LA Phil Returns to Hollywood Bowl for Mostly Vaccinated Audience this Summer

May 11, 2021, 2:41 PM · Following 18 months of canceled concerts due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Los Angeles Philharmonic once again will perform for a live audience this summer at the Hollywood Bowl. The Hollywood Bowl season, announced today, will feature more than 50 performances, including top classical artists such as violinists Ray Chen, Randall Goosby, Anne Akiko Meyers and Martin Chalifour; cellists Yo-Yo Ma, Sheku Kanneh-Mason and Sterling Elliott; violist Teng Li; and pianists Jean-Yves Thibaudet and Hélène Grimaud, among others.

LA Phil Music Direstor Gustavo Dudamel.

But COVID-19 will still exert some control over the logistics of the concerts. In order to attend, audience members will need either to be fully vaccinated or to present a negative COVID-19 test. The Hollywood Bowl will reserve 85 percent of seats for fully vaccinated patrons, requiring proof of vaccination and photo ID upon entry. The remaining 15 percent will be reserved for those showing proof of a negative COVID-19 test within 72 hours of a given performance. The two seating sections for not-fully-vaccinated patrons will be socially distanced and separated from vaccination-required sections. Masks will be required for all patrons. Audience capacity will start at 67 percent, following California state guidelines - which may allow for higher capacity as the summer progresses. Here is the full COVID safety protocol information.

That said, if you are vaccinated, you can have a fairly "normal" concert experience, as fully-vaccinated seating sections will not be socially distanced, and patrons will be allowed to bring picnic baskets and wine, with restaurants and markets open with modifications.

The season will begin on May 15 with a free concert for frontline and essential workers given by the LA Phil with Dudamel, featuring Jessie Montgomery's "Starburst"; the Barber "Adagio for Strings" and Beethoven's Symphony No. 3, "Eroica."

Other highlights include:

July 31: The Princess Bride, screened with live orchestral accompaniment by the LA Phil, conducted by David Newman
August 5: Gemma New leads Clara Schumann’s Piano Concerto in A minor featuring Isata Kanneh-Mason
August 12: LA Phil premiere of Bologne’s (Chevalier de Saint-Georges) Violin Concerto No. 9 with violinist Randall Goosby
August 17: Elgar’s Enigma Variations and Cello Concerto with cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason
August 19: Beethoven’s Triple Concerto with violinist Maria Dueñas, cellist Pablo Ferrández, pianist Sergio Tiempo and mezzo-soprano Isabel Leonard
August 21: Sing-A-Long Sound of Music with host Melissa Peterman
August 24: World premiere of Arturo Márquez’s Violin Concerto Fandango, written for Anne Akiko Meyers
August 31: Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony and the Mendelssohn Violin Concerto featuring Ray Chen
Sept 3–5: Maestro of the Movies: the music of film, with John Williams and David Newman
September 9: Marta Gardolinska conducting the LA Phil with pianist Hélène Grimaud
September 10–12: Black Panther, the first Marvel movie to be screened with live orchestral accompaniment, by the LA Phil
September 17: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince in Concert, screened with live orchestral accompaniment by the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, conducted by Justin Freer
September 14: Yo-Yo Ma with Bach’s Six Suites for solo cello
September 28: all-Mozart program featuring LA Phil Principal Concertmaster Martin Chalifour and Principal Violist Teng Li