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  • Hollywood Bowl Hall of Fame Celebrates 10th Anniversary During 2009 Opening Night Gala; Dame Kiri Te Kanawa and Josh Groban
    Are This Year’s Inductees
  • Jun. 19, 2009
  • Milestone Evening Features All-Star Presenters Garth Brooks and John Williams, and Special Guests Frederica von Stade and Trisha Yearwood, as Thomas Wilkins Kicks Off His Second Year as Principal Guest Conductor of the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra; Proceeds Support Music Matters, the Los Angeles Philharmonic’s Music Education Programs

    Roger Daltrey and Angélique Kidjo Just Added to the Bill

    Friday, June 19, 2009, AT 8:30 PM

    In what promises to be an exciting summer season, filled with amazing musical pairings, world-class jazz and world music programs, crowd-pleasing pop and rock shows, star-studded evenings of first-rate classical music, and spectacular fireworks, the Opening Night at the Hollywood Bowl 2009, kicks off with a special celebration – the 10th anniversary of the Hollywood Bowl Hall of Fame – Friday, June 19, at 8:30 p.m. This year’s esteemed honorees are legendary opera star Dame Kiri Te Kanawa and internationally renowned Josh Groban in an extraordinary evening introduced by the first-ever Hollywood Bowl Hall of Fame inductees, country music superstar Garth Brooks and iconic film score composer and conductor John Williams. Special guests, including 2003 Hall of Fame inductee and lead singer of The Who Roger Daltrey, Beninese singer-songwriter Angélique Kidjo, famed mezzo-soprano Frederica von Stade and 2005 Hall of Fame inductee and country music idol Tricia Yearwood, join Principal Guest Conductor Thomas Wilkins and the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra for this special milestone celebratory evening capped by a spectacular fireworks finale display. Proceeds from the evening support Music Matters, the LA Phil’s varied and far-reaching music education program. Over the years, these special evenings have raised more than $6 million for Music Matters.

    “We are very proud to celebrate the 10th anniversary of our Hall of Fame concerts with Dame Kiri Te Kanawa and Josh Groban,” said Arvind Manocha, Los Angeles Philharmonic Chief Operating Officer. “Their musical accomplishments are extraordinary and both are strong advocates for music education and cultivating musical talent in others. They truly exemplify the very spirit of what it means to be a Hollywood Bowl Hall of Fame inductee.”

    The “Hollywood Bowl Hall of Fame” was conceived on behalf of the Los Angeles Philharmonic Association by Wayne Baruch and Charles F. Gayton, who have created and produced all 10 Hall of Fame opening concerts. Established in 2000, the Hall of Fame identifies and pays tribute to artists whose unique achievements embody the spirit of the world-renowned Hollywood Bowl. The Hall of Fame is now part of a new exhibit on the main floor of the Hollywood Bowl Museum that includes photos and film of inductees over the years.

    For nearly four decades Dame Kiri Te Kanawa has enchanted audiences and critics with her captivating voice, versatility and spell-binding presence. She achieved legendary status after her sensational debut as the Countess in Le nozze di Figaro at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden in 1971. Since then, not only has she dominated the world of opera and become one of the most famous sopranos in the world, but she has become a much-sought-after singer in a wide variety of musical contexts – concert, recording and film. In 2004, the staunch supporter of encouraging and harvesting the talent of future generations launched the Kiri Te Kanawa Foundation, a charity that provides support and financial aid to dedicated New Zealand singers and musicians. She has also become the Founding Artistic Director of the Solti Te Kanawa Accademia di Bel Canto, a summer course based in Italy, which trains the next generation of opera singers. Dame Kiri is inducted by close friend and long-time collaborator Frederica von Stade followed by a performance featuring these two forces of nature.

    Los Angeles-native Josh Groban, in addition to creating his own musical genre as a classically influenced pop singer, has become an international superstar, selling more than 23 million albums since his self-titled debut was released in 2001. After catching the public’s attention in 2003, with an appearance on television’s Ally McBeal, Groban has enjoyed a meteoric rise to fame. In 2004, inspired by a visit with Nelson Mandela during a trip to South Africa, Groban established the Josh Groban Foundation to help children in need through education, healthcare and the arts. Recently, Groban testified before Congress on behalf of the National Endowment for the Arts, about the importance of music education. He has participated in past Hollywood Bowl Hall of Fame ceremonies, the first time in 2004 as a spokesperson for Music Matters, and in 2005, when he presented the Hall of Fame award to his friend, violinist Joshua Bell. Angélique Kidjo, who has toured and recorded with Groban, presents his award to him followed by a dual performance.

    Additional performers for the evening include past Hall of Fame inductees Trisha Yearwood, inducted in 2005, and Roger Daltrey, inducted in 2003. In 1997, Yearwood performed in three sold-out nights at the Bowl during the Fourth of July weekend with the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra and its Founding Director John Mauceri. The multiple Grammy-winner has been married to Garth Brooks since 2005.

    Daltrey, lead singer of The Who, has a long history of performing at the Hollywood Bowl dating back to 1967 when the band made its Bowl debut. The Who, considered one of the most influential bands of rock music, last appeared at the Bowl in 2002, and Daltrey returned to the Bowl in 2003 as Alfred P. Doolittle in My Fair Lady.

    Additional presenters to be announced.

    Te Kanawa and Groban join the distinguished company of past artists – John Williams, Garth Brooks, Marilyn Horne, Stevie Wonder, Bonnie Raitt, John Raitt, Monty Python, Kathleen Battle, Randy Newman, Bernadette Peters, Leopold Stokowski, George Harrison, the Smothers Brothers, Roger Daltrey, Patti LuPone, Nathan Lane, Henry Mancini, Sarah Chang, Brian Wilson, Trisha Yearwood, Joshua Bell, Frank Sinatra, Carlos Santana, André Watts, Plácido Domingo, Hollywood Bowl Orchestra Founding Director John Mauceri, Liza Minnelli, Sir James Galway and B.B. King – previously inducted into the Hall of Fame. Drawn from the diverse arena of musical entertainment, including classical, pop, jazz, musical theater, film composition, and dance, Hall of Fame honorees receive their tributes each summer as part of the Bowl’s annual opening night celebration.

    The Opening Night at the Hollywood Bowl Committee is co-chaired by Sandy and Barry Pressman; Barbara and Jay Rasulo; and Jonathan Weedman and Raymundo Baltazar. Opening Night sponsors are: Gallo Family Vineyards, Goodyear Tire & Rubber, the Patina Restaurant Group at the Bowl and the Pasadena Showcase House for the Arts.

    The annual benefit includes a VIP pre-concert reception and gourmet dinner in the Bowl’s iconic boxes and helps fund Music Matters, the education programs of the Los Angeles Philharmonic and Hollywood Bowl that reach more than 120,000 young people every year. Tickets for the benefit and concert ($550 – $2,500) include a pre-concert reception and dinner beginning at 5:30 p.m. Call 213.972.3051 for details. Tickets for the concert only ($17 - $103), which begins at 8:30 p.m., are on sale online at HollywoodBowl.com, at the Hollywood Bowl box office, through Ticketmaster, and by credit card phone order at 323.850.2000.

    One of the largest natural amphitheaters in the world, with a seating capacity of nearly 18,000, the HOLLYWOOD BOWL has been the summer home of the Los Angeles Philharmonic since its official opening in 1922, and is home to the best and brightest in all genres of music. The 2004 season introduced audiences to a revitalized Hollywood Bowl, featuring a newly-constructed shell and stage and the addition of four stadium screens enhancing stage views in the venue. To this day, $1 buys a seat at the top of the Bowl for many of the Los Angeles Philharmonic's concerts. While the Bowl is best known for its sizzling summer nights, during the day California's youngest patrons enjoy "SummerSounds: Music for Kids at the Hollywood Bowl," the Southland's most popular summer arts festival for children, now in its 42nd season. In January 2009, the Hollywood Bowl was named Best Major Outdoor Concert Venue for the fifth year in a row at the 20th Annual Pollstar Concert Industry Awards; the Bowl's summer music festival has become as much a part of a Southern California summer as beaches and barbecues, the Dodgers, and Disneyland.

    EDITORS PLEASE NOTE:

    FRIDAY, JUNE 19, 2009, AT 8:30 PM


    HOLLYWOOD BOWL, 2301 N. Highland Ave.



    OPENING NIGHT AT THE HOLLYWOOD BOWL 2009



    HOLLYWOOD BOWL ORCHESTRA

    THOMAS WILKINS, conductor

    DAME KIRI TE KANAWA, inductee

    JOSH GROBAN, inductee

    GARTH BROOKS, presenter

    ROGER DALTREY, special guest

    ANGÉLIQUE KIDJO, special guest

    FEDERICA von STADE, special guest

    JOHN WILLIAMS, presenter

    TRISHA YEARWOOD, special guest

    Opening Night at the Hollywood Bowl 2009 is generously sponsored by Gallo Family Vineyards, Goodyear Tire & Rubber, the Patina Restaurant Group at the Bowl and the Pasadena Showcase House for the Arts.

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  • Contact:

    Sophie Jefferies, sjefferies@laphil.org, 213.972.3422; Lisa White, lwhite@laphil.org, 213.972.3408; Photos: 213.972.3034