Photos: L.A Philharmonic opening galas in Disney Hall
Composer-conductor John Williams, second from the left, was celebrated at the Los Angeles Philharmonic’s 2014 season opener. Here’s a look at the annual opening-night concerts at Walt Disney Concert Hall since the venue’s inauguration in 2003. (Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times)
A look at the annual opening night concerts at Walt Disney Concert Hall since the venue’s inauguration in 2003.
Guests arrive at the Walt Disney Concert Hall for an opening-night gala honoring the building’s 10-year anniversary. (Michael Robinson Chavez / Los Angeles Times)
Conductor Gustavo Dudamel, left, and cellist and featured soloist Yo Yo Ma wave to the crowd. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
The audience gives a standing ovation. Video installations by artist Netia Jones accompanied the performance. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
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The L.A. Philharmonic’s 2012 opening-night gala featured orchestral works with rich dance rhythms that involved stage collaborations with several dance companies. The concert opened with L.A.’s BODYTRAFFIC dance company, pictured, performing to John Adams’ “The Chairman Dances.” (Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times)
American Ballet Theatre stars Veronika Part and Roberto Bolle perform selections from Tchaikovsky’s “Swan Lake.” The evening concluded with a suite from Leonard Bernstein’s “On the Town,” performed by Broadway dancers. (Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times)
The L.A. Phil celebrated American composer George Gershwin with the help of jazz pianist Herbie Hancock, pictured, in an all-Gershwin program. (Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times)
The 2010 opening-night gala featured Peruvian tenor Juan Diego Flórez in a program of arias and popular Latin American canciones. (Gary Friedman / Los Angeles Times)
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Streamers rain down on the audience at the conclusion of the opening-night concert. (Gary Friedman / Los Angeles Times)
Gustavo Dudamel conducts the L.A. Phil for the first time as music director, Oct. 8, 2009. (Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times)
Dudamel interacts with composer John Adams after the world premiere of Adams’ “City Noir.” (Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times)
Esa-Pekka Salonen begins his 17th and last season with the Los Angeles Philharmonic with a gala that features singers Dawn Upshaw and Audra MacDonald, Oct. 2, 2008. (Anne Cusack / Los Angeles Times)
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Soprano Renée Fleming joined the philharmonic for a night of well-known French and Italian pieces, including Ravel’s Shéhérazade and Puccini’s “O mio babbino caro.” (Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times)
Fleming chats with actor Jack Nicholson at the post-concert dinner party. (Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times)
The philharmonic gala performance for the 2006 season featured Ravel’s “Mother Goose Suite” and “Bolero” as well as Manuel de Falla’s “Master Peter’s Puppet Show,” enacted by life-sized puppets designed by Basil Twist. (Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times)
Actor Ed Harris performs a dramatic reading of some of Beethoven’s personal letters. (Ringo H.W. Chiu / For The Times)
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Music director Esa-Pekka Salonen leads the orchestra through “Leonore,” Overture No. 2, parts of Symphonies No. 1 and 7 and Piano Concerto No. 5 on Sept. 29, 2005. (Ringo H.W. Chiu / For the Times)
The 2004 opening gala, “Grands on Grand,” displayed six Steinway grands on the Walt Disney Concert Hall stage for music featuring up to six pianos. (Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times)
Conductor Esa-Pekka Salonen, left, acoustician Yasuhisa Toyota and architect Frank Gehry at the first of three galas inaugurating the concert hall. “Sonic LA” showcased the venue’s acoustics, “Living LA” focused on 20th/21st century works and “Soundstage LA” featured Hollywood-inspired pieces. (Anacleto Rapping / Los Angeles Times)
Fireworks flow from Walt Disney Concert Hall after the conclusion of the opening-night gala, Oct. 23, 2003. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)
Andrea Wang is a Web producer for the entertainment section of the Los Angeles Times. Prior, she worked at Southern California Public Radio, where she wrote stories and helped usher their website through its redesign.