The Los Angeles Philharmonic have cancelled their remaining concerts for the 2020/2021 season at the Walt Disney Concert Hall through June 2021, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. While The Walt Disney Concert Hall, the Hollywood Bowl and The Ford will remain closed as a result of this public health emergency, the organization is launching a wide-ranging set of media partnerships and digital initiatives.
Their digital music initiatives will be continuing on to next year, including The LA Phil’s new media project SOUND/STAGE, which provides short concert films accompanied by essays, interviews and bonus performances by artists and musical visionaries. The organization will also launch In Concert at the Hollywood Bowl, a six-episode television series hosted by The LA Phil’s Music Director Gustavo Dudamel, which will air nationwide via PBS stations starting on January 15.
“Cultural institutions like ours must be a part of the very fabric of our community, and during this challenging time we must strive to inspire and empower people even more through our music and programming,” Dudamel said in a press statement. “We must reach across genres through screens, livestreams, and more, and remember that each note we play also carries with it an element of hope for the future and a desire for a better world. In the end, I believe that music and art will heal the soul of our community.”
The LA Phil has faced tough times as a result of the pandemic, and was forced to lay-off 94 part-time employees, as ticket sales dropped by 9-10 million in the spring alone. As a result of these massive setbacks, the organization has launched the “Play Your Part” fundraising campaign to mitigate the $105 million revenue loss the LA Phil will experience as a result of COVID-19.