Since its opening in 1922, the Hollywood Bowl has been the premier destination for live music in Southern California, hosting everyone from Billie Holiday to The Beatles to Yo-Yo Ma under the iconic silhouette of its concentric-arched band shell. Join Classical KUSC and the LA Phil for 7 nights of great musical performances, under the stars! Learn more about each performance below.
Photo by Adam Latham
Dudamel conducts Falla and Ravel
THU, JULY 6 – 8:00PM
Gustavo Dudamel leads the Los Angeles Philharmonic in an evening of orchestral favorites that evoke wonder and enchantment, ranging from the drama of Mussorgsky’s Night on Bald Mountain to Ravel’s fairy tale-inspired Mother Goose Suite and finally Dukas’ magical The Sorcerer’s Apprentice. Spanish pianist Javier Perianes plays with “a combination of evident modesty and utter brilliance” (The Sunday Times) and joins Gustavo for Manuel de Falla’s rich and mysterious Nights in the Gardens of Spain.
Photo by Farah Sosa
Prokofiev and Tchaikovsky with Dudamel
THU, JULY 20 – 8:00PM
Gustavo Dudamel leads a night of Russian music bookended by the sometimes fun-loving, sometimes provocative Sergei Prokofiev—opening with his “Mozart with a modernist twist” Classical Symphony and closing with the emotional peaks and valleys of the composer’s beloved Romeo and Juliet. In between, Tchaikovsky’s miniature cello concerto provides a stellar spotlight for Alisa Weilerstein, who performs with such sensitivity that the sound of her instrument seems to have “come from her voice, her lungs, and her being” (Los Angeles Times).
Photo by Andrew Eccles
Pictures at an Exhibition
THU, JULY 27 – 8:00PM
Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition paints entire worlds with sound, inviting the audience to imagine vivid vignettes and colorful scenes. Stéphane Denève—Music Director of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra—leads the LA Phil in Ravel’s stunning orchestration of this audience favorite as well as the title track from John Williams’ enchanting soundtrack to The Book Thief.
Los Angeles native Billy Childs has a storied career as a jazz performer and has won four Grammy Awards as a composer, blending jazz, classical, and pop into a distinctly American voice. Called “an exciting, boundary-defying performer” by The Washington Post, Rachel Barton Pine performs Childs’ Second Violin Concerto that took its inspiration from the early stages of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Photo by Mat Hennek
Elgar and Mozart
TUE, AUG 8 – 8:00PM
French pianist Hélène Grimaud has earned honors and praise throughout her career for, among other things, her deft interpretation of Mozart. Bachtrack said her performance of the composer’s Twentieth Concerto, a work Grimaud says represents “confrontations with fate or destiny,” was performed with “impeccable technique and concentration.” Ryan Bancroft leads Pulitzer-winner Caroline Shaw’s enthralling Entr’acte as well as the many moods of Edward Elgar’s musical puzzle. Enigma Variations transforms its central theme into a personality sketch of Elgar’s friends, ranging from playful or eccentric to majestic and noble in the beloved “Nimrod.”
Photo by Kim Kiely
Shostakovich and Dvořák
THU, AUG 17 – 8:00PM
Melodic and wistful, earthy and passionate—Dvořák’s Cello Concerto is one of the most popular pieces of its kind ever written and a rite of passage for any concert cellist. Sterling Elliott has been praised for his stellar stage presence and joyful musicianship. The “radiant young cellist” (The Washington Post) joins the LA Phil for Dvořák’s gem. Capping off the evening, Anna Rakitina leads Shostakovich’s thunderous and powerful Fifth Symphony.
Photo by Roy Cox
The Four Seasons
THU, AUG 31 – 8PM
From thundering spring storms to a serene winter day, Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons cleverly paints the passage of time. The LA Phil’s First Associate Concertmaster performs this set of artfully constructed concertos that have become some of the most loved music ever written. New Zealand-born Gemma New leads the orchestra in Tchaikovsky’s own interpretation of the seasons as well as a work by Jessie Montgomery that was inspired by Vivaldi’s masterwork.
Photo by Marco Borggreve
Bach and Mendelssohn
THU, SEP 7 – 8:00PM
Bach’s timeless and sublime musical voice takes the spotlight on the first half of this program—with the orchestral suite that features the popular “Air on the G String” and a violin concerto featuring the LA Phil’s Principal Concertmaster. Conductor Masaaki Suzuki leads Mendelssohn’s sunny and cheerful Fourth Symphony, which was inspired by the composer’s time in the Italian countryside.
