Carnegie Hall

The Los Angeles Philharmonic, under the vibrant leadership of Music and Artistic Director Gustavo Dudamel, presents an inspiring array of music through a commitment to foundational works and adventurous explorations. Both at home and abroad, the LA Phil is leading the way in groundbreaking and diverse programming, onstage and in the community, that reflects the orchestra’s artistry and demonstrates its vision. The orchestra marks its 106th season in 2024–2025.

Nearly 300 concerts are either performed or presented by the LA Phil at its three iconic venues: the Frank Gehry–designed Walt Disney Concert Hall during its winter season, the world-famous Hollywood Bowl during the summer, and The Ford, which presents an eclectic summer season that is reflective of the communities that make up Los Angeles.

The orchestra’s involvement with Los Angeles extends far beyond its venues. Among its influential and multifaceted learning initiatives is YOLA (Youth Orchestra Los Angeles). Through YOLA, inspired by Gustavo Dudamel’s own training as a young musician, more than 1,700 young musicians receive free instruments, intensive music training, and academic support. In fall 2021, YOLA opened its own permanent, purpose-built facility: the Judith and Thomas L. Beckmen YOLA Center at Inglewood, designed by Frank Gehry.

The LA Phil has released an array of critically acclaimed recordings, including world premieres of the music of John Adams and Louis Andriessen, along with Grammy Award–winning recordings featuring the music of Brahms, Ives, Andrew Norman, and Thomas Adès—including a 2024 Best Orchestral Performance Grammy for the latter’s Dante.

The Los Angeles Philharmonic was founded in 1919 by William Andrews Clark, Jr., a wealthy amateur musician. Walter Henry Rothwell became its first music director, serving until 1927; since then, 10 renowned conductors have served in that capacity: Georg Schnéevoigt (1927–1929), Artur Rodziński (1929–1933), Otto Klemperer (1933–1939), Alfred Wallenstein (1943–1956), Eduard van Beinum (1956–1959), Zubin Mehta (1962–1978), Carlo Maria Giulini (1978–1984), André Previn (1985–1989), Esa-Pekka Salonen (1992–2009), and Gustavo Dudamel (2009–present).

Guided by an unwavering belief in the power of art to inspire and transform lives, Gustavo Dudamel has worked tirelessly to expand education and access for underserved communities and broaden the impact of classical music to new and ever-larger audiences. He currently serves as Music and Artistic Director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic and Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra of Venezuela, and in 2026, he becomes Music and Artistic Director of the New York Philharmonic, continuing a legacy that includes Gustav Mahler, Arturo Toscanini, and Leonard Bernstein.

In appearances from the United Nations to the White House to the Nobel Peace Prize Concert, Mr. Dudamel has served as a passionate advocate for music education and social integration through art, sharing his own transformative experience in Venezuela’s El Sistema program as an example of how music can give a sense of purpose and meaning to young people and help them rise above challenging circumstances. In 2007, Mr. Dudamel, the LA Phil, and its community partners founded YOLA (Youth Orchestra Los Angeles), which provides more than 1,700 young people with free instruments, intensive music instruction, academic support, and leadership training. In 2012, Mr. Dudamel launched the Dudamel Foundation with his wife, actress and director María Valverde, with the goal of expanding access to music and the arts for young people by providing tools and opportunities to shape their creative futures.

Mr. Dudamel is one of the few classical musicians to become a bona fide pop-culture phenomenon. He was the first classical artist to participate in the Super Bowl halftime show and the youngest conductor ever to lead the Vienna Philharmonic’s New Year’s Day Concert. He has performed at global mainstream events from the Academy Awards to the Olympics, and has worked with musical icons like Billie Eilish, Christina Aguilera, Ricky Martin, Gwen Stefani, Coldplay, and Nas. Mr. Dudamel conducted Steven Spielberg’s adaptation of Bernstein’s West Side Story as well as the opening and closing credits of Star Wars: Episode VII—The Force Awakens. Other film and television appearances include Sesame Street, The Simpsons, Mozart in the Jungle, Trolls World Tour, and The Nutcracker and the Four Realms. In 2019, he was honored with a star on Hollywood’s Walk of Fame.

Lang Lang is a leading figure in classical music today. As a pianist, educator, and philanthropist, he has become one of the world’s most influential and committed ambassadors for the arts in the 21st century. Equally happy playing for billions of viewers at the 2008 Olympic Opening Ceremony in Beijing or for a few hundred children in a public school, he is a master of communicating through music.

Lang Lang has formed ongoing collaborations with conductors who include Sir Simon Rattle, Gustavo Dudamel, Daniel Barenboim, and Christoph Eschenbach, and he performs with the world’s top orchestras. His performances at the Grammy Awards with Metallica, Pharrell Williams, and jazz legend Herbie Hancock were watched by millions of viewers. In 2008, he founded the Lang Lang International Music Foundation, aimed at cultivating tomorrow’s top pianists. In 2013, he was designated by the Secretary-General of the United Nations as a Messenger of Peace with a focus on global education.

Lang Lang started playing the piano at age three, and gave his first public recital before age five. He entered Beijing’s Central Music Conservatory at age nine, and won first prize at the International Tchaikovsky Competition for Young Musicians at 13. He studied with legendary pianist Gary Graffman at the Curtis Institute of Music. At 17, he substituted for André Watts at the Ravinia Festival’s Gala of the Century, playing Tchaikovsky’s First Piano Concerto with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Christoph Eschenbach and becoming an overnight sensation.

Lang Lang was presented with the 2010 Crystal Award in Davos and named one of the Young Global Leaders by the World Economic Forum. He has received honorary doctorates from the Royal College of Music, Manhattan School of Music, and New York University. In December 2011, he was honored with the highest prize awarded by the Ministry of Culture of the People’s Republic of China and received Germany’s Order of Merit and France’s Medal of the Order of Arts and Letters. In 2016, Lang Lang performed for Pope Francis. He has also performed for four US presidents and monarchs from many nations.

A native of Barquisimeto, Venezuela, baritone Gustavo Castillo owes the beginning of his musical education to El Sistema. From 2016 to 2018, he was a member of the Accademia Teatro alla Scala in Milan, where he began his stage career singing Peter in Humperdinck’s Hänsel und Gretel and Figaro in Il barbiere di Siviglia for children.

In January 2024, he returned to the Stadttheater Klagenfurt as Lescaut in Manon Lescaut. In addition, he appeared as Jake Wallace in La fanciulla del West at the Teatro Regio di Torino and made his debut as Germont in La traviata at the New National Theatre in Tokyo. Recent projects include his debut as Mercutio in Roméo et Juliette at the Teatro Petruzzelli in Bari, Renato in Un ballo in maschera at the Stadttheater Klagenfurt, and Guido di Monforte in I vespri siciliani at Teatro Comunale di Bologna. Other recent highlights include concerts in Montreal, San Diego, and Los Angeles, and his debut with the MDR Leipzig Radio Symphony Orchestra under Dennis Russell Davies.

Mr. Castillo recently debuted as Marcello in La bohème in Japan and as Posa in Don Carlos at Stadttheater Bern. He has sung Sharpless in Madama Butterfly at Teatro Comunale di Bologna, Peter in Hänsel und Gretel and Mirko Zeta in Die lustige Witwe at Teatro Lirico di Cagliari, Enrico in Lucia di Lammermoor at Ópera de Oviedo, and Foscari in Mercadante’s Il bravo at Wexford Festival Opera. In concert, he has performed Estévez’s Cantata criolla with the Boston and Cincinnati symphony orchestras. He previously sang Ginastera’s Estancia with the LA Phil under Gustavo Dudamel in 2022 as well as Carmina Burana at the Teatro Verdi in Salerno.

Mr. Castillo made his professional debut at age 25 as Schaunard in La bohème. He has since performed the Sacristan in Tosca, Belcore in L’elisir d’amore, Valentin in Diana Daniele’s Faust, and Dandini in La Cenerentola in an adaptation for children by Alexander Krampe. His extensive concert repertoire includes works by Duruflé, Fauré’s Requiem, Mozart’s “Coronation” Mass, Bach’s Magnificat, and Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony.