The Hollywood Bowl is the world’s largest natural amphitheater. No other music venue in the world attracts as many people to its concerts as the Hollywood Bowl. Most first-time visitors are amazed by how this wooded setting in prime chock-a-block urbana territory has managed to escape bulldozers and the greedy hands of developers. Years of conscious effort has allowed the Bowl to remain preserved in its natural setting in the middle of the Santa Monica Mountains.[1]
The concert venue was opened to the public in 1922 and has served as the home of the Los Angeles Philharmonic during the summer months ever since. The Bowl has hosted many concerts, from performances churning operatic arias of Lily Pons, to pop, alternative, and other mainstream music from bands such as the Beatles. For more than seven decades, the concert has welcomed crowds of up to 20,000 for performances conducted by the likes of Leopold Stokowski, Igor Stravinsky, and Sir Thomas Beecham.
In 1926, permanent seating and a concrete stage were added. Before that, the Bowl was just a platform that had a canvas backdrop. Famous architect, Lloyd Wright, commissioned the construction of a shell to improve the natural acoustics. The shell was completed in 1929. Several generations of Los Angeles families have enjoyed a picnic or a warm summer night of supper and entertainment at the Bowl and its star-canopied theater. The venue has certainly fulfilled its original purpose of being a place where the public could cross economic and cultural barriers to enjoy an undiluted artistic experience. Back in the day, it cost only 40 cents to attend an event. The Bowl eventuall went bankrupt in 1951 and closed briefly. But local philanthropist Dorothy Chandler organized a series of performances from well-known artists who donated their services. Within two weeks, the Bowl raised enough money to revive itself and its 17,000-plus seats.[2]
The highlight of every year is the Bowl’s Fourth of July presentation of the 1812 Overture. The event features a dazzling display of fireworks. Picnics at the Bowl are popular from July to September and are an integral part of the experience, as are concerts under the stars. The Bowl’s parking lots and picnic areas in the grassy plots are available for use on a first-come basis. Concert-goers can choose to eat at their seats or they can opt to book box seats near the stage where temporary tables are available. It’s not unusual to see picnickers pull out the elegant china, silver, linen, and crystal from picnic baskets to go with fine wine and champagne as part of an elaborate, alfresco feast. You can also order meals from caterers on the grounds or from the restaurants in the area that specialize in filling the baskets with picnic delicacies.[3]
Hollywood Bowl Museum
The Hollywood Bowl Museum is right next to the Hollywood Bowl and has a collection of memorabilia that trace the Bowl’s history in a chronological fashion. There are archived tapes of performances by the Los Angeles Philharmonic in the listening rooms.[4]
References:
Baker, Christopher, Judy Wade, and Morten Strange. California. New York: Macmillan General Reference, 1994. ISBN: 0671879065.
[1] Baker, 151
[2] Id.
[3] Id.
[4] Id.
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