Malibu music lovers, including Ginny Mancini, will be breaking out their plastic champagne flutes, a bit of bubbly and the summer blankets for a grand season at the Hollywood Bowl.
The schedule sounds spectacular with something for every music lover’s ears.
After the Playboy Jazz Festival wraps up on June 12, the Los Angeles Philharmonic Association and the Hollywood Bowl will officially kick off with the opening night fireworks ceremony. This year’s featured act consists of Donald Fagen and Walter Becker of 1970s mega-group Steely Dan. “Peg” or “Any Major Dude Will Tell You” that this legendary duo will deliver a memorable performance. Back in the day, Don and Walter ruled the airwaves with songs like “Rikki Don’t Lose that Number,” “Pretzel Logic” and “My Old School.” They’ll appear with the popular Hollywood Bowl Orchestra.
The Grammy Award-winning Hall of Fame headliners should “wow” the crowds with their special jazz-rock blend, blazing solos and infectious tunes. After “Reelin’ in the Years,” audiences are sure to implore them to go back, Jack, and “Do it Again.”
The Bowl bash also plays another important role: proceeds from the evening benefit the Los Angeles Philharmonic’s music education programs.
But opening night is just the beginning of one sizzling summer for the bowl. For family fare, there’s the return of the “Sound of Music” Sing-A-Long. When enthusiasts dress in full cinematic costume and sing their hearts out to “Maria” and “These Are a Few of my Favorite Things,” the hills will be alive with “The Sound of Music.”
Every day will feel like “The Fourth of July” when 1970s hipsters Chicago take the stage on July 2, 3 and Independence Day, complete with a pyrotechnics display, of course.
Beach Boys co-founder Brian Wilson will stop by with his signature “Pet Sounds” and wouldn’t that be nice? The season features everyone from diva Diana Ross to whacky Weird Al Yankovic, the man who took us through 30 years of pop culture parodies. The Los Angeles Philharmonic will present “Tosca” with Gustavo Dudamel at the podium. “The Dude” teams up with soloists Julianna Di Giacomo, Fabio Satori and Falk Strukman, as well as the Los Angeles Master Chorale.
The Phil returns at the end of July for an evening of Beethoven and Ravel. The program features Beethoven’s “Lenore Overture No. 3” and “Choral Fantasy.” Selections from “Ravel” include the “Mother Goose Suite,” “Daphnis” and “Chloe Suite No. 2.” The month wraps up with a three-night production of the long-running Broadway smash “A Chorus Line.”
So, whether it’s Beethoven or the best of Broadway, you can expect a night at the Bowl to be one singular sensation.