt Disney Concert Hall.

March 24, 2020: Ted Hearne’s Place at Walt Disney Concert Hall

In a country at a crossroads, where the legacy of Manifest Destiny has given rise to the complexities of gentrification, Ted Hearne’s Place explores the contentious mapping of the place we call home. Created with poet/librettist Saul Williams and director Patricia McGregor, Place is an 80-minute staged oratorio scored for 18 instrumentalists and six singers, and is co-commissioned and co-produced by the Los Angeles Philharmonic and Beth Morrison Projects. This will be its West Coast premiere.

April 4 & 11, 2020: Toyota Symphonies for Youth

Composers, musicians, and poets representing a variety of musical traditions and social movements will gather for Power to the People!, a concert about finding your voice and using it to preserve the dignity and rights of all people. This concert features the Los Angeles Philharmonic and is recommended for children ages 5 to 11.

PROGRAM DETAILS:

Walt Disney Concert Hall
Thursday, March 5, 2020, 8PM
Herbie Hancock
Los Angeles Philharmonic
Gustavo Dudamel, conductor

Walt Disney Concert Hall
Friday, March 6, 2020, 8PM
Patti Smith and Her Band

Walt Disney Concert Hall
Saturday, March 7, 2020, 8PM
Residente
Los Angeles Philharmonic
Gustavo Dudamel, conductor

California African American Museum
Saturday, March 7, 2020, 2PM
Imani Uzuri: Revolutionary Choir

Walt Disney Concert Hall – BP Hall
Sunday, March 8, 2020, 1PM
Imani Uzuri: Revolutionary Choir

Walt Disney Concert Hall
Sunday, March 8, 2020, 2PM
Gustavo Dudamel, conductor

Walt Disney Concert Hall
Tuesday, March 10, 2020, 8PM
Conrad Tao, piano

Frederic RZEWSKI  Which Side Are You On?
COPLAND  Piano Sonata
Frederic RZEWSKI  The People United Will Never Be Defeated!

California African American Museum
Thursday, March 12, 2020, 7PM
Terence Blanchard
Songversation

A Noise Within
Friday, March 13, 2020, 8PM
A Noise Within X LA Phil

Walt Disney Concert Hall
Saturday, March 14, 2020, 8PM
The Movie Music of Spike Lee & Terence Blanchard
Terence Blanchard Quintet
Los Angeles Philharmonic
Ben Harper, special guest

Walt Disney Concert Hall
Sunday, March 15, 2020, 7:30PM
Cécile McLorin Salvant – Ogresse

Arranged and conducted by Darcy James Argue

Walt Disney Concert Hall
Wednesday, March 18, 2020, 8PM
Dr. Angela Davis
Power to the Imagination: The Role of Art and Creativity in Social Change

Walt Disney Concert Hall – BP Hall
Saturday, March 21, 2020, 2PM
Seth Parker Woods and Spencer Topel
Iced Bodies

Walt Disney Concert Hall
Tuesday, March 24, 2020, 8PM
Place
Co-created by Ted Hearne, Patricia McGregor and Saul Williams
Los Angeles Philharmonic New Music Ensemble
Ted Hearne, composer and conductor
Saul Williams and Ted Hearne, libretto
Patricia McGregor, director
Tim Brown and Sanford Biggers, scenic and video design
Pablo Santiago, lighting design
Jody Elff, sound design
Rachel Myers, costume design
Steven Bradshaw, Sophia Byrd, Josephine Lee, Isaiah Robinson, Sol Ruiz, Ayanna Woods, vocalists

Ted HEARNE  Place (West Coast premiere, LA Phil commission)
Co-produced and co-commissioned by Beth Morrison Projects

Walt Disney Concert Hall
Saturday, April 4, 2020, 11AM
Saturday, April 11, 2020, 11AM
Toyota Symphonies for Youth: Power to the People!
Los Angeles Philharmonic

Discover music that represents different traditions and social movements.
This concert is recommended for children aged 5 to 11.

More information about Power to the People! can be found at www.laphil.com/power.

Tickets for the Los Angeles Philharmonic’s 2019/20 season at Walt Disney Concert Hall are currently available. To purchase, please visit laphil.com or the Walt Disney Concert Hall Box Office. For more information, please call 323 850 2000.