In just one short month, fans will be able to sit outdoors and enjoy a Los Angeles institution with performances at The Hollywood Bowl.
Starting May 15, the Bowl will reopen with one of four free concerts, offered exclusively to essential workers -- first responders, healthcare workers, grocery starr, custodians and delivery drivers -- all as a thank you for their service during the pandemic.
“This is the moment we’ve been waiting for,” L.A. Phil President and Chief Executive Chad Smith told the Los Angeles Times. “The Bowl is back.”
Three of the first free concerts at the Bowl -- made possible through a partnership with Kaiser Permanente -- will include performances by LA Phil Music and Artistic Director Gustavo Dudamel and the orchestra, May 15 and 22, playing repertoire from Beethoven to Marquez, with artists to be announced for the third event on June 26. The fourth free concert will be with local artists Thundercat and Flying Lotus on June 12, their first performance since winning a Grammy Award for best progressive R&B album earlier this year.
The official 2021 season is set to begin in early July and will offer 14 weeks of concerts, possibly attended by full capacity crowds given the state’s plan to reopen businesses and venues fully by June 15.
“If we meet the state’s criteria for a full reopening, we’re going to be able to give concerts at 100% of our audience capacity, and that’s a game changer for us and other performing arts organizations,” Smith said.
Attendance at the 17,500-seat venue will be limited to 4,000 to ensure six feet of distance between pods of guests.
The L.A. Phil said it is working with partners such as Kaiser Permanente to identify frontline workers throughout the county who will receive an invitation to one of the first four shows.
In Los Angeles County, which recently advanced to the orange tier of the state's Blueprint for a Safer Economy, outdoor venues are restricted to 33% capacity.
Detailed information on programming, dates and ticketing for the Bowl will be announced May 11 and for the nearby Ford amphitheater on May 25. An announcement concerning the reopening of downtown's Walt Disney Concert Hall is expected in June.
City News Service contributed to this story.