Celebrating 90 years of the Hollywood Bowl

HOLLYWOOD BOWL: 90 YEARS!

Hollywood Bowl

The HOLLYWOOD BOWL, Los Angeles' iconic venue and summer home of the LOS ANGELES PHILHARMONIC, celebrates 90 years with the opening of its 2011 Summer Season. This video shows you snapshots of the Bowl's 90 years - from its halcyon days in Bolton Canyon in the 1920s to Beatlemania to the exciting 21st-century era of LA Phil's GUSTAVO DUDAMEL. They say that at the Hollywood Bowl, every seat has a story. To celebrate 90 glorious years, the LA Phil began chronicling key moments, telling one story a day with 90 tweets and Facebook posts, starting 90 days before the 2011 Season Opening on June 17. There are still some 50 stories left - and you can find them HERE or follow the countdown @hollywoodbowl and Facebook. And soon, as an aspect of the new “Thereâ€™s a Story in Every Seat” campaign, concert-goers and fans will be able to share and submit their own Hollywood Bowl stories, anecdotes, photos and more at www.hollywoodbowl.com/story. Weekly winners will be chosen, with prizes that include tickets and Hollywood Bowl mementos.

The 2011 Seaason promises to be a most exciting one. Seven-time Grammy-winning pop music superstar GLORIA ESTEFAN will be inducted into the Hall of Fame as well as Grammy- and Emmy- winning singer/musician/actor HARRY CONNICK, JR who will be inducted by two-time Academy Award-winning actress HILARY SWANK at this yearâ€™s Opening Night on Friday, June 17 at 8:30 p.m. Both inductees are set to perform with the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, led by Principal Guest Conductor Thomas Wilkins. Gloria Estefan made her first appearance at the Hollywood Bowl in 1998 with famed tenor and Hollywood Bowl Hall of Fame inductee Plácido Domingo. Harry Connick, Jr. made his Hollywood Bowl debut also in 1998 and performed in the summers of 2004 and 2010 to two sold-out audiences on each occasion. They join the distinguished company of 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, B.B. King, Dame Kiri Te Kanawa, Josh Groban, Donna Summer, the Carpenters and Jean-Yves Thibaudet - previously inducted into the Hall of Fame.

Drawn from the diverse arena of musical entertainment, including classical, pop, jazz, musical theater, and film composition, new Hall of Fame honorees receive their tributes as part of the Bowlâ€™s annual opening night celebration. 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 an exhibit on the main floor of the Hollywood Bowl Museum that includes photos and film of inductees over the years.

But there's MORE to the 2011 Season: an exclusive sneak preview of Cirque du Soleilâ€™s first resident production in Los Angeles, “IRIS - A Journey Through the World of Cinema.”

LA Philharmonic CEO DEBORAH BORDA announced this and other highlights of the 2011 Summer Season at a press conference held onstage at the Bowl on May 3, later turning over the podium to the orchestra's charismatic Music Director GUSTAVO DUDAMEL who shared with the guests his excitement over his upcoming Hollywood Bowl performances with some of classical music's luminaries.

GUSTAVO DUDAMEL ON HIS 2011 HOLLYWOOD BOWL SEASON

Gustavo at the Hollywood Bowl

DUDAMEL also shared his thoughts about Philharmonic's BRAHMS UNBOUND, a festival of the complete symphonies of JOHANNES BRAHMS and other works [such as his deeply moving REQUIEM and Academic Festival Overture] juxtaposed with works by some of today's eminent contemporary composers, which concludes the Philharmonic's 2010/2011 season at Walt Disney Concert Hall. BRAHMS UNBOUND runs from May 5 through June 5.

DUDAMEL ON BRAHMS UNBOUND

Brahms Unbound

Proceeds from the Opening Night at the Hollywood Bowl and Hollywood Bowl Hall of Fame Concert will benefit the LA Phil and its music education programs, which reach more than 120,000 children, teachers and adults every year. Known for his work with children, DUDAMEL made it a point to talk about YOLA (Youth Orchestra LA) LA Phil's music education program inspired by El Sistema, the Venezuelan music education system that nurtured Gustavo Dudamel. The program promotes youth development by providing access to exceptional instrumental and orchestral education. Central to YOLA is the LA Phil's plan to build, with community partners, youth orchestras in communities throughout Los Angeles. To support YOLA, LA Phil is hosting its second annual instrument drive on May 12-15 .

DUDAMEL ON YOLA

Gustavo on YOLA

Credit: Images and video clip - LA Phil

SUPER CONDUCTOR SIMON BOLIVAR YOUTH ORCHESTRA MAHLER 5th ON 60 MINUTES - Videos

EL SISTEMA according to: THE FOUNDER THE ADVOCATES THE BENEFICIARIES