Centrally located in downtown Los Angeles along Grand Avenue, the Music Center is home to four internationally acclaimed Resident Companies: The Los Angeles Philharmonic, Center Theatre Group, LA Opera and Los Angeles Master Chorale and is comprised of four venues - Walt Disney Concert Hall, Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, Ahmanson Theatre and Mark Taper Forum - as well as outdoor theaters, plazas and gardens. Additionally, the Music Center offers the largest presentation of dance in Los Angeles, tours of all four venues, participatory arts activities, exciting programming for children and families throughout the year and its school education programs are nationally recognized.

History

The Music Center Campus, designed by architect Welton Becket was dedicated September 27, 1964 and opened December 6, 1964 as a public/private not-for-profit partnership with the County of Los Angeles which owns the facility and contracts the Music Center to operate the campus. The Center was championed by Dorothy Buffum Chandler, named by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors in April 1955 to head a citizen's committee to build a permanent home for the Los Angeles Philharmonic; she expanded the goal to include a performing arts center and raised $18.7 million in private donations at a total cost of $152,000.

The County provided the site and raised the remaining $14 million using mortgage revenue bonds. Construction on the original complex began March 12, 1962 and was completed April 1967. The original complex was comprised of three venues: the 3,197-seat Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, the 750-seat Mark Taper Forum (named for S. Mark Taper who made the first $1 million November 11, 1962) and Ahmanson Theatre (honoring Howard Ahmanson and the Ahmanson Foundation for $1.5 million December 28, 1965) offering flexible seating for 1,600 to 2,007, following the 1994 redesign by Ellerbeo Becket Architects.

On October 23, 2003 the Music Center opened the Frank Gehry-designed Walt Disney Concert Hall, expanding the campus to 11 acres. The 2,265-seat Concert Hall is home to the Los Angeles Philharmonic and the Los Angeles Master Chorale. Walt Disney Concert Hall includes the 266-seat Roy and Edna Disney/CalArts Theater and outdoor program areas including the W. M. Keck Foundation Children's Amphitheatre seating 250-300 and the Nadine and Ed Carson Amphitheatre seating 120. The total cost for Walt Disney Concert Hall was $286 million.

Governance and Administration

The Music Center is governed by a Board of Directors chaired by John B. Emerson (since 2003). The Center's President and Chief Executive Officer is Stephen D. Rountree (since 2002). The Music Center employs 225 full time and 300 temporary and part time staff. The County of Los Angeles owns the facility and contracts the Music Center to operate the campus providing funding for its maintenance, operations, grounds-keeping, security and ushers. Revenue from the operation of the Center garage offsets these expenses. The Music Center is responsible for managing, operating, maintaining and developing the campus. The budget for fiscal year 2007 is $51.7 million. Along with its four Resident Companies, the Music Center produces and presents an outstanding array of artistry in the theatres.

Principals

Music Center: John B. Emerson, chairman, board of directors Stephen D. Rountree, president and CEO Center Theatre Group: Michael Ritchie, artistic director Charles Dillingham, managing director Gordon Davidson, founding artistic director Richard Kagan, board president Phyllis Hennigan, board chairman Los Angeles Opera: Plácido Domingo, Eli and Edythe Broad general director James Conlon, music director Marc I. Stern, chairman and chief executive officer Carol F. Henry, president Los Angeles Philharmonic: Esa-Pekka Salonen, music director Deborah Borda, board president Jerrold L. Eberhardt, board chairman John F. Hotchkis, board president Los Angeles Master Chorale: Grant Gershon, music director Terry Knowles, executive director Mark Foster, board chairman W. Scott Sanford, board president

The Resident Companies

The Los Angeles Philharmonic, founded in 1919, is led by Music Director Esa-Pekka Salonen (since 1992) and President Deborah Borda (since 2000). Venezuelan conductor Gustavo Dudamel was recently appointed to become Music Director in 2009. Fortunately for Los Angeles, Esa-Pekka Salonen will continue to have a strong relationship with the orchestra while he pursues his composing career. One of the world's outstanding orchestras performing for more than one million at the Walt Disney Concert Hall, Hollywood Bowl and on tour, the Philharmonic records with Salonen for Deutsche Grammophon and has won two Grammy awards and other honors. Nearly 10 million people have been served by the Philharmonic's educational and community programming. Each year 85,000 students and teachers participate in activities including the School Partners Program, the Kent Kresa Symphonies for Schools, Toyota Symphonies for Youth and Summer Sounds: Music for Kids at the Hollywood Bowl. In addition, the Philharmonic Association presents and produces more than 100 non-classical concerts at both venues, including jazz, world music, holiday concerts, and numerous others. LAPhil.com

Center Theatre Group (CTG), founded in 1967, is led by Artistic Director Michael Ritchie (since 2005) and Managing Director Charles Dillingham (since 1991). Gordon Davidson is the Founding Artistic Director. CTG is one of the largest and most active theatre companies in the nation, programming year-round at the 745-seat Mark Taper Forum (currently under renovation and due to re-open in Fall 2008) and 1600- to 2000-seat Ahmanson Theatre at the Music Center and also at the new 317-seat Kirk Douglas Theatre in Culver City. The Taper, the Ahmanson and the Douglas have a combined subscription audience of 50,000-plus and a total audience exceeding 750,000 a year. CTG has won 34 Tony Awards and three Pulitzer Prizes, and numerous other local and national honors. A leader in the development of new plays and new voices in theatre, CTG has served more than one million Los Angeles County residents with programs for students and teachers. P.L.A.Y. (Performing for Los Angeles Youth) reaches more than 35,000 Los Angeles County students annually. CenterTheatreGroup.org

Los Angeles Opera, founded in 1986, is a world-renowned company with a repertoire of perennial favorites and rare masterpieces in innovative productions, starring internationally established performers and promising new artists. Celebrated tenor Plácido Domingo is the Eli and Edythe Broad General Director (since 2003) -and regularly performs with the Opera as both singer and conductor - and James Conlon is Music Director (since 2006). Most recently, Los Angeles Master Chorale Director Grant Gershon was named LA Opera's new Associate Conductor / Chorus Master. The company has served nearly one million students, senior citizens, and other audiences through its internationally recognized Education and Community Programs and maintains a talented roster of Resident Artists - young singers who perform regularly in main stage productions as well as the Company's community programs. laopera.com

The Los Angeles Master Chorale, founded in 1964 by the legendary Roger Wagner, is led by Music Director Grant Gershon (since 2001) and Executive Director Terry Knowles (since 2000). One of the nation's largest independent choral organizations, the company is in residence at the Music Center's Walt Disney Concert Hall and has released five recordings, including the Grammy-nominated, best-selling CD Lauridsen-Lux Æterna. The Chorale has presented educational programs to more than 700,000 Los Angeles County residents. Each year 14,000 students and teachers collaborate in educational programs including the High School Choir Festival, Master Chorale Chamber Singers performances Voices Within, and artists-in-residency songwriting program for fifth-grade classes. lamc.org

Music Center Education and Family Programs

The Music Center believes the arts enhance the lives of all people and are crucial to the development of every child. The Music Center plays a vital leadership role in restoring the arts to the core curriculum in all K-12 schools in Los Angeles County. As a premier performing arts center, our educational programs are built around the unique role and expertise of the professional artist. The power and impact of our work comes from the interaction and collaborations of outstanding artists with students, teachers, and family audiences. The Music Center invests substantial resources in the identification, training and ongoing support of these performers and teaching artists.

The Music Center is dedicated to being a welcoming and inclusive cultural destination for all the diverse communities of Los Angeles. The Music Center produces a wide range of free arts programming for children and families, inviting the entire community to come enjoy and celebrate the artistic and cultural richness of our communities. For additional information about our education and family programs, call 213-250-ARTS (2787)

Dance at the Music Center

Over the past five years, the Music Center has developed an ambitious dance presentation program, which has established a distinguished reputation - locally, nationally, and internationally. The endeavor began in 2000 with the Music Center's sold-out presentation of the Bolshoi Ballet in its historic production of Prokofiev's Romeo & Juliet as well as new interpretation of Don Quixote.

Since then, the Music Center has presented a broad array of ensembles, including New York City Ballet, San Francisco Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, Dance Theatre of Harlem, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Beijing Modern Dance Company, Merce Cunningham Dance Company, Kirov Ballet of the Mariinsky Theatre, Nuevo Ballet Español, Miami City Ballet and Eifman Ballet of St. Petersburg. For additional information about Dance at the Music Center, call 213-972-0711.

Active Arts at the Music Center

Launched in July 2004 and designed to expand the public's experience associated with the performing arts, Active Arts at the Music Center extends beyond the more formal experience associated with performing arts centers. Active Arts programs engage people from diverse backgrounds and experiences and establish an ongoing series of admission-free or low-cost recreational art-making events that encourage people to sing, dance, play music and tell stories together just for the sheer enjoyment and love of it.

Active Arts programs cut across cross-cultural boundaries and encourage people to participate for the sole purpose of art-making and include Dance Downtown, Drum Downtown, A Taste of Dance, Get Your Chops Back, Jingle Bell Sing and L.A. Storytellers. Through these programs, Music Center public spaces activate with creativity, social interchange and cultural diversity - reflective of Los Angeles. For additional information about Active Arts, call 213-972-3660

Music Center Membership Organizations

The Music Center history is rooted in the volunteerism and philanthropy of the members of the organizations that support its mission, and its future depends upon its generous volunteers.

The Blue Ribbon, founded by Dorothy Chandler in 1968, has a membership of more than 625 women who champion the performing arts and make substantial financial contributions to the Center's community programs and its Resident Companies annually. The Blue Ribbon also supports community programs, including the Dorothy B. Chandler Children's Festival which brings as many as 25,000 fifth-grade students to Center performances each year.

The Fraternity of Friends, founded in 1978, includes businessmen and entertainment industry leaders who support the performing arts and the Music Center. They sponsor the Music Center Spotlight Awards, one of the nation's most acclaimed performing and visual arts education programs for teens, offering training in the arts and awarding over $100,000 in scholarships annually to finalists, semi-finalists and participants who received honorable mentions.

Club 100, founded in 1976, is an association of some 100 women who support the Music Center Education Division through education, advocacy, and fundraising. Club 100 sponsors the annual BRAVO Awards that honor excellence in arts education.

Center Dance Arts was established in 2000 to support the Music Center's dance series and also helps bring the power of dance to children - especially those who lack access.

Tours and General Information

Several tour options are offered of the Music Center. Guided group tours and self-guided audio tours are available of the iconic Walt Disney Concert Hall. The Symphonians, volunteer docents that have been leading tours since 1965, offer free, guided tours of the three original buildings of the Music Center as well as the lobby of Walt Disney Concert Hall. For information about tours, call 213-972-4399.

The Patina Restaurant Group operates restaurant and catering facilities at the Music Center including Patina Restaurant at Walt Disney Concert Hall and Kendall's Brasserie on Grand Avenue. For information about The Patina Group, call 213-972-7565 or patinagroup.com

The Music Center's central telephone number is 213-972-7211. To reach the access line for patrons with disabilities, telephone 213-972-0777.