In August, the Los Angeles Philharmonic headed to the Hollywood Bowl to film a new series of streamed concerts dubbed Sound/Stage. The Bowl’s stage is large enough to accommodate the recording sessions, filmed outdoors while adhering to health guidelines. Episodes began streaming in late September, with many presentations featuring programs from the LA Phil’s Power to the People! festival—curated by Herbie Hancock, the orchestra’s creative chair for jazz—that had been cut short when the pandemic hit. The Power to the People programs amplify voices of current and historical Black composers, among them Jessie Montgomery, William Grant Still, and Florence Price. In early fall, the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra announced that it will create a digital studio at Wilhardt & Naud, a film studio and multidisciplinary arts campus in downtown Los Angeles; the orchestra has hired director/designer James Darrah as its new creative director of digital content to oversee media featuring the orchestra and Los Angeles-based artists and filmmakers.
Caption: Los Angeles Philharmonic musicians and Music Director Gustavo Dudamel rehearse at the Hollywood Bowl for Sound/Stage, the orchestra’s new streamed series.
