celebrating 50 legendary years
| THE VISION
WONDERFUL AWE-INSPIRING GROUNDBREAKING INNOVATIVE SPA CREATIVE SPIRITED JOY DYNAMIC GRACIOUS SURPRISING VISION TRANSFORMATIVE SPECTACULAR LEGENDARY VISIONARY GOLDE WONDERFUL AWE-INSPIRING GROUNDBREAKING INNOVATIVE SP CREATIVE SPIRITED JOY DYNAMIC GRACIOUS SURPRISING GOLDE SPECTACULAR LEGENDARY VISIONARY GOLDEN WONDERFUL AW 2
| A tribute from LISA SPECHT AND RON ROGERS | THE VISION
celebrating 50 legendary years It began with a vision. Fifty years ago, Dorothy Chandler imagined a new world of performing arts and arts education for all of Los Angeles. A place whose stages and performance venues would be worthy of the world’s greatest artists and deserving of the dedication of its audiences. Today, that vision is a reality, more relevant and vibrant to our communities than ever before. And for generations yet to come, the Music Center will be there at the center of it all, inspiring the minds and filling the hearts of Los Angeles with passion, excellence and limitless creativity.
THE STAGES
| THE VISION
THE COMMUNITY
4
| A tribute from ALYCE AND WARREN WILLIAMSON |
“
If you’re charting the coming of a big, sleepy, conservative community into the modern, affluent, increasingly sophisticated metropolis that exists today, she may be the single most important player. —DAVID HALBERSTAM,
The Powers That Be
” DOROTHY BUFFUM CHANDLER
| THE VISION
started a movement that became monumentally important to the cultural landscape of Los Angeles. Her unrelenting determination to build a home for the arts in the city of Los Angeles was unprecedented.
6
| A tribute from MRS. DONA S. KENDALL AND DR. SUSAN E. KENDALL |
the vision FROM THE BEGINNING,
| THE VISION
The Music Center was envisaged as a cultural focal point, a center of arts and culture for the people of Los Angeles. What quickly became evident was that The Music Center would have even more significant impact, adding color, character and style to Los Angeles, helping to forge an identity for the city.
8
During the late 1950s and early 1960s Dorothy Chandler relentlessly and enthusiastically persuaded political and business leaders that Los Angeles needed a major performing arts center. Her determination to raise private funds for a public performing arts center garnered the partnership of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, who agreed to lease the land, hire the architect and enter into a strong and lasting public-private partnership.
Dorothy Chandler’s desire to build a home for artists and audiences to explore, create and enjoy the most exceptional cultural experiences was a passion shared by thousands of Angelenos. This sparked the city’s first major fundraising effort, which raised $18.5 million, and helped to centralize the city.
| A tribute from WALLIS ANNENBERG |
| A tribute from THE OTIS AND BETTINA CHANDLER FOUNDATION |
“
That was the beginning of it all. When we raised $400,000 in a few hours on Eldorado Night, I knew Southern Californians wanted a music center badly enough to build it themselves.
”
The Eldorado party, with Dorothy Chandler onstage. The party was named for the Cadillac Eldorado that was auctioned during the evening.
| THE VISION
1951
10
DOROTHY CHANDLER joins the board of the Hollywood Bowl Association, leading the campaign to save the city’s landmark Hollywood Bowl. Her successful “Save the Bowl” campaign uncovers a growing desire
in the community for high-quality performing arts and culture in Los Angeles.
1955
1958
1959
ELDORADO PARTY raises $400,000 for the Symphony Reserve Fund with the intention that the funds be dedicated to building a permanent home for the Los Angeles Philharmonic.
THE SOUTHERN California Symphony Association-Hollywood Bowl (SCSA-HB) names Dorothy Chandler president and promises a permanent music director and home for the Los Angeles Philharmonic.
APPEARING before the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, Dorothy Chandler announces the Civic Auditorium and Music Center Association will raise $4 million
of the $10 million needed to build a new home for the arts. The supervisors are so impressed they agree to appoint and pay for the architectural firm Welton Becket & Associates.
| THE VISION
—DOROTHY CHANDLER
11
| A tribute from LLOYD E. RIGLER – LAWRENCE E. DEUTSCH FOUNDATION |
12
The theatre’s lobby (shown here in a rendering by Welton Becket & Associates) is an elegant two-story space that wraps around the east side of the building. It features a 24-karat gold-leaf dome that was originally built solely for beauty. The design team soon discovered that sound reverberated underneath the dome, causing an echo and making conversation difficult. The leaf dome thus serves two objectives: It contributes an elegant design element to the space and also eliminates the crowding often found in theatre lobbies. The lobby features paintings and sculptures, including busts of LA Phil
composers Alfred Wallenstein and Otto Klemperer, created by Anna Mahler, daughter of composer Gustav Mahler. The Becket team devoted two years to the design and creation of the crystal light fixtures. With 27,500 pieces of crystal that create cascades of crystal tiers, each chandelier features 3,500 12-inch Colonial prisms that sparkle as they dangle from gold-leafed frames. Each fixture measures 17 feet high and 10 feet in diameter, and weighs a ton and a half. The sheer scale and size of the chandeliers demanded they be assembled in the Hall itself.
| THE VISION
| THE VISION
THE PAVILION LOBBY
13
| A tribute from MURRAY AND CAROL GRIGOR |
was designed to provide every seat with a completely clear view to the midpoint of the house curtain at the floor line. Acoustically, Welton Becket’s goal was to blend reverberance with clarity. A large gold-leaf fiberglass “acoustical cloud” can be moved forward or backward and angled according to the needs of the production. The auditorium’s acoustics are also favorably impacted by a curved and sloping ceiling,
balconies that are rounded and walls that lean inward as they rise to the ceiling. The Pavilion stage is one of the largest and most flexible in the nation. At 60 feet wide, 30 feet high and up to 240 feet deep, it is as far from the front of the stage to the back of the stage as it is from the front of the stage to the back of the auditorium.
| THE VISION
THE PAVILION
15
| A tribute from ALLISON AND RICHARD ROEDER |
1962 CONSTRUCTION begins on the Pavilion.
“ 16
”
—DOROTHY CHANDLER
1960
1960
1961
1962
1964
A 70-MEMBERR Music Center Building Fund Committee is formed with Dorothy Chandler as chair. The largest fundraising effort in Los Angeles begins.
WELTON BECKET presents the plans for the Pavilion. They are so magnificent Dorothy Chandler is charged with the dream of developing a performing arts center.
DOROTHY CHANDLER returns to the Board of Supervisors and reveals the plans for the two additional theatres, to become the Mark Taper Forum and the Ahmanson Theatre.
A $1 MILLION GIFT from S. Mark Taper is announced to be used for the 750-seat Forum Theatre.
A FINAL BURST of public giving comes from a spur-of-themoment decision during Dorothy Chandler’s speech at the dedication of the Pavilion. The Buck Bag drive raises $2.2 million.
| THE VISION
| THE VISION
The theatres’ significance is determined by what is presented on their stages. Only the spark of human genius can give them enduring life.
17
| A tribute from CAROLBETH AND AMBASSADOR LESTER KORN |
“
| A tribute from JERRY AND TERRI KOHL |
I will never forget that thrilling moment as the first notes made their way up to our seats in the top balcony. We were ecstatic and knew it worked.
Dorothy Chandler at the opening night of the Pavilion.
”
—ARNOLD SEIDEL, opening night audience member
18
1964
1964
1964
1965
OPENING NIGHT at the Memorial Pavilion. Zubin Mehta conducts “Fanfare” by Richard Strauss with guest soloist Jascha Heifetz making a rare appearance.
ACCOLADES FOR Dorothy Chandler, who appears on the cover of Time magazine. The community posts billboards that read “Los Angeles thanks you, Mrs. Chandler, for our new Music Center.”
THE FIRST SEASON includes performances by Tony Bennett, Van Cliburn and Arthur Rubenstein.
THE AHMANSON FOUNDATION gives a $1.5 million gift to establish a special fund within the Performing Arts Council. The Board of Supervisors officially names the
1965 three buildings: Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, the Mark Taper Forum and the Ahmanson Theatre.
image from kn
THE PLAZA is thronged with ticket buyers for Hello, Dolly! starring Carol Channing as construction on the Mark Taper Forum goes on in the background.
| THE VISION
| THE VISION
and longtime supporter of The Music Center
19
| A tribute from JAMES DOOLITTLE FOUNDATION/ROSALIND WYMAN, President, and AL FINCI, Treasurer |
| A tribute from SHEILA AND WALLY WEISMAN |
| THE VISION
| THE VISION
Opening night of the Pavilion: Zubin Mehta conducts the LA Philharmonic.
20
21
| A tribute from THE MUSIC CENTER FOUNDATION |
1973 FOUNDATION
| THE VISION
was founded by Dorothy Chandler and a group of loyal and visionary supporters of The Music Center and its resident companies. The Music Center Foundation is an independent public foundation with the sole mission to provide endowment support for The Music Center/ Performing Arts Center of Los Angeles, its educational activities, dance programs and the resident companies. Focused on
22
long-term growth, the Foundation’s primary business is building endowment through asset management and, in partnership with the resident companies and The Music Center, securing new endowment funds utilizing planned giving. The strength of the Foundation lies in the financial expertise, resultsoriented approach and long-term focus of its board, which includes representatives from The Music Center and each of the resident companies. In 2014, the Foundation had grown to more than
$400 million, and in the past 20 years it has distributed nearly $150 million back to The Music Center and resident companies and raised more than $100 million in new irrevocable planned gifts for the Music Center, its programs and resident companies. In 2014, the Foundation distributed $10 million back to The Music Center and resident companies. At its heart, The Music Center Foundation exists to ensure the future of the arts in Los Angeles.
1967
1969
1984
1987
1992
2003
DEDICATION of the Mark Taper Forum and the Ahmanson Theatre. Gregory Peck says, “Tonight marks the realization of what seemed an impossible dream.”
THE JACQUES LIPCHITZ bronze monument “Peace on Earth,” commissioned by Lloyd E. Rigler and Lawrence E. Deutsch, is dedicated on the Plaza.
THE OLYMPIC ARTS FESTIVAL brings the Royal Opera from London to the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion and the performances stimulate fundraising for a resident opera company.
LILLIAN DISNEY makes a $50 million gift to build a new concert hall for the Los Angeles Philharmonic. Frank Gehry is selected as architect of Walt Disney Concert Hall.
GROUNDBREAKING for Walt Disney Concert Hall. Designed by Frank Gehry from the “inside out,” the building’s form follows its function—to be a welcoming home for living music.
WALT DISNEY CONCERT HALL opens, becoming the new home of the Los Angeles Philharmonic and the Los Angeles Master Chorale.
| THE VISION
THE MUSIC CENTER
23
| A tribute from GERI BRAWERMAN |
“
I recall a rainy day in 1983 like it was yesterday. Bill Severns and I stood beside Dorothy Chandler in the Founders’ Room as she welcomed Queen Elizabeth to The Music Center. Mrs. Chandler curtsied, shook hands with the Queen and then proudly said, ‘Welcome to my palace.’ —SANDRA KIMBERLING, President of The Music
| THE VISION
”
| THE VISION
Center Operating Company, 1987–2000
24
25
| A tribute from HOWARD AND ROBERTA AHMANSON |
AHMANSON THEATRE
The Ahmanson Theatre (Ahmanson) opened in 1967 and features a state-ofthe-art configuration with variable seating capacity that can accommodate a diverse selection of performances. It was named for philanthropist Howard Ahmanson, who was chairman of the board of Home Savings and Loan Association. The 2,109-seat theater was designed for musical comedy and theatrical productions from the intimate to the spectacular.
| THE VISION
DOROTHY CHANDLER PAVILION
26
Home to the LA Opera and Glorya Kaufman Presents Dance at The Music Center, the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion is the largest of The Music Center’s theatres and has one of the largest stages in the United States. In conceptualizing all elements of the first three buildings of The Music Center, Becket was guided by his “total design” philosophy, overseeing every aspect of the project from engineering to landscaping with the goal of developing a unified and integrated look.
| A tribute from S. MARK TAPER FOUNDATION |
MARK TAPER
28
NEED LARGER IMAGE 9 1/2 INCHES TALL 300 DPI
Opened in 1967, the Mark Taper Forum (Taper) is The Music Center’s smallest and most intimate theatre, designed for the production of dramas and experimental theatre. It was named for S. Mark Taper, a prominent real estate developer, banker and philanthropist. Home to the Center Theatre Group, the Taper design gives the audience the opportunity to view performances from a variety of perspectives.
| THE VISION
| THE VISION
FORUM
29
| A tribute from ANNETTE AND PETER O’MALLEY |
| A tribute from THE RON AND DIANE MILLER FAMILY |
Designed by architect Frank Gehry, Walt Disney Concert Hall opened in 2003 as the newest of The Music Center’s four venues. Home to the Los Angeles Philharmonic and the Los Angeles Master Chorale, the 2,265-seat auditorium is a concrete box that is structurally independent of the rest of the building. Gehry collaborated with renowned acoustician Dr. Yasuhisa Toyota to design the acoustics. More than 6,000 panels create the curving stainless steel skin of the exterior.
| THE VISION
WALT DISNEY CONCERT HALL
31
| A tribute from GLORYA KAUFMAN |
| THE VISION
32
“
“
We have given it bricks and mortar, now we
| A tribute from
must give it a soul. —DOROTHY CHANDLER
|
| A tribute from IATSE LOCAL 33 |
| A tribute from ROBERT ABERNETHY |
the stages OVER THE PAST
| THE STAGES
50 years, The Music Center has become one of the largest and most highly regarded performing arts centers in the country. The Music Center welcomes more than two million people each year to enjoy live performances from four of the world’s finest performing
34
arts companies— Los Angeles Philharmonic, Los Angeles Master Chorale, Center Theatre Group and LA Opera—and its own renowned dance series, Glorya Kaufman Presents Dance at The Music Center.
THE MAIN STAGE
curtain features a sunburst design, the symbol of The Music Center, and is comprised of seven different materials in shades of gold and bronze. Artist Tony Duquette, art director for the interiors of The Music Center’s first three buildings, designed the curtain, and when he was told it was too difficult to make, he rented the Shrine Auditorium and hired his own seamstresses to create the 3,000-pound curtain that covers the stage.
| A tribute from LENORE S. AND BERNARD A. GREENBERG |
| A tribute from GINNY MANCINI | MUSIC DIRECTOR
Zubin Mehta leads a celebratory toast during one of the concerts of the opening season.
LOS ANGELES PHILHARMONIC
| THE STAGES
One of The Music Center’s founding resident companies, the LA Phil is acknowledged around the globe as one of the world’s finest orchestras. Under the leadership of Gustavo Dudamel, the LA Phil makes its home at The Music Center’s Walt Disney Concert Hall. The orchestra is leading the way in innovative programming and redefining the musical experience, both at
36
home and abroad. Performing or presenting nearly 300 concerts throughout the year, the LA Phil demonstrates a breadth and depth of programming unrivaled by other orchestras and cultural institutions. Focusing on programming that remains faithful to tradition, the orchestra also seeks new ground, new audiences and new ways to enhance the symphonic music experience. During its winter season, the LA Phil creates festivals and produces concerts featuring distinguished artists
in recital, jazz, world music, songbook and orchestra performances, in addition to special holiday concerts and chamber music, organ recitals and Baroque music series. Looking ahead, the LA Phil seeks to combine traditional presentations with a rich array of collaborations and initiatives designed for an evolving audience.
| A tribute from MARGARET AND JERROLD EBERHARDT |
| A tribute from THE MAURICE MARCIANO FAMILY FOUNDATION | ZUBIN MEHTA
| THE STAGES
and the Los Angeles Philharmonic collaborate with Frank Zappa & The Mothers of Invention for the world premiere of Zappa’s Concerto for Mothers and Orchestra in May 1970. Zappa incorporated some of that music into the score for his surrealistic bandon-the-road film, 200 Motels.
38
CARLO MARIA GIULINI,
LOS ANGELES PHILHARMONIC
ESA-PEKKA SALONEN
THE STRAVINSKY FESTIVAL,
Music Director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic from 1978 through 1984.
NEW MUSIC GROUP
conducting his first concert as Music Director in October 1992.
originally celebrated in 1996 in Paris, brought a world-renowned event to Los Angeles under Esa-Pekka Salonen’s leadership.
presented its first concert on November 16, 1981, at the Mark Taper Forum featuring new works by American composer Jacob Druckman alongside a piece by Claude Debussy.
| A tribute from JOAN AND JOHN HOTCHKIS |
| A tribute from NANCY AND DONALD DE BRIER |
SYMPHONIES FOR SCHOOLS
Close to 13,000 children experience the LA Phil each winter at Walt Disney Concert Hall.
AMERICAS & AMERICANS
In Gustavo Dudamel’s inaugural season, the LA Phil launched a festival celebrating music from across North and South America and exploring the eclectic musical traditions born of the unique blending of cultures, religions and landscapes.
FIRST REHEARSAL in Walt Disney Concert Hall, 2003. Esa-Pekka
Salonen conducted while chief acoustician Yasuhisa Toyota, architect Frank Gehry and LA Phil President and Chief Executive Officer Deborah Borda listened.
Over the course of just a few weeks in 2012, Gustavo Dudamel led all of Mahler’s completed symphonies (and more) with two orchestras, the LA Phil and the Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra of Venezuela.
| THE STAGES
THE MAHLER PROJECT
41
| A tribute from JENNIFER AND ROYCE DIENER |
inaugural gala at Walt Disney Concert Hall, October 8, 2009. The new Music Director’s debut featured the world premiere of John Adams’ City Noir and Mahler’s First Symphony. The gala concert was televised for international broadcast and released on DVD.
| THE STAGES
GUSTAVO DUDAMEL’S
43
| A tribute from KIKI AND DAVID GINDLER |
| A tribute from MATT CONSTRUCTION |
LOS ANGELES MASTER CHORALE
| THE STAGES
Giving a voice to Walt Disney Concert Hall, the Grammynominated Los Angeles Master Chorale (LAMC) is led by Artistic Director Grant Gershon. Presenting its own concert series each season, it performs choral music from the earliest writings to the most recent contemporary compositions. To date, the choir has commissioned 45 pieces and premiered 92 new works, of
44
which 62 were world premieres, and has been awarded three ASCAP/Chorus America Awards for Adventurous Programming as well as Chorus America’s prestigious Margaret Hillis Award for Choral Excellence. LAMC has performed in more than 300 concerts with the Los Angeles Philharmonic at both Walt Disney Concert Hall and the Hollywood Bowl, and has toured with the orchestra to Europe and New York City. It has also appeared at the Ojai Music Festival, the Great Performers series at Lincoln
Center, the Ravinia Festival and the Overture Center in Madison, Wisconsin, as well as in leading venues throughout the Southland. Its discography includes five commercial CDs under Gershon’s baton. The latest, released in 2012 on Decca, features three works by Polish composer Henryk Górecki. In addition, in 2013, as part of its 50th anniversary season celebration, LAMC released a digital recording
featuring signature a cappella works. LAMC previously released three CDs under former Music Director Paul Salamunovich on RCM, including the Grammy-nominated Lauridsen-Lux Aeterna. LAMC is featured with Gershon on the soundtracks of such major motion pictures as Lady in the Water and License to Wed. Serving more than 30,000 audience members of all ages annually, the LAMC also provides education outreach to some 6,000 students each year.
The Los Angeles Master Chorale at Walt Disney Concert Hall
| A tribute from THE MARCIA ISRAEL FOUNDATION |
| A tribute from CHEF JOACHIM SPLICHAL AND PATINA RESTAURANT GROUP |
Z. Wayne Griffin, Barbara Schneider, Roger Wagner and a supporter celebrate the fifth anniversary of LAMC.
John Currie with LAMC
| THE STAGES
1974
1976
1979
1990
1997
Academy Awardwinning actress Greer Garson narrates the LA Master Chorale’s first performance of “The Christmas Story According to St. Luke” at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, arranged by Founding Director Roger Wagner.
LA Master Chorale presents a bicentennial concert featuring guest conductor Aaron Copland, the world premiere of Paul Chihara’s “Missa Carminum” and guest narrator Jimmy Stewart for a celebration of American choral music.
Learning of the success of the “DoIt-Yourself Messiah” in Chicago, Roger Wagner brings the tradition to LA to offer the Angeleno singing community a chance to sing the world’s most popular oratorio—a tradition that continues today.
Second Music Director John Currie presents A Scottish Spectacular, drawing from his Scottish roots, with performers flown in from the UK including bagpipers, drummers, dancers, fiddlers and acclaimed guest folk singer Jean Redpath.
The Music Center commissions a new work by Morten Lauridsen for the LA Master Chorale: “Lux Aeterna,” a landmark choral work that was premiered and subsequently recorded, garnering a Grammy® nomination for Best Choral Performance in 1999.
| THE STAGES
Paul Salamunovich and Roger Wagner
Roger Wagner conducting LAMC
46
Bagpipers during the 1990 Scottish Spectacular concert
47
| A tribute from LINDA AND MAYNARD BRITTAN |
| A tribute from SIDLEY AUSTIN LLP |
“
For me, singing in the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion was like a vision of Heavenly Paradise, with the great music of the choral masterworks, and oh, those magnificent chandeliers!
”
Paul Salamunovich conducting LAMC
2001
2001
2003
2006
2013
Roger Wagner Chorale alumni Marilyn Horne, Marni Nixon and Harve Presnell join the LA Master Chorale for The Golden Age of Choral Music during the last season of Music Director Paul Salamunovich’s tenure.
Grant Gershon conducts his first concert as Music Director on September 29, 2001, just 18 days after the World Trade Center attacks, and in light of the solemn occasion adds to the musical program Mozart’s poignant “Ave Verum Corpus” and his own arrangement of “America the Beautiful.”
On November 16, the LA Master Chorale moves from the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion to Walt Disney Concert Hall for its first performance, featuring John Adams’ “Harmonium” in a concert titled Music in the Key of New.
Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger surprises more than 900 students participating in the 17th Annual High School Choir Festival by speaking with them about the importance of arts education in school and congratulating them on their yearlong achievement culminating at Walt Disney Concert Hall.
The LA Master Chorale joins the LA Philharmonic for the premiere of John Adams’ “The Gospel According to the Other Mary”—a companion work to his previous “El Niño” oratorio—at Walt Disney Concert Hall, and then subsequently tours the production in London, Lucerne, Paris and New York.
| THE STAGES
—CAROL REICH, former LAMC singer
49
| A tribute from BARBARA WILKINSON |
| A tribute from
Grant Gershon, the Kiki & David Gindler Artistic Director
Grant Gershon with LAMC
Grant Gershon and LAMC in 2004
| THE STAGES
Paul Salamunovich
50
“
The Master Chorale has always been a part of my life. My parents brought me to these beautiful concerts when I was young and I always loved it. It’s like family. My dad actually sang in the Master Chorale, —CARRAH FLAHIVE, current LAMC singer which I suppose makes me second generation!
”
|
| A tribute from BRINDELL GOTTLIEB |
EDWARD JAMES OLMOS
CENTER THEATRE GROUP
| THE STAGES
One of the nation’s preeminent nonprofit theatre companies, Center Theatre Group (CTG) is recognized for its high-quality productions, diverse programming and critically acclaimed performances that cover the broadest range of theatre.
52
Under the leadership of Artistic Director Michael Ritchie, CTG presents performances at The Music Center’s Ahmanson Theatre, the Mark Taper Forum and at CTG’s Kirk Douglas Theatre in Culver City. With a focus on theatre as a medium and its ability to connect artists and audiences in a singularly powerful experience, CTG produces some of the most engaging and compelling theatre anywhere in the world. Performances include groundbreaking new
works, explosive productions of the classics, and hit Broadway plays and musicals. In 1967, then-CTG Artistic Director Gordon Davidson began creating new work at the Taper, opening the theatre with the controversial play The Devils. Since that time, the Taper has developed an impressive number of
Pulitzer Prize-winning plays including Mark Medoff’s Children of a Lesser God, Michael Cristofer’s The Shadow Box and Tony Kushner’s Angels in America. The Taper also has earned a number of distinguished honors including a Tony Award for Theatrical Excellence. CTG has been honored with more than 130 LA Stage Alliance Ovation Awards for excellence in all phases of production.
earned the Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle award for Lead Performance in 1978 for his role as El Pachuco in Luis Valdez’s Zoot Suit at the Mark Taper Forum.
| A tribute from JUDY AND THOMAS BECKMEN |
| A tribute from NBCUNIVERSAL |
JERSEY BOYS,
the story of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons, featured (from left) Tony Michael Ingersoll, Christopher Kale Jones, Erich Bergen and Deven May at the Ahmanson Theatre in 2007. WAR HORSE,
| THE STAGES
presented by the National Theatre of Great Britain and Bob Boyett at the Ahmanson Theatre in 2012, starred life-size horses crafted in cane, steel, leather and aircraft cables by the Handspring Puppet Company of South Africa.
54
CLYBOURNE PARK,
winner of the 2011 Pulitzer Prize in drama, featured Jeremy Shamos, Damon Gupton and Crystal A. Dickinson in the Playwrights Horizons production at the Mark Taper Forum in 2012.
| A tribute from
/ DARRELL MILLER |
| A tribute from LUANNE WELLS |
ANGELS IN AMERICA, PART ONE
received the Pulitzer Prize in drama in 1993 without initially having a New York production. Ellen McLaughlin (at left) originated the part of the Angel in Tony Kushner’s drama, staged at the Mark Taper Forum.
BENGAL TIGER AT
a finalist for the Pulitzer in drama, was originally staged at the Kirk Douglas Theatre and was remounted in 2010 at the Mark Taper Forum. The production was directed by Moisés Kaufman and featured Kevin Tighe (at right) as the Tiger.
9 TO 5: THE MUSICAL
had its world premiere at the Ahmanson Theatre in 2008 before moving to Broadway. With a score by Dolly Parton, the production featured (from left) Marc Kudisch and Megan Hilty.
| THE STAGES
THE BAGHDAD ZOO,
57
| A tribute from
|
| A tribute from HUB INTERNATIONAL INSURANCE SERVICES / RICHARD KAGAN, Managing Director |
JOE TURNER’S COME AND GONE,
by August Wilson, was directed by Phylicia Rashad and featured (from left) Keith David and Glynn Turman at the Mark Taper Forum in 2013.
RED, staged at the
Mark Taper Forum in 2012, featured Alfred Molina as painter Mark Rothko in a Donmar Warehouse production of the Tony Awardwinning play. GOD OF CARNAGE
| THE STAGES
at the Ahmanson Theatre in 2011 reunited the original Broadway cast (from left) of Hope Davis, Marcia Gay Harden, Jeff Daniels and James Gandolfini for the production of the Tony Award-winning play.
58
| A tribute from EVA AND MARC STERN | Plácido Domingo in Don Rodrigo, 1967
| THE STAGES
LA OPERA
60
One of America’s most exciting and ambitious opera companies, LA Opera brings together worldrenowned singers, designers, directors and conductors for performances that attract the attention of international audiences and critics. Now the nation’s fourth largest opera company, LA Opera is a renowned producer of works from classical and contemporary repertoires and a leader in its commitment to educational and community engagement programs. Its mission is to
serve the public by producing worldclass opera that preserves, promotes and advances the art form while embodying the diversity, pioneering spirit and artistic sensibility that is unique to Los Angeles. Essential to LA Opera’s achievement of this mission are the vision and energy of its General Director, superstar tenor Plácido Domingo, and its Music Director, James Conlon. The opera performs at The Music Center’s Dorothy Chandler Pavilion. LA Opera’s recent seasons have included the 2010 world
premiere of Daniel Catán’s Il Postino, the Los Angeles premiere of Einstein on the Beach by Robert Wilson and Philip Glass, LA Opera’s first complete performance of Richard Wagner’s epic Ring cycle, along with the first major U.S. production in four decades of Verdi’s The Two Foscari. In 2007, LA Opera became the only major opera company in the world to regularly program works of composers affected by the Holocaust through the series Recovered Voices.
PLÁCIDO DOMINGO
stepped onto the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion stage for the first time on November 7, 1967. It was the beginning of his nearly 50-year journey in Los Angeles that included major appearances during the 1984 Olympic Arts Festival. That seminal event directly resulted in the creation of LA Opera, which officially launched on October 7, 1986, when Mr. Domingo starred in the inaugural production of Otello.
| A tribute from CAROL AND WARNER HENRY |
| A tribute from MARY HAYLEY AND SELIM K. ZILKHA |
PETER HEMMINGS,
Founding General Director, commences 30 years of crossplatform artistic collaboration in 1987 when he invites David Hockney to design a new production of Tristan und Isolde. Other major artists from other disciplines whose work has been seen at LA Opera include Gottfried Helnwein, Lucinda Childs, Robert Wilson, Julie Taymor, Maurice Sendak, Gerald Scarfe and Achim Freyer.
HERBERT ROSS
mounts a new production of La Bohème for LA Opera in 1993, initiating an ongoing collaboration with Hollywood film directors. These include Bruce Beresford (Rigoletto, 2000), John Schlesinger (Peter Grimes, 2000), Maximilian Schell (Lohengrin, 2001;
Der Rosenkavalier, 2005), William Friedkin (Bluebeard’s Castle/Gianni Schicchi, 2002; Ariadne auf Naxos, 2004; Il Tabarro/ Suor Angelica, 2008), Garry Marshall (The Grand Duchess, 2005), Woody Allen (Gianni Schicchi, 2008) and David Cronenberg (The Fly, 2010).
Gianni Schicchi, 2008
| THE STAGES
| THE STAGES
Tristan und Isolde, 2007
62
63
| A tribute from THE ELI AND EDYTHE BROAD FOUNDATION | Plácido Domingo and Charles Castronovo in Il Postino, 2010
| A tribute from EDWARD E. AND ALICIA G. CLARK |
Plácido Domingo and Peter Hemmings
KENT NAGANO
conducting Schoenberg’s Moses und Aron, 2001
64
LA OPERA initiates a special commitment
PLÁCIDO DOMINGO
to 20th-century operas with A Midsummer Night’s Dream in 1998, with an emphasis on Benjamin Britten and other vital modern and contemporary composers. The company has presented six world premieres beginning with Kullervo in 1992. Other world premieres and contemporary operas have included Daniel Catán’s Il Postino and Florencia en el Amazonas, Tobias Picker’s Fantastic Mr. Fox, Elliot Goldenthal’s Grendel and Howard Shore’s The Fly.
succeeds Peter Hemmings as General Director in 2000, launching a long-range plan of innovations and new productions.
James Conlon conducting the LA Opera Orchestra, 2008
| THE STAGES
| THE STAGES
LA OPERA
becomes the principal tenant of the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in 2003 when the LA Phil moves to the newly opened Walt Disney Concert Hall, enabling the company to expand to as many as 100 performances per year, to grow its artistic structure and to attract an increasing number of world-class artists.
65
| A tribute from ESTHER AND ABE ZAREM |
| A tribute from MARILYN ZIERING |
THE RECOVERED Mary Dunleavy and Rodrick Dixon in The Dwarf, 2008
WAGNER’S MASSIVE
VOICES SERIES
RING CYCLE
begins in 2007, devoted to operas by composers affected by the Holocaust, with major productions of The Broken Jug/ The Dwarf, The Birds and The Stigmatized.
is presented by LA Opera in 2010, commemorating the occasion with a countywide “Ring Festival LA” that brings together more than 100 arts, sciences, educational and other cultural organizations to present programming inspired by the Ring. This is the first of the groundbreaking community-wide festivals, including “Britten 100/LA” and “Figaro Unbound.”
Siegfried, part of LA Opera’s first Ring cycle, 2010
RISE AND FALL OF THE CITY OF MAHAGONNY,
| THE STAGES
| THE STAGES
Audra McDonald and Anthony Dean Griffey in Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny, 2007
conducted by James Conlon, wins two Grammy Awards in 2008, for Best Classical Recording and Best Opera Recording.
66
67
| A tribute from SHARON AND NELSON RISING |
| A tribute from BEATRICE AND PAUL BENNETT |
ROMÉO ET JULIETTE,
OTELLO, Plácido Domingo, 1986 LA TRAVIATA, Greg Fedderly
and Carol Vaness, 1999
SUOR ANGELICA,
Nino Machaidze and Vittorio Grigolo, 2011
Sondra Radvanovsky, 2008
DON GIOVANNI
THE BARBER OF
Ildebrando D’Arcangelo, 2012
SEVILLE, Juan Diego
Flórez, Joyce Di Donato and Nathan Gunn, 2009
A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE
Renée Fleming, 2014
FEDORA, Maria Ewing and Plácido Domingo, 1997 THE MERRY WIDOW,
Rod Gilfry and Susan Graham, 2007 BLUEBEARD’S CASTLE, Denyce
68
PAGLIACCI, Angela Gheorghiu and Roberto Alagna, 2005
| THE STAGES
| THE STAGES
Graves and Samuel Ramey, 2002
69
| A tribute from CENTER DANCE ARTS |
PRESENTS DANCE AT THE MUSIC CENTER
| THE STAGES
is committed to bringing the world’s most highly acclaimed ballet and contemporary companies to Los Angeles. In its 11 years, the program has featured companies from 18 countries and more than 30 commissions of new works, premieres and company duets. Thanks to the support of the Glorya Kaufman Dance Foundation, and founding supporter
70
Center Dance Arts, the Dorothy Buffum Chandler Program Fund, Elisabeth Katte Harris, The Music Center Foundation and The Music Center Annual Fund, Glorya Kaufman Presents Dance at The Music Center is also able to introduce new audiences to the world of dance through free student performances each year.
SWAN LAKE,
The Australian Ballet, Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, 2014
| THE STAGES
GLORYA KAUFMAN
| A tribute from CATHARINE AND JEFFREY SOROS |
71
| A tribute from NIGEL LYTHGOE |
| A tribute from STROOCK & STROOCK & LAVAN LLP |
1966
1969
1970
1983–1991
1990–2000
2003
Within a year of its opening, the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion welcomes The Australian Ballet featuring international stars Rudolf Nureyev and Margot Fonteyn in Nureyev’s own staging of Pepita’s Raymonda.
American Ballet Theatre’s first appearance at The Music Center. For decades, this premier national company brings a broad selection of its vast repertoire and many ballet luminaries, including Mikhail Baryshnikov in The Nutcracker and Giselle and Twyla Tharp’s Push Comes to Shove, to the stages of The Music Center.
The Music Center welcomes local emerging dance ensembles Bella Lewitzky Dance Company and Aman Folk Ensemble and the international companies Ballet Folklórico de Mexico, Dukla Ukrainian Dance Company and Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo (a presentation through Associated Presentations and the James A. Doolittle Foundation).
The Joffrey Ballet becomes a “bicoastal” company with residences in New York and Los Angeles, presenting a regular dance season at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion.
Despite the dissolution of their residency, The Joffrey Ballet returns often and The Music Center continues to present the most highly acclaimed dance companies to Los Angeles, including The Royal Ballet, Bolshoi Ballet and Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater.
With the move of the Los Angeles Philharmonic and Los Angeles Master Chorale to the newly opened Walt Disney Concert Hall, the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion stage becomes more available. A group of dance enthusiasts establishes the support group Center Dance Association (now Center Dance Arts). 2003–2004
The inaugural season of Dance at the Music Center. 2005
72
Yannick Lebrun, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater
| THE STAGES
| THE STAGES
The Music Center is part of a major national tour of the Kirov Ballet of the Mariinsky Theatre, which includes performances by the beloved ballerina Diana Vishneva.
73
| A tribute from
|
| THE STAGES
ALICE’S ADVENTURES IN WONDERLAND
74
debuted in the U.S. in October 2012 at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion. The production, choreographed by Christopher Wheeldon with music by Joby Talbot, was created through a partnership between The National Ballet of Canada and The Royal Ballet (UK). The ballet featured 70 dancers, with sets and costumes by Bob Crowley and projections by Jon Driscoll and Gemma Carrington.
Heather Ogden and Tanya Howard in Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland
| A tribute from MAGGY AND JACK SIMON |
| A tribute from LIZ LEVITT HIRSCH |
“
| A tribute from MORRIS AND NATALIE DARNOV |
One of the achievements I’m most proud of since coming to The Music Center is bringing a permanent —STEVE ROUNTREE dance season to Los Angeles. President and CEO, The Music Center 2009
2010
2012
The Music Center’s first co-presentation of Matthew Bourne’s Edward Scissorhands with resident company Center Theatre Group. Many other collaborations with the resident companies follow.
The dance program is renamed Glorya Kaufman Presents Dance at the Music Center in honor of a generous endowment gift from philanthropist Glorya Kaufman.
The co-commission and U.S. premiere of Merce Cunningham Dance Company’s reconstructed Roaratorio engagement is part of the legendary final tour of the company.
2009
2011
First-ever “merger” of the dance series and participatory programs begins with an Alvin Aileyinspired A Taste of Dance. Ailey dancers teach nearly 1,000 people portions of Ailey’s Revelations, which they then perform together on The Music Center Plaza.
Inaugural Artists in Residence Jacques Heim and Diavolo Dance Theatre present open rehearsals on The Music Center Plaza, allowing thousands to participate in and understand the creative process as they create Transit Space, a new work co-commissioned by The Music Center as part of The Getty’s Pacific Standard Time celebration.
Celebrating its 10th season of dance, The Music Center, with support from Center Dance Arts, commissions the world premiere of Benjamin Millepied’s L.A. Dance Project, garnering international recognition.
The dance series presents its first company, Shen Wei Dance Arts, at The Music Center’s Walt Disney Concert Hall. The West Coast premiere of Slow Dancing by David Michalek, a nineday outdoor art installation on The Music Center Plaza, is presented free to the public. The Music Center is the first to co-commission this major project, which continues to tour the world.
2014
The long-awaited return of The Australian Ballet, now an internationally renowned company.
Shen Wei Dance Arts
| THE STAGES
| THE STAGES
2007
76
”
2006
77
| A tribute from CINDY MISCIKOWSKI |
| A tribute from HOWARD SHERMAN AND GREGG HOUSTON |
The Dorothy Chandler Pavilion hosted the Academy Awards for the first time in 1969, also the first time the awards were televised worldwide. THE OSCARS
| THE STAGES
The Academy Awards were held for the first time at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion on April 14, 1969. The 41st Annual Academy Awards was the first Oscar ceremony to be broadcast worldwide. Oliver! won for Best Picture and Stanley Kubrick would win his only Oscar—Best Visual Effects for 2001: A Space Odyssey. This year was the only time there was a tie in the Best Actress
78
category: Katherine Hepburn for The Lion in Winter and Barbra Streisand for Funny Girl. The Dorothy Chandler Pavilion hosted the Academy Awards 25 times (from 1969–1999, alternating with the Shrine Auditorium).
(From left) Ruth Gordon, winner for Best Supporting Actress for Rosemary’s Baby, Elliott Gould and Barbra Streisand, co-winner for Best Actress for Funny Girl attend the 41st Academy Awards in 1969.
Anjelica Huston; Jack Nicholson, nominated for Best Actor for Chinatown; and Fred Astaire at the 47th Academy Awards in 1975.
Sally Field accepts her second Best Actress Oscar for Places in the Heart at the 57th Academy Awards in 1985.
Billy Crystal makes his debut as Oscar host in 1990 on the 63rd Academy Awards, and goes on to host nine times.
Roberto Benigni after the announcement of his win for Best Actor for Life Is Beautiful in 1999.
| A tribute from
High School Choir Festival in Walt Disney can create when we all join our voices together. — 10TH-GRADE SOPRANO from Taft High School
” | THE STAGES
I really enjoyed performing at the Master Chorale’s Concert Hall. I learned what a powerful sound we
| A tribute from TICKETMASTER/LIVE NATION |
| THE STAGES
“
|
80
81
| A tribute from WELLS FARGO |
the community FOR THE PAST
| THE COMMUNITY
50 years, The Music Center has welcomed the community to experience the best performing arts in the nation. Through diverse programming, free community events and robust arts education programs for students, The Music Center has introduced audiences of all ages to the powerful experience of the performing arts.
82
As The Music Center enters the next 50 years, it will continue to inspire young people, attract new audiences and provide a lasting heritage for generations to come.
Fifth-grade students enjoy a special performance at The Music Center during the annual Blue Ribbon Children’s Festival.
| A tribute from TRICIA AND RICHARD GREY |
| A tribute from DARCIE DENKERT NOTKIN AND SHELBY NOTKIN |
“
When you read a story in a book, you picture it one way, but when you see it come to life on a stage, it’s a whole different story. It’s so inspiring.
THE MUSIC CENTER’S ARTS EDUCATION PROGRAM
The Music Center has served more than 10 million students and teachers since 1979. As a national leader in arts education, The Music Center is committed to inspiring students and teachers with the transformative power of the arts. Students have the opportunity to learn about music,
theater, dance and the visual arts as well as experience the joy of watching and actively participating in these art forms, both in the classroom and at The Music Center. Programs include the Blue Ribbon Children’s Festival, Spotlight, Music Center on Tour and the Very Special Arts Festival.
—STUDENT AUDIENCE MEMBER, Music Center on Tour
”
84
To expand outreach and the impact of the arts across Los Angeles County, The Music Center created the Music Center on Tour in 1980. The program brings the best of the performing arts to schools, introducing students to a world of exciting new possibilities.
| THE COMMUNITY
| THE COMMUNITY
MUSIC CENTER ON TOUR
85
| A tribute from ROBIN AND PETER BARKER/ANDREA AND JOHN VAN DE KAMP |
STUDENT PERFORMANCES
Students from schools throughout Los Angeles County are invited to a Glorya Kaufman Presents Dance at The Music Center performance tailored for young audiences each year.
“
Participating in the arts increased my daughter’s ability to communicate and follow directions. When I saw my daughter on stage, I could see the happiness and pride on her face. The kids pour their hearts into it. —PARENT OF A VERY SPECIAL ARTS FESTIVAL PARTICIPANT
THE MUSIC CENTER’S VERY SPECIAL ARTS
| THE COMMUNITY
FESTIVAL
86
One of The Music Center’s longestrunning programs, the Very Special Arts Festival was created in partnership with the Los Angeles Unified School District and the Los Angeles County Office of Education. Now in its 36th year, this annual event celebrates the talents of students with disabilities in Los Angeles County along with their mainstream peers and provides them with the opportunity to share their achievements in both the visual and performing arts.
”
| THE COMMUNITY
| A tribute from KURT PETERSON AND WENDY WOLSTONCROFT |
87
| A tribute from JONI AND CLARK SMITH |
| A tribute from CARLA AND FRED SANDS |
“
One year I joined the audience at the Blue Ribbon Children’s Festival to watch with the students—I saw a 10-year-old boy turn to another boy and say, ‘This is the most amazing thing I have ever seen in my whole life.’
”
—RENAE WILLIAMS NILES, Vice President, Programming
THE BLUE RIBBON
88
invites fifth-grade students from all over Los Angeles County each year to see a special performance at The Music Center and to perform a specially choreographed dance on The Music Center Plaza.
| THE COMMUNITY
| THE COMMUNITY
CHILDREN’S FESTIVAL
89
| A tribute from JPMORGAN CHASE & CO. |
| A tribute from WALTER ULLOA |
SPOTLIGHT
| THE COMMUNITY
| THE COMMUNITY
In 1988, The Music Center with Founding Chairman Frederic M. Roberts and Creator/Executive Producer Walter Grauman launched Spotlight, a scholarship and arts training program that provides invaluable professional guidance in the performing arts to thousands of Southern California high school students each year. More than 40,000 students have participated in the program to date. This free program provides a live audition experience for each student, accompanied by detailed written feedback. In recent years, the program has expanded to provide more opportunities for students to gain new skills to prepare them for college and for careers in the arts and arts administration. Spotlight has launched the most advanced students into distinguished careers with leading orchestras and dance, opera and theatrical companies.
90
91
| A tribute from RIOS CLEMENTE HALE STUDIOS |
| A tribute from FRIARS CHARITABLE FOUNDATION |
PERFORMING ARTS MASTER CLASSES
| THE COMMUNITY
| THE COMMUNITY
As part of Spotlight, master classes give students access to world-class artists to receive feedback on their performances, learn about their artistry and gain insights about careers in the arts. Past master class teachers have included Broadway star Karen Morrow, jazz icon Arturo Sandoval and former New York City Ballet soloist Zippora Karz.
92
93
| A tribute from BANK OF AMERICA |
| A tribute from THE SIMMS MANN FAMILY FOUNDATION |
WORLD CITY™ AT THE MUSIC CENTER
| THE COMMUNITY
at The Music Center, launched in 2004, has become a national model for civic engagement through arts participation in a free, year-round series of participatory arts programs at The Music Center. These programs provide opportunities for hundreds of participants of diverse ages and cultural backgrounds to engage in artmaking experiences
94
such as singing, dancing, music-making and storytelling alongside professional performers. The program is an outgrowth of The Music Center’s mission to create opportunities for arts participation.
FRIDAY NIGHT SING-ALONGS
“
are held throughout the summer at the Keck Amphitheatre at Walt Disney Concert Hall. Provided with lyric sheets and a live band, singers of all experience levels are encouraged to sing from the heart.
The Music Center is connective tissue for the arts. The entire community has access to all these amazing arts experiences. —TOMMY LEE, The Music Center staff member
| THE COMMUNITY
PROGRAMMING
“
PUBLIC
From dance and music to puppetry and spoken word, World City™ presents performances and artmaking workshops in a dynamic intersection of art and culture. Over the course of 12 seasons, World City™ has celebrated 80 different cultures, featuring more than 150 companies.
95
| A tribute from DR. GABRIEL AND CHRISTINE ALEXANDRA CHIU |
| A tribute from
AND
|
DRUM DOWNTOWN
began on The Music Center Plaza and is now held in Grand Park. A facilitator leads participants in making music in the heart of downtown; drums and percussion instruments are provided for the experience.
DANCE DOWNTOWN
is a free event held throughout the spring and summer on The Music Center Plaza and in Grand Park that encourages people of all ages to learn cultural dances. Dance Downtown has featured more than 50 dance styles since 2005, including Ondo/ Bon, Bollywood and K-pop.
96
invites the public to learn dance styles from across the world in 20-minute lessons taught by professional dancers on The Music Center Plaza.
| THE COMMUNITY
| THE COMMUNITY
A TASTE OF DANCE
97
| A tribute from DIANE NAEGELE |
“
”
first exposure to up means everything.
| THE COMMUNITY
—DOCENT, The Music Center
| THE COMMUNITY
For many children, The Music Center is their cultural life in LA— watching their eyes light
| A tribute from DAVID AND JODY LIPPMAN |
98
99
The Music Center thanks the committee members of the 50th Anniversary Celebration and those who contributed special gifts to produce this commemorative book.
ANNIVERSARY HOST
COMMEMORATIVE BOOK
COMMITTEE
PATRONS
The Blue Ribbon
Robert Abernethy Howard and Roberta Ahmanson Wallis Annenberg Bank of America Robin and Peter Barker/ Andrea and John Van de Kamp Judy and Thomas Beckmen Beatrice and Paul Bennett Geri Brawerman Linda and Maynard Brittan Center Dance Arts Dr. Gabriel and Christine Alexandra Chiu City National Bank Edward E. and Alicia G. Clark Eleanor Congdon Morris and Natalie Darnov The Davidow Charitable Fund Nancy and Donald de Brier Jennifer and Royce Diener Margaret and Jerrold Eberhardt The Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation Fox Rothschild LLP/ Darrell Miller Friars Charitable Foundation Kiki and David Gindler Brindell Gottlieb Lenore S. and Bernard A. Greenberg
CELEBRATION CO-CHAIRS
Judy Beckmen Brindell Gottlieb Eva Stern Alyce Williamson CELEBRATION
| THE COMMUNITY
COMMITTEE
100
Sandra Ausman Jill Baldauf Beatrice E. Bennett Christine Alexandra Chiu Kiki Ramos Gindler NancyJane Goldston Lenore S. Greenberg Carol Henry Liz Levitt Hirsch Joan Hotchkis Nancy Olson Livingston Ginny Mancini Barbara Allenstein Marcus Diane Morton Timothy Regler Carla Sands Joni J. Smith Catharine Soros Sutton Stracke Elinor Turner Andrea L. Van de Kamp Jonathan Weedman Sheila Weisman
Tricia and Richard Grey Murray and Carol Grigor Mary Hayley and Selim K. Zilkha Carol and Warner Henry Liz Levitt Hirsch Joan and John Hotchkis HUB International Insurance Services/Richard Kagan, Managing Director IATSE Local 33 James Doolittle Foundation/ Rosalind Wyman, President, and Al Finci, Treasurer JPMorgan Chase & Co. Glorya Kaufman Mrs. Dona S. Kendall and Dr. Susan E. Kendall Jerry and Terri Kohl Carolbeth and Ambassador Lester Korn KPMG David and Jody Lippman Marlene and Sandy Loucheim Nigel Lythgoe Manatt, Phelps & Phillips LLP Ginny Mancini The Marcia Israel Foundation MATT Construction The Maurice Marciano Family Foundation The Ron and Diane Miller Family Cindy Miscikowski
Munger, Tolles & Olson The Music Center Foundation Music Center Leadership Council Diane Naegele NBCUniversal Darcie Denkert Notkin and Shelby Notkin Annette and Peter O’Malley The Otis and Bettina Chandler Foundation Michael and Rose Pagano Kurt Peterson and Wendy Wolstoncroft Pilgrim School Related California and sbe Lloyd E. Rigler – Lawrence E. Deutsch Foundation Rios Clemente Hale Studios Sharon and Nelson Rising Allison and Richard Roeder Carla and Fred Sands Howard Sherman and Gregg Houston Sidley Austin LLP The Simms Mann Family Foundation Maggy and Jack Simon S. Mark Taper Foundation Joni and Clark Smith Sony Pictures Catharine and Jeffrey Soros Lisa Specht and Ron Rogers Chef Joachim Splichal and Patina Restaurant Group
Eva and Marc Stern Stroock & Stroock & Lavan LLP Ticketmaster/Live Nation Walter Ulloa Sheila and Wally Weisman Luanne Wells Wells Fargo
Barbara Wilkinson Alyce and Warren Williamson Esther and Abe Zarem Marilyn Ziering
CIVIC REDEDICATION CEREMONY October 1, 2014 Back row (from left to right): John Sotoodeh, Michael Ritchie, Terry Knowles, Carla Sands, Vanessa Williams, Lisa Specht, Christopher Koelsch Front row (from left to right): Supervisor Gloria Molina (First District), Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas (Second District), Supervisor Don Knabe (Chairman, Fourth District), Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky (Third District), Supervisor Michael Antonovich (Fifth District), County Chief Executive Officer William T. Fujioka, Deborah Borda, Steve Rountree
MEMBERS AT LARGE
DIRECTORS EMERITI
OFFICERS
Wallis Annenberg Louise Henry Bryson Fung Der Craig A. Ellis David Gindler Brindell Gottlieb Joyce Hameetman Richard B. Jones Carolbeth Korn Nigel Lythgoe Martin Massman Patrick S. McCabe Bowen “Buzz” H. McCoy Elizabeth Michelson Neal S. Millard Darrell D. Miller Cindy Miscikowski Shelby Notkin Diane B. Paul Kurt C. Peterson Max Ramberg Joseph Rice Richard K. Roeder Carla Sands Joni J. Smith Catharine Soros Marc I. Stern Cynthia A. Telles Franklin E. Ulf Walter F. Ulloa Catalina Joos Vergara Timothy S. Wahl Susan M. Wegleitner Alyce Williamson Rosalind W. Wyman
Peter K. Barker Judith Beckmen Eli Broad Ronald W. Burkle Lloyd E. Cotsen John B. Emerson* Lois Erburu Richard M. Ferry Bernard A. Greenberg Joanne D. Hale Stephen F. Hinchliffe, Jr. Amb. Glen A. Holden Stuart M. Ketchum Amb. Lester B. Korn Kent Kresa Robert F. Maguire, III Ginny Mancini Edward J. McAniff Walter M. Mirisch Fredric M. Roberts Claire L. Rothman James A. Thomas Andrea L. Van de Kamp* Paul M. Watson Thomas R. Weinberger
Lisa Specht BOARD CHAIR
Robert J. Abernethy Michael J. Pagano VICE CHAIRS
Stephen D. Rountree PRESIDENT AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
Karen Kay Platt SECRETARY
Lisa Whitney
| THE COMMUNITY
ASSISTANT TREASURER AND CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER
102
Stephen G. Contopulos GENERAL COUNSEL
* CHAIR EMERITUS
THE MUSIC CENTER: CELEBRATING 50 LEGENDARY YEARS COMMEMORATIVE BOOK Elizabeth Kennedy Senior Vice President Advancement The Music Center Sara Rodriguez Director, Special Projects Advancement The Music Center Amanda Hallman Associate Manager Advancement The Music Center Catharine Irvin Advancement Coordinator The Music Center Iris Schneider Photo Editor Iris Schneider Photography Kathy Nenneker Editor Los Angeles Magazine Custom Publishing Donna Giovannitti Art Director Los Angeles Magazine Custom Publishing Mitch Getz Content Solutions Director Los Angeles Magazine Custom Publishing Published by Los Angeles Magazine Custom Publishing
THE MUSIC CENTER 135 North Grand Avenue Los Angeles, CA 90012 musiccenter.org
PHOTO CREDITS
PAGE 18 (from top): The
PAGES 36-37: The Music
PAGES 58-59: Craig
PAGE 78 (clockwise
PAGE 3: Ryan Miller
Music Center Archives/ Otto Rothschild Collection, Time Magazine PAGE 19 (from top): Ralph Crane/Life Magazine/ Getty Images, The Music Center Archives/Otto Rothschild Collection PAGES 20-21: The Music Center Archives/Otto Rothschild Collection PAGE 22 (from top): Julius Shulman/The J. Paul Getty Trust, The Music Center Archives/ Otto Rothschild Collection PAGE 23 (from left): Craig Schwartz, Al Seib/ Los Angeles Times PAGES 24-25: Iris Schneider/Los Angeles Times PAGE 26: Julius Shulman/ Getty Research Institute PAGE 27: Ryan Miller/ Capture Imaging PAGES 28-29: Welton Becket Archives PAGES 30-31: Adam Latham
Center Archives/Otto Rothschild Collection PAGE 38 (from left): The Music Center Archives/ Otto Rothschild Collection, Los Angeles Philharmonic Archives PAGE 39: Los Angeles Philharmonic Archives PAGES 40-41: Los Angeles Philharmonic/ Mathew Imaging PAGES 42-43: Los Angeles Philharmonic/ Mathew Imaging PAGES 44-45: Jamie Pham PAGES 50-51 (from left): Victoria Mihich, David Johnston PAGE 51 (from top): David Johnston, Steve Cohn PAGE 53: Jay Thompson PAGE 54 (from top): Joan Marcus, Brinkhoff/ Mögenburg PAGE 55: Craig Schwartz PAGE 56: Craig Schwartz PAGE 57 (from top): Jay Thompson, Craig Schwartz
Schwartz PAGE 61: Beth Bergman/ New York City Opera PAGE 62: Robert Millard PAGE 63: Robert Millard PAGE 64 (at left): Robert Millard PAGE 65 (from top): Ken Howard, Robert Millard PAGE 66: Robert Millard PAGE 67 (from top): Robert Millard, Monika Rittershaus/ LA Opera PAGE 68 (clockwise from top right): Ken Howard, Robert Millard (The Merry Widow, Bluebeard’s Castle, Pagliacci), Ken Howard, Frederic Ohringer PAGE 69: Robert Millard PAGES 70-71: Jeff Busby PAGE 73: Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater PAGE 74: Aleksandar Antonijevic PAGE 75: Bruce Zinger
from top): From the collections of the Margaret Herrick Library/Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Ron Galella/ Getty Images, Ron Galella/Getty Images PAGE 79: Sally Field and Billy Crystal: From the collections of the Margaret Herrick Library/Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences; Roberto Benigni: Paul Morse/ Los Angeles Times PAGES 82-83: Iris Schneider PAGES 84-89: The Music Center Archives PAGES 90-91: Howard Pasamanick PAGES 92-97: The Music Center Archives
PAGES 4-5 (from left):
Beth Bergman/New York City Opera, Welton Becket Archives, The Music Center Archives PAGE 7: The Music Center Archives/Otto Rothschild Collection PAGES 8-9: Julius Shulman/Getty Research Institute PAGES 10-11: All photographs The Music Center Archives/Otto Rothschild Collection PAGES 12-15: Welton Becket Archives PAGE 16 (clockwise from top): The Music Center Archives/Otto Rothschild Collection, Welton Becket Archives, John Malmin/Los Angeles Times PAGE 17 (clockwise from top): Welton Becket Archives, The Music Center Archives/Otto Rothschild Collection, Nelson Tiffany/Los Angeles Times
| THE COMMUNITY
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
103
| THE COMMUNITY
| THE COMMUNITY
104 105