The LA Phil’s “Power to the People” festival: inclusion, social justice, unity

The Los Angeles Philharmonic’s recent “Power to the People” festival “was a politically provocative concept for a major American symphony orchestra,” writes Mark Swed in Friday’s (6/10) Los Angeles Times. “Discussions of race, inclusion and social justice have become more commonplace in arts institutions everywhere. But [at the festival, activist-scholar Angela] Davis pointed out that the real social justice requires more than a wake-up call and protests; the real work must be ongoing. Consequently, the ‘Power to the People!’… became somewhat less about polemic … and more about the sustaining social value of music…. It was shoehorned into a host of season-ending L.A. Phil activities that included a gala 100th anniversary program at the Hollywood Bowl on June 3 and hosting the annual meeting of League of American Orchestras, all of which kept [Music Director Gustavo] Dudamel and the orchestra exceptionally busy…. The L.A. Phil has bounced back from the pandemic with greater investment than ever toward making the symphony orchestra … an empowering voice of the people. Day after day, there has been a dizzyingly democratic, and often brilliantly realized, stream of new work, reimagined old work and inclusive work unlike that found in any other major arts institution.”