The Music Center's Walt Disney Concert Hall
Designed by architect Frank Gehry, The Music Center’s Walt Disney Concert Hall (Concert Hall) opened in 2003 as the newest of The Music Center’s four venues. The Concert Hall was conceived when Lillian B. Disney made an initial gift of $50 million to build an additional performance space on Los Angeles County land in honor of her late husband Walt Disney and his dedication to the arts. Home to LA Phil and the Los Angeles Master Chorale, Walt Disney Concert Hall is one of the most acoustically sophisticated concert halls in the world and provides both visual and aural intimacy through its exterior and interior design.
More than 6,000 panels create the curving stainless steel skin of the Concert Hall’s exterior. Resembling silver sails, the Concert Hall’s design plays off the bowed cornice of The Music Center’s Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, forging a link between the old and the new.
The use of natural materials and skylights creates a bright and airy interior in the Concert Hall. Gehry’s team visualized the lobby as a transparent and light-filled “living room for the city.” Massive columns within the lobby structure evoke an image of tree trunks. They are clad in vertical grain Douglas fir and serve the functional purpose of housing the lighting, heating and air conditioning systems.
The 2,265-seat auditorium is a concrete box that is structurally independent of the rest of the building. Gehry collaborated with renowned acoustician Dr. Yasuhisa Toyota to design the acoustics. The walls of the auditorium are vertical grain Douglas fir and the floor is red oak. The stage is Alaskan yellow cedar, the same wood often used on the backs of cellos and violas and can be configured to hold larger performing organizations by removing the first rows in Orchestra View. Natural light enhances daytime concerts with a large 36-foot-high rear window and skylights.
The terraced vineyard style seating is designed to bring the audience close to the orchestra and provide an intimate view of the musicians and conductor from any seat. A focal point for the auditorium is the 50-foot organ that houses 6,134 pipes ranging in size from a pencil to a telephone pole. Only two percent of the pipes are visible. The organ weighs more than 40 metric tons and was designed by Los Angeles organ designer Manuel Rosales along with Frank Gehry.
Gehry’s design includes details as specific as the carpet pattern used in the auditorium. Named “Lillian” in Mrs. Disney’s honor, the pattern was designed to bring Mrs. Disney’s garden into the Concert Hall and is featured in the seating upholstery as well. Foam padding, the material and the hollow underside of the seats mimic the human body in reflecting sound; in fact, the sound is the same no matter how full or how empty the auditorium. The only piece of art in the Concert Hall, “Blue”, was created by Los Angeles artist Peter Alexander. It is located above the Grand Avenue staircase between the Garden and Terrace levels.
The Concert Hall includes BP Hall, which is an additional space for performances and can accommodate up to 350 people. Clad in vertical grain Douglas fir as well, the curved room posed an acoustical challenge. To avoid focusing sound in one area of the space, perforations were added to the wood paneling with special material placed behind the panels to give the room proper acoustics.
Located on the second floor of the Concert Hall is the Library of Congress/Ira Gershwin Gallery. Designed by Hodgetts + Fung Design Associates, the gallery was made possible by a gift from the Ira and Leonore Gershwin Trust for the Benefit of the Library of Congress and rotates its collection bi-annually.
The Roy and Edna Disney/CalArts Theater (REDCAT), named in honor of Walt Disney’s brother and partner Roy and Roy’s wife, Edna, is also housed within the Concert Hall. An interdisciplinary contemporary arts center, the theatre is programmed by CalArts, based in Valencia, California. REDCAT features a flexible 200- to 270-seat multi-use theatre and a 3,000 square-foot exhibition space. Its entrance includes a marquee of curvilinear stainless steel and leads directly into an expansive multi-use space that includes a lobby and lounge for meetings, receptions and post-performance events. The REDCAT stage can be transformed into several configurations, from thrust and end stage to completely in the round. The performance space is lined with hinged panels, each with finished wood on one side and sound-absorbent material on the other. To quiet outside noise and prevent transmission of vibrations from the Concert Hall, REDCAT is built as a steel box-within-a box, with the interior box floating on 72 special rubber pads.
Featured at Walt Disney Concert Hall
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Tue Apr 16 8:00 PM
LA Phil John Adams Conducts the LA Phil New Music Group
Walt Disney Concert Hall
The LA Phil’s John and Samantha Williams Creative Chair Show More
The LA Phil’s John and Samantha Williams Creative Chair leads a world premiere by Zosha Di Castri and LA Phil Etudes: Book 1, each of which was composed by a different composer and offers a solo opportunity for a musician from the orchestra. Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Anthony Davis based You Have the Right to Remain Silent on his own encounters with police, and features New York Philharmonic principal clarinetist Anthony McGill as soloist.
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Thu Apr 18 8:00 PM
Sun Apr 21 2:00 PM
LA Phil The Labèques, Muhly, and Dessner
Walt Disney Concert Hall
Sister pianists Katia and Marielle Labèque are known for their deep artistic interpretations of everything from Mozart to Stravinsky and creative collaborations with composers that have “transformed the piano duo” (The New York Times). Th...Show More
Sister pianists Katia and Marielle Labèque are known for their deep artistic interpretations of everything from Mozart to Stravinsky and creative collaborations with composers that have “transformed the piano duo” (The New York Times). The Labèques bring two piano concertos they previously premiered by like-minded composers who are as at home in concert halls as they are in indie rock clubs: Nico Muhly and Bryce Dessner. Toronto Symphony Orchestra Music Director Gustavo Gimeno leads the LA Phil in Prokofiev’s vivid scoring of Shakespeare’s story of forbidden love and warring Montagues and Capulets.
Concerts in the Thursday 2 subscription series are generously supported by the Otis Booth Foundation.
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Sat Apr 20 8:00 PM
LA Phil Herbie Hancock
Walt Disney Concert Hall
One of the most inventive artists in the history of American music, the brilliant and always-innovating Herbie Hancock returns for a night of freewheeling, thought-provoking, mind-expanding, galactic-traveling jazz and funk.
One of the most inventive artists in the history of American music, the brilliant and always-innovating Herbie Hancock returns for a night of freewheeling, thought-provoking, mind-expanding, galactic-traveling jazz and funk.
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Sun Apr 21 7:30 PM
LA Phil Anna Lapwood
Walt Disney Concert Hall
Hailed as “the dream ambassador for classical music” by Gramophone, organist and advocate Anna Lapwood makes her LA Phil recital debut.
This performance is generously supported by Mari L. Danihel.
Hailed as “the dream ambassador for classical music” by Gramophone, organist and advocate Anna Lapwood makes her LA Phil recital debut.
This performance is generously supported by Mari L. Danihel.
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Wed Apr 24 8:00 PM
LA Phil Yefim Bronfman
Walt Disney Concert Hall
With a repertoire few can match, the formidable Yefim Bronfman showcases his seemingly infinite range on the piano.
With a repertoire few can match, the formidable Yefim Bronfman showcases his seemingly infinite range on the piano.
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Fri Apr 26 8:00 PM
Sun Apr 28 2:00 PM
LA Phil Bartók and Mozart
Walt Disney Concert Hall
Inon Barnatan is “a true poet of the keyboard: refined, searching, unfailingly communicative” (The Evening Standard). Effortlessly sailing through its melodic yet meticulous runs, Barnatan demonstrates why No. 25 ranks among Mozart’s top ...Show More
Inon Barnatan is “a true poet of the keyboard: refined, searching, unfailingly communicative” (The Evening Standard). Effortlessly sailing through its melodic yet meticulous runs, Barnatan demonstrates why No. 25 ranks among Mozart’s top piano concertos. Karina Canellakis leads Bartók’s Concerto for Orchestra, universally praised for its thematic dominance, enhanced by shimmering harps and winds, a wistful folk-like intermezzo from the strings, and a spontaneous fugue and fanfare led by the brass.
Please note that Nicola Benedetti, who was previously scheduled to perform Brahms’ Violin Concerto during the Bartók and Brahms program (now titled Bartók and Mozart), has withdrawn from her LA Phil engagement as she is expecting her first child. She will be replaced by Inon Barnatan, who will perform Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 25.
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Thu Apr 18 8:00 PM
Sun Apr 21 2:00 PM
LA Phil The Labèques, Muhly, and Dessner
Walt Disney Concert Hall
Sister pianists Katia and Marielle Labèque are known for their deep artistic interpretations of everything from Mozart to Stravinsky and creative collaborations with composers that have “transformed the piano duo” (The New York Times). Th...Show More
Sister pianists Katia and Marielle Labèque are known for their deep artistic interpretations of everything from Mozart to Stravinsky and creative collaborations with composers that have “transformed the piano duo” (The New York Times). The Labèques bring two piano concertos they previously premiered by like-minded composers who are as at home in concert halls as they are in indie rock clubs: Nico Muhly and Bryce Dessner. Toronto Symphony Orchestra Music Director Gustavo Gimeno leads the LA Phil in Prokofiev’s vivid scoring of Shakespeare’s story of forbidden love and warring Montagues and Capulets.
Concerts in the Thursday 2 subscription series are generously supported by the Otis Booth Foundation.
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Tue Mar 05 12:00 PM
Sat May 04 12:00 PM
A TMC Arts Program: Digital Innovation Initiative The Music Center Presents Music off the Wall
Jerry Moss Plaza & Plaza Gallery
For the first time in its 60-year history, The Music Center transforms Jerry Moss Plaza into an interactive augmented reality gallery featuring 16 digital artworks, with accompanying music, brought to life through visitors’ smartphones. This free ...Show More
For the first time in its 60-year history, The Music Center transforms Jerry Moss Plaza into an interactive augmented reality gallery featuring 16 digital artworks, with accompanying music, brought to life through visitors’ smartphones. This free AR exhibit in the heart of DTLA showcases local and global artists and their captivating creations.
Show LessFree
Learn MoreFree
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Tue Apr 02 8:00 PM
Sun Apr 28 1:00 PM
Center Theatre Group Funny Girl
Ahmanson Theatre
Featuring one of the most iconic scores of all time by Jule Styne and Bob Merrill, an updated book from Harvey Fierstein based on the original classic by Isobel Lennart, tap choreography by Ayodele Casel, choreography by Ellenore Scott, and direct...Show More
Featuring one of the most iconic scores of all time by Jule Styne and Bob Merrill, an updated book from Harvey Fierstein based on the original classic by Isobel Lennart, tap choreography by Ayodele Casel, choreography by Ellenore Scott, and direction from Michael Mayer, this love letter to the theatre has the whole shebang!
The sensational Broadway revival dazzles with celebrated classic songs, including “Don’t Rain On My Parade,” “I’m the Greatest Star,” and “People.” This bittersweet comedy is the story of the indomitable Fanny Brice, a girl from the Lower East Side who dreamed of a life on the stage. Everyone told her she’d never be a star, but then something funny happened—she became one of the most beloved performers in history, shining brighter than the brightest lights of Broadway.
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Wed Jan 17 12:00 PM
Fri Dec 27 12:00 PM
A TMC Arts Program Gloria Molina Grand Park's Wellness Break
Gloria Molina Grand Park - Performance Lawn (btwn Grand Ave & Hill St)
Take a break and join us every Wednesday and Friday for in-person yoga classes 12:00 p.m. - 12:45 p.m. at the park! Located on the performance lawn (between Grand Ave and Hill St), these 45-minute yoga classes are free and suitable for all-levels....Show More
Take a break and join us every Wednesday and Friday for in-person yoga classes 12:00 p.m. - 12:45 p.m. at the park! Located on the performance lawn (between Grand Ave and Hill St), these 45-minute yoga classes are free and suitable for all-levels. You can also check out monthly online wellness classes at home provided by our local community partners!
Show LessFree
Learn MoreFree
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Tue Apr 02 8:00 PM
Sun Apr 28 1:00 PM
Center Theatre Group Funny Girl
Ahmanson Theatre
Featuring one of the most iconic scores of all time by Jule Styne and Bob Merrill, an updated book from Harvey Fierstein based on the original classic by Isobel Lennart, tap choreography by Ayodele Casel, choreography by Ellenore Scott, and direct...Show More
Featuring one of the most iconic scores of all time by Jule Styne and Bob Merrill, an updated book from Harvey Fierstein based on the original classic by Isobel Lennart, tap choreography by Ayodele Casel, choreography by Ellenore Scott, and direction from Michael Mayer, this love letter to the theatre has the whole shebang!
The sensational Broadway revival dazzles with celebrated classic songs, including “Don’t Rain On My Parade,” “I’m the Greatest Star,” and “People.” This bittersweet comedy is the story of the indomitable Fanny Brice, a girl from the Lower East Side who dreamed of a life on the stage. Everyone told her she’d never be a star, but then something funny happened—she became one of the most beloved performers in history, shining brighter than the brightest lights of Broadway.
Show Less -
Tue Mar 05 12:00 PM
Sat May 04 12:00 PM
A TMC Arts Program: Digital Innovation Initiative The Music Center Presents Music off the Wall
Jerry Moss Plaza & Plaza Gallery
For the first time in its 60-year history, The Music Center transforms Jerry Moss Plaza into an interactive augmented reality gallery featuring 16 digital artworks, with accompanying music, brought to life through visitors’ smartphones. This free ...Show More
For the first time in its 60-year history, The Music Center transforms Jerry Moss Plaza into an interactive augmented reality gallery featuring 16 digital artworks, with accompanying music, brought to life through visitors’ smartphones. This free AR exhibit in the heart of DTLA showcases local and global artists and their captivating creations.
Show LessFree
Learn MoreFree
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Sat Apr 06 7:30 PM
Sat Apr 27 7:30 PM
LA Opera La Traviata
Dorothy Chandler Pavilion
Violetta Valéry is the queen of Parisian nightlife for now, but she knows that life in the fast lane can't last forever. The arrival of a fresh-faced suitor offers her an unexpected taste of true love, until society’s disapproval threatens to tear...Show More
Violetta Valéry is the queen of Parisian nightlife for now, but she knows that life in the fast lane can't last forever. The arrival of a fresh-faced suitor offers her an unexpected taste of true love, until society’s disapproval threatens to tear them apart.
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Sun Apr 21 7:30 PM
LA Phil Anna Lapwood
Walt Disney Concert Hall
Hailed as “the dream ambassador for classical music” by Gramophone, organist and advocate Anna Lapwood makes her LA Phil recital debut.
This performance is generously supported by Mari L. Danihel.
Hailed as “the dream ambassador for classical music” by Gramophone, organist and advocate Anna Lapwood makes her LA Phil recital debut.
This performance is generously supported by Mari L. Danihel.
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Sun Apr 21 1:30 PM
A TMC Arts Program: Arts Grown L.A. The Music Center and Marina Culture Jam Present The Alley Cats
Burton Chace Park, Marina del Rey, CA
Experience the arts in your local community! Our Arts Grown L.A. program brings Music Center Performing Artists to communities and libraries all over L.A. County.
Experience the arts in your local community! Our Arts Grown L.A. program brings Music Center Performing Artists to communities and libraries all over L.A. County.
Show LessFree
Learn MoreFree
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Sat Apr 20 8:00 PM
LA Phil Herbie Hancock
Walt Disney Concert Hall
One of the most inventive artists in the history of American music, the brilliant and always-innovating Herbie Hancock returns for a night of freewheeling, thought-provoking, mind-expanding, galactic-traveling jazz and funk.
One of the most inventive artists in the history of American music, the brilliant and always-innovating Herbie Hancock returns for a night of freewheeling, thought-provoking, mind-expanding, galactic-traveling jazz and funk.
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Sat Apr 20 7:30 PM
LA Opera Patti LuPone in Concert
Dorothy Chandler Pavilion
Spend an evening with a true Broadway legend, returning to LA Opera for a solo concert after unforgettable star turns in The Ghosts of Versailles and Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny. Taking us on an unforgettable musical journey, this Tony,...Show More
Spend an evening with a true Broadway legend, returning to LA Opera for a solo concert after unforgettable star turns in The Ghosts of Versailles and Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny. Taking us on an unforgettable musical journey, this Tony, Grammy and Olivier Award-winning icon commands a stage like no one else. In a remarkable career stretching back over 40 years, she's made history in beloved Broadway titles including Company, Evita, Sweeney Todd, Anything Goes and Gypsy. This will be a night of music you do not want to miss!
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Tue Mar 05 12:00 PM
Sat May 04 12:00 PM
A TMC Arts Program: Digital Innovation Initiative The Music Center Presents Music off the Wall
Jerry Moss Plaza & Plaza Gallery
For the first time in its 60-year history, The Music Center transforms Jerry Moss Plaza into an interactive augmented reality gallery featuring 16 digital artworks, with accompanying music, brought to life through visitors’ smartphones. This free ...Show More
For the first time in its 60-year history, The Music Center transforms Jerry Moss Plaza into an interactive augmented reality gallery featuring 16 digital artworks, with accompanying music, brought to life through visitors’ smartphones. This free AR exhibit in the heart of DTLA showcases local and global artists and their captivating creations.
Show LessFree
Learn MoreFree
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Sat Apr 20 10:00 AM
Sat Apr 27 10:00 AM
A TMC Arts Program Gloria Molina Grand Park's Easy Mornings
Gloria Molina Grand Park
Gloria Molina Grand Park’s Easy Mornings offers a calm start to the weekend with relaxing and family-friendly activities for all ages focused on deepening relationships with self, community and the Park. This free four-hour public program...Show More
Gloria Molina Grand Park’s Easy Mornings offers a calm start to the weekend with relaxing and family-friendly activities for all ages focused on deepening relationships with self, community and the Park. This free four-hour public program highlights arts and culture, educational and creative programs, and community health, offering Angelenos ways to experience joyful and creative opportunities to deepen relationships with family, community, parks and their playful selves as well as ways to support local small businesses.
Easy Mornings welcomes the return of the mini maker’s market featuring Los Angeles-based small businesses and nonprofits with activities to inspire children of all ages, adults, families and caregivers to think big. Gloria Molina Grand Park’s Easy Mornings is co-curated in partnership with Streetlet, an opportunity-matching and growth engine for small business owners and makers.
Show LessFree
Learn MoreFree
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Sun Apr 21 11:30 AM
A TMC Arts Program: Arts Grown L.A. The Music Center and Marina Culture Jam Present Musical Theatre Guild
Burton Chace Park, Marina Del Rey, CA
Experience the arts in your local community! Our Arts Grown L.A. program brings Music Center Performing Artists to communities and libraries all over L.A. County.
Experience the arts in your local community! Our Arts Grown L.A. program brings Music Center Performing Artists to communities and libraries all over L.A. County.
Show LessFree
Learn MoreFree
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Thu Apr 18 8:00 PM
Sun Apr 21 2:00 PM
LA Phil The Labèques, Muhly, and Dessner
Walt Disney Concert Hall
Sister pianists Katia and Marielle Labèque are known for their deep artistic interpretations of everything from Mozart to Stravinsky and creative collaborations with composers that have “transformed the piano duo” (The New York Times). Th...Show More
Sister pianists Katia and Marielle Labèque are known for their deep artistic interpretations of everything from Mozart to Stravinsky and creative collaborations with composers that have “transformed the piano duo” (The New York Times). The Labèques bring two piano concertos they previously premiered by like-minded composers who are as at home in concert halls as they are in indie rock clubs: Nico Muhly and Bryce Dessner. Toronto Symphony Orchestra Music Director Gustavo Gimeno leads the LA Phil in Prokofiev’s vivid scoring of Shakespeare’s story of forbidden love and warring Montagues and Capulets.
Concerts in the Thursday 2 subscription series are generously supported by the Otis Booth Foundation.
Show Less -
Tue Apr 02 8:00 PM
Sun Apr 28 1:00 PM
Center Theatre Group Funny Girl
Ahmanson Theatre
Featuring one of the most iconic scores of all time by Jule Styne and Bob Merrill, an updated book from Harvey Fierstein based on the original classic by Isobel Lennart, tap choreography by Ayodele Casel, choreography by Ellenore Scott, and direct...Show More
Featuring one of the most iconic scores of all time by Jule Styne and Bob Merrill, an updated book from Harvey Fierstein based on the original classic by Isobel Lennart, tap choreography by Ayodele Casel, choreography by Ellenore Scott, and direction from Michael Mayer, this love letter to the theatre has the whole shebang!
The sensational Broadway revival dazzles with celebrated classic songs, including “Don’t Rain On My Parade,” “I’m the Greatest Star,” and “People.” This bittersweet comedy is the story of the indomitable Fanny Brice, a girl from the Lower East Side who dreamed of a life on the stage. Everyone told her she’d never be a star, but then something funny happened—she became one of the most beloved performers in history, shining brighter than the brightest lights of Broadway.
Show Less -
Tue Apr 02 8:00 PM
Sun Apr 28 1:00 PM
Center Theatre Group Funny Girl
Ahmanson Theatre
Featuring one of the most iconic scores of all time by Jule Styne and Bob Merrill, an updated book from Harvey Fierstein based on the original classic by Isobel Lennart, tap choreography by Ayodele Casel, choreography by Ellenore Scott, and direct...Show More
Featuring one of the most iconic scores of all time by Jule Styne and Bob Merrill, an updated book from Harvey Fierstein based on the original classic by Isobel Lennart, tap choreography by Ayodele Casel, choreography by Ellenore Scott, and direction from Michael Mayer, this love letter to the theatre has the whole shebang!
The sensational Broadway revival dazzles with celebrated classic songs, including “Don’t Rain On My Parade,” “I’m the Greatest Star,” and “People.” This bittersweet comedy is the story of the indomitable Fanny Brice, a girl from the Lower East Side who dreamed of a life on the stage. Everyone told her she’d never be a star, but then something funny happened—she became one of the most beloved performers in history, shining brighter than the brightest lights of Broadway.
Show Less -
Tue Apr 02 8:00 PM
Sun Apr 28 1:00 PM
Center Theatre Group Funny Girl
Ahmanson Theatre
Featuring one of the most iconic scores of all time by Jule Styne and Bob Merrill, an updated book from Harvey Fierstein based on the original classic by Isobel Lennart, tap choreography by Ayodele Casel, choreography by Ellenore Scott, and direct...Show More
Featuring one of the most iconic scores of all time by Jule Styne and Bob Merrill, an updated book from Harvey Fierstein based on the original classic by Isobel Lennart, tap choreography by Ayodele Casel, choreography by Ellenore Scott, and direction from Michael Mayer, this love letter to the theatre has the whole shebang!
The sensational Broadway revival dazzles with celebrated classic songs, including “Don’t Rain On My Parade,” “I’m the Greatest Star,” and “People.” This bittersweet comedy is the story of the indomitable Fanny Brice, a girl from the Lower East Side who dreamed of a life on the stage. Everyone told her she’d never be a star, but then something funny happened—she became one of the most beloved performers in history, shining brighter than the brightest lights of Broadway.
Show Less
Tour The Music Center Campus
Free tours are available of all The Music Center's theaters.