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  • Los Angeles Philharmonic Launches Ground-Breaking Online Tribute to Music Director Esa-Pekka Salonen
  • Oct. 20, 2008
  • Los Angeles Philharmonic Launches Ground-Breaking Online Tribute to Music Director Esa-Pekka Salonen

    As a major component of the special projects honoring Esa-Pekka Salonen in his final season as the Los Angeles Philharmonic’s Music Director, the LA PHIL launches the “Celebrate Salonen” microsite. The comprehensive and multi-layered site, a living tribute to Salonen’s legacy, is an exploration of his 17 seasons with the LA PHIL. Through images, as well as on-demand audio and video components, it showcases him as both composer and conductor as well as a champion of music of our time. The site invites visitors to become immersed in the building blocks of Salonen’s tenure, from his remarkable collaborations with the most brilliant contemporary artists to his outstanding achievements with the orchestra. Additionally, a special tribute section provides an opportunity for fans, colleagues and friends to connect with and pay homage to Salonen. The microsite, located at www.LAPhil.com/CelebrateSalonen, is a cutting-edge endeavor in the orchestral world, and officially launches Tuesday, Oct. 21, 2008.

    “This innovative website is one of the many ways we will celebrate Esa-Pekka Salonen this season,” said Deborah Borda, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Los Angeles Philharmonic Association. “It is part of our gift to him and to his many fans as we embark on his final season as our Music Director. Esa-Pekka has steered a blazing path to the future with the Los Angeles Philharmonic. This microsite captures the history of his many accomplishments with this orchestra in a manner accessible and in-tune with today. It will be a favorite bookmark for many!”

    The “Celebrate Salonen” microsite is structured around an interactive timeline featuring 90 points in Salonen’s career with the LA Phil and goes beyond typical web design. It richly layers the visual and interactive experience with comprehensive sound design and features a layered atmospheric soundscape derived from Salonen’s works. Users can navigate the timeline by selecting a specific year or by cross-referencing the four different themes that represent Salonen’s strong collaborations and partnerships, his cutting-edge creations, his unparalleled advocacy of new music and his close relationship with the LA PHIL.

    The more than 100 images, 4 hours of audio interviews, 3 hours of video and 15 hours of music that can be accessed via the timeline points are also housed in a comprehensive media section. Site visitors can listen to interviews with and concerts conducted by Salonen with the LA PHIL; view video of performance clips, including Salonen’s first rehearsal as Music Director, interviews and discussions with Salonen as well as view on-stage and behind-the-scenes photos; and read articles, personal essays and program notes. The media section also offers a complete searchable listing of the more than 900 concerts that Salonen performed with the LA PHIL during his tenure.

    The LA Phil selected the Los Angeles and San Francisco-based interactive design firm The Groop to develop the “Celebrate:Salonen” microsite. The Groop, founded by President and Executive Creative Director Jose Caballer and Vice President Mary Gribbin, boasts a range of clients from Fortune 500 companies to start-ups to high-level creative organizations.

    “The opportunity to work on this highly experiential project about someone of Esa-Pekka Salonen’s caliber was a fantastic opportunity for us,” said Caballer. “He is on a short list of true greats in that he has helped to re-shape an industry and perceptions of that industry and we are very proud that we developed a site that, like Salonen, gives the audience a unique experience and perspective.”

    Fans, colleagues and friends can leave a dedicated message for Salonen in the Tributes section of the site. In addition, they can view elements of the site design that have been incorporated into the physical exhibition for Celebrate:Salonen, located in the Ernest Fleishmann Gallery at Walt Disney Concert Hall.

    LA PHIL and Salonen fans can also engage with the activities surrounding the orchestra’s 17-day Asia tour (Oct. 15 – 31) on the LA PHIL Tour Blog, http://www.laphil.com/tourblog. The Asia tour blog includes the personal reflections, photos and videos of a variety of orchestra members and staff as they travel 19,000 miles, and Google mapping to track the orchestra’s progress across the continent.

    The LA Phil will release newly recorded video and audio content on the microsite as the 2008/09 season progresses and various collaborators make their appearances during Salonen’s final season as the LA Phil’s Music Director.

    The Los Angeles Philharmonic Association, under Music Director Esa-Pekka Salonen, presents the finest in orchestral and chamber music, recitals, new music, jazz, world music and holiday concerts at two of the most remarkable places anywhere to experience music – Walt Disney Concert Hall and the Hollywood Bowl. In addition to a 30-week winter subscription season at Walt Disney Concert Hall, the LA Phil presents a 12-week summer festival at the legendary Hollywood Bowl, summer home of the Los Angeles Philharmonic and home of the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra. In fulfilling its commitment to the community, the Association’s involvement with Los Angeles extends to educational programs, community concerts and children's programming, ever seeking to provide inspiration and delight to the broadest possible audience.

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