My Journey Through The Music Center Walt Disney Concert Hall

A Dream that Began with a Mouse

Walt Disney was a pioneer and innovator in cartoon animation. It all began with Mickey Mouse, the first animated character he created in 1928. During his career, Disney’s movies received 48 Academy Awards. After Walt Disney died in 1966, his wife Lillian wanted to create a monument to celebrate his imagination.

In 1987, Lillian made a gift of $50 million dollars to start the Walt Disney Concert Hall project. Architect Frank Gehry was selected to design Walt Disney Concert Hall. His wish was to build a concert hall that would be something the world had never seen — unique on the outside and with the best sound (or acoustics) on the inside. The grand sweeping waves of stainless steel made the building an instant landmark. Inside the concert hall, wooden forms arch across the ceiling and around the sides, giving the effect of being onboard a mighty sailboat. Seats surround the stage where the musicians play. There are no barriers between the musicians and the audience.

HOME to the Los Angeles Philharmonic and the Los Angeles Master Chorale

The hall is home to the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra and the Los Angeles Master Chorale. The Philharmonic is made up of 106 musicians. They perform classical music, some pieces written hundreds of years ago and some modern pieces created especially for an orchestra. Gustavo Dudamel is Music Director. He is the leader of the orchestra. When the Philharmonic performs, he is often the conductor, standing in front of the musicians and guiding them to perform as a group in just the right way. In this sense, he is “playing” the orchestra as if it were a single giant instrument.

The Master Chorale is made up of about 114 men and women singers. Like the Philharmonic, they perform songs that are both old and new. Sometimes the Chorale sings with the Philharmonic and sometimes with their own orchestra or just a piano. They often sing a cappella, without any instruments at all. Grant Gershon is the Music Director. He leads the singers in the same way a conductor leads an orchestra — only the voices are the “instruments” he conducts.

Check Out the Concert Hall

Fun Fact

It was so complicated to design because at the time there was no computer software available to draw the construction plans, so Frank Gehry had to use one designed to create