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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Thu Mar 28 8:00 PM
Sat Mar 30 8:00 PM
LA Phil Michael Tilson Thomas Leads Tchaikovsky
Walt Disney Concert Hall
The four tableaus of Igor Stravinsky’s Petrushka...Show More
The four tableaus of Igor Stravinsky’s Petrushka are vividly brought to life by Michael Tilson Thomas, who actually met the composer in Los Angeles in his youth. Thomas once described Stravinsky as an “amazing mind that was searching always for the most original solution” to his inventions, and he brings that keen understanding to conducting Stravinsky’s work. Tchaikovsky wrote his Fourth Symphony as a mirror to the many conflicts in his life, wrestling with fate and personal turmoil, leading to a passionate thrill ride of a symphony.
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Tue Apr 02 8:00 PM
LA Phil Chamber Music with the LA Phil
Walt Disney Concert Hall
From string quartets and piano trios to wind quintets or a brass ensemble, chamber music concerts feature members of the Los Angeles Philharmonic performing in small groups, creating an intimate and compelling concert experience. Come early and en...Show More
From string quartets and piano trios to wind quintets or a brass ensemble, chamber music concerts feature members of the Los Angeles Philharmonic performing in small groups, creating an intimate and compelling concert experience. Come early and enjoy a glass of wine on us to complete the perfect night out.
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Wed Apr 03 8:00 PM
LA Phil Yo-Yo Ma Kathryn Stott
Walt Disney Concert Hall
Cellist Yo-Yo Ma’s multi-faceted career is testament to his enduring belief in culture’s power to generate trust and understanding. With partners from around the world and across disciplines, he creates programs that stretch the boundaries of genr...Show More
Cellist Yo-Yo Ma’s multi-faceted career is testament to his enduring belief in culture’s power to generate trust and understanding. With partners from around the world and across disciplines, he creates programs that stretch the boundaries of genre and tradition to explore music-making as a way not only to share and express meaning, but also as a model for the cultural collaboration he considers essential to a strong society.
Yo-Yo Ma is joined by longtime collaborator Kathryn Stott. Internationally recognized as one of Britain’s most versatile and imaginative pianists, Stott was hailed by The Washington Post as “every bit Ma’s equal, playing with striking individuality.” Together they have toured the globe and released multiple albums including 2020’s Songs of Comfort and Hope in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Thu Apr 04 8:00 PM
Sun Apr 07 2:00 PM
LA Phil Elgar and Vaughan Williams
Walt Disney Concert Hall
Leading Australian conductor Simone Young leads the LA Phil in the wild display of unconventional forms that is Ralph Vaughan Williams’ Eighth Symphony. The shortest of his symphonies,
Show More Leading Australian conductor Simone Young leads the LA Phil in the wild display of unconventional forms that is Ralph Vaughan Williams’ Eighth Symphony. The shortest of his symphonies, the Eighth shows Vaughan Williams fashioning a refined and cultured English dreamscape while searching for a theme and dedicating entire movements to winds and strings. Considered to be his most raw and emotional composition, Elgar’s dark and dramatic response to the end of World War I—and his own life—is richly blended together by the bow of French cellist and LA Phil favorite Gautier Capuçon.
Concerts in the Thursday 2 subscription series are generously supported by the Otis Booth Foundation.
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Sat Apr 06 2:00 PM
Sun Apr 07 7:00 PM
LA Master Chorale I Believe: The Music of Bach, Bonds & Robles
Walt Disney Concert Hall
From Bach, Bonds to Robles, this program is filled with music with great strength of purpose in every phrase and note.
From Bach, Bonds to Robles, this program is filled with music with great strength of purpose in every phrase and note.
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Tue Apr 09 8:00 PM
LA Phil UNSTILL LIFE
Walt Disney Concert Hall
Choreographer Benjamin Millepied returns to the stage as a dancer, accompanied by Alexandre Tharaud performing Bach, Beethoven, Rameau, and more.
Choreographer Benjamin Millepied returns to the stage as a dancer, accompanied by Alexandre Tharaud performing Bach, Beethoven, Rameau, and more.
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Thu Mar 28 8:00 PM
Sat Mar 30 8:00 PM
LA Phil Michael Tilson Thomas Leads Tchaikovsky
Walt Disney Concert Hall
The four tableaus of Igor Stravinsky’s Petrushka...Show More
The four tableaus of Igor Stravinsky’s Petrushka are vividly brought to life by Michael Tilson Thomas, who actually met the composer in Los Angeles in his youth. Thomas once described Stravinsky as an “amazing mind that was searching always for the most original solution” to his inventions, and he brings that keen understanding to conducting Stravinsky’s work. Tchaikovsky wrote his Fourth Symphony as a mirror to the many conflicts in his life, wrestling with fate and personal turmoil, leading to a passionate thrill ride of a symphony.
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Tue Mar 26 8:00 PM
Sun Mar 31 2:00 PM
Center Theatre Group Alex Edelman's Just For Us
Mark Taper Forum
Alex Edelman's Just For Us returns to the Mark Taper Forum March 26-31!
Expertly crafted by one of comedy’s most distinctive voices, this singular theatrical experience is an exploration of identity and our collective capacity for ...Show More
Alex Edelman's Just For Us returns to the Mark Taper Forum March 26-31!
Expertly crafted by one of comedy’s most distinctive voices, this singular theatrical experience is an exploration of identity and our collective capacity for empathy—and it’s also “belly-laugh funny!” (The New York Times). In the wake of a string of anti-Semitic rhetoric pointed in his direction online, standup comic Edelman decides to go straight to the source; specifically, Queens, where he covertly attends a meeting of White Nationalists and comes face-to-face with the people behind the keyboards. What happens next forms the backbone of the shockingly relevant, utterly hilarious, and only moderately perspirant stories that comprise Just for Us.
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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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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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Thu Mar 28 8:00 PM
Sat Mar 30 8:00 PM
LA Phil Michael Tilson Thomas Leads Tchaikovsky
Walt Disney Concert Hall
The four tableaus of Igor Stravinsky’s Petrushka...Show More
The four tableaus of Igor Stravinsky’s Petrushka are vividly brought to life by Michael Tilson Thomas, who actually met the composer in Los Angeles in his youth. Thomas once described Stravinsky as an “amazing mind that was searching always for the most original solution” to his inventions, and he brings that keen understanding to conducting Stravinsky’s work. Tchaikovsky wrote his Fourth Symphony as a mirror to the many conflicts in his life, wrestling with fate and personal turmoil, leading to a passionate thrill ride of a symphony.
Show Less -
Tue Mar 26 8:00 PM
Sun Mar 31 2:00 PM
Center Theatre Group Alex Edelman's Just For Us
Mark Taper Forum
Alex Edelman's Just For Us returns to the Mark Taper Forum March 26-31!
Expertly crafted by one of comedy’s most distinctive voices, this singular theatrical experience is an exploration of identity and our collective capacity for ...Show More
Alex Edelman's Just For Us returns to the Mark Taper Forum March 26-31!
Expertly crafted by one of comedy’s most distinctive voices, this singular theatrical experience is an exploration of identity and our collective capacity for empathy—and it’s also “belly-laugh funny!” (The New York Times). In the wake of a string of anti-Semitic rhetoric pointed in his direction online, standup comic Edelman decides to go straight to the source; specifically, Queens, where he covertly attends a meeting of White Nationalists and comes face-to-face with the people behind the keyboards. What happens next forms the backbone of the shockingly relevant, utterly hilarious, and only moderately perspirant stories that comprise Just for Us.
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
-
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
-
Tue Mar 26 8:00 PM
Sun Mar 31 2:00 PM
Center Theatre Group Alex Edelman's Just For Us
Mark Taper Forum
Alex Edelman's Just For Us returns to the Mark Taper Forum March 26-31!
Expertly crafted by one of comedy’s most distinctive voices, this singular theatrical experience is an exploration of identity and our collective capacity for ...Show More
Alex Edelman's Just For Us returns to the Mark Taper Forum March 26-31!
Expertly crafted by one of comedy’s most distinctive voices, this singular theatrical experience is an exploration of identity and our collective capacity for empathy—and it’s also “belly-laugh funny!” (The New York Times). In the wake of a string of anti-Semitic rhetoric pointed in his direction online, standup comic Edelman decides to go straight to the source; specifically, Queens, where he covertly attends a meeting of White Nationalists and comes face-to-face with the people behind the keyboards. What happens next forms the backbone of the shockingly relevant, utterly hilarious, and only moderately perspirant stories that comprise Just for Us.
Show Less -
Tue Mar 26 8:00 PM
Sun Mar 31 2:00 PM
Center Theatre Group Alex Edelman's Just For Us
Mark Taper Forum
Alex Edelman's Just For Us returns to the Mark Taper Forum March 26-31!
Expertly crafted by one of comedy’s most distinctive voices, this singular theatrical experience is an exploration of identity and our collective capacity for ...Show More
Alex Edelman's Just For Us returns to the Mark Taper Forum March 26-31!
Expertly crafted by one of comedy’s most distinctive voices, this singular theatrical experience is an exploration of identity and our collective capacity for empathy—and it’s also “belly-laugh funny!” (The New York Times). In the wake of a string of anti-Semitic rhetoric pointed in his direction online, standup comic Edelman decides to go straight to the source; specifically, Queens, where he covertly attends a meeting of White Nationalists and comes face-to-face with the people behind the keyboards. What happens next forms the backbone of the shockingly relevant, utterly hilarious, and only moderately perspirant stories that comprise Just for Us.
Show Less
Tour The Music Center Campus
Free tours are available of all The Music Center's theaters.