YOLA

from Performances Magazine | Hollywood Bowl, July 2023

ONLY IN LA—ONLY AT

Through YOLA (Youth Orchestra Los Angeles), inspired by Gustavo Dudamel’s own training as a young musician, the LA Phil and its community partners provide free instruments, intensive music training, and academic support to over 1,700 young musicians, empowering them to become vital citizens, leaders, and agents of change. YOLA provides players aged 6-18 with a strong musical and social foundation through participation in 12 to 15 hours of programming each week.

Sixteen years ago, the LA Phil and its community partners launched YOLA with 80 students at the EXPO Center in South LA. Today, there are ﬁve sites: in South LA, the Rampart District, Westlake/MacArthur Park, East LA, and Inglewood. YOLA engages players from more than 200 schools in culturally vibrant and ethnically diverse communities across LA County. Music study is complemented by leadership development opportunities, workshops, and performances. YOLA’s young musicians have performed on great stages all over the world, including the LA Phil’s iconic venues—the Hollywood Bowl and Walt Disney Concert Hall—and in many other locations throughout

Southern California, on national and international television broadcasts, and alongside the greatest artists.

On October 15, 2021, the Los Angeles Philharmonic opened the

Judith and Thomas L. Beckmen

YOLA Center at Inglewood, designed by Gehry Partners, LLC, the ﬁrst permanent, purpose-built facility for YOLA.

To learn about YOLA’s performance history, turn to page 26 To learn more about YOLA, please visit laphil.com/yola

Thanks to generous support from our philanthropic community, including Margo and Irwin Winkler, Marc and Ashley Merrill, the Friars Charitable Foundation, and an Anonymous donor, more than 2,000 tickets to Hollywood Bowl concerts throughout the season are being provided to YOLA musicians, families, and teaching sta .

Experiencing concerts under the stars provides inspiration for the young musicians of YOLA and can inform their music-making, artistic expression, and academic endeavors.