The numbers are in and the Hollywood Bowl Hall of Fame concert and gala raised more than a million dollars in one night. The proceeds will go to the Los Angeles Philharmonic’s vital educational and music programs. On a warm summer night, the Bowl introduced its 93rd season with the 15th Annual Hall of Fame blowout. After the national anthem, Principal Conductor Thomas Wilkins and the Bowl Orchestra performed Elmer Bernstein’s “Fanfare for the Hollywood Bowl.” The piece was written ten years ago in honor of the Bowl’s dramatic new shell. A fireworks display and a video montage of the shell’s progress throughout the years accompanied the performance.
Festivities for the evening included a gourmet summer feast prepared by Patina, with a salad of summer melon, heirloom radish and preserved lemon. In keeping with the summer theme, the salad was followed by honey-fried chicken, kale apple slaw and toy box tomatoes. To top it all off, there were two deserts — a strawberry yogurt verrine and a tropical fruit parfait with coconut tapioca. Guests enjoyed their meals in elegantly decked-out boxes, with blue and teal linens dressed up with sleek white vases, filled with white hydrangea, white orchids and blue magic vanda orchids, illuminated by soft blue lights.
As the program kicked off, inductee Pink Martini took the stage and rocked the house. Along with Wilkins, the band performed “Amado Mio,” as well as some of their most popular tunes, including “Sympathique,” “Donde Estas Yolanda,” a duet of “Get Happy” and “Happy Days are Here Again.” In honor of the World Cup, they wrapped up with a rousing performance of “Brazil.” Then the kids got in the act. Award-winning actress Helen Hunt passionately introduced the talented young musicians of Youth Orchestra LA (YOLA). Through YOLA, the LA Phil and its community partners provide students from underserved neighborhoods with free music instruments, music training and academic support.
The YOLA kids got the thrill of a lifetime playing the Bowl stage with Wilkins and the orchestra.
That was just the warm-up for the next two inductees. One was the storied ’80s girl group, The Go-Go’s. It was a blast to the past when they played their greatest hits like “Vacation,” “Our Lips are Sealed” and, of course, “We Got the Beat.”
The evening brought out the legendary Carol Burnett, who introduced “Wicked” star Kristen Chenoweth, who performed Broadway classics, as well as a touching rendition of “I Will Always Love You.”
In keeping with tradition, a fireworks display lit up the night sky. There were a lot of winners on this special evening, especially the kids.
In the words of LA Phil President and CEO Deborah Borda, “We honor the role music plays in our lives and in the life of the community and in doing so, we invest in its future.”