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Cue Strings! How to Get Tickets To The LA Philharmonic

Where: 111 South Grand Avenue [map], Los Angeles, CA, United States, 90012
October 6, 2009 at 12:56 PM | by Heidi Atwal | 0 Comments

These days, buses and benches in Los Angeles are emblazoned with one of two images: an ad for Cougar Town, or a photo of an enthusiastic, curly-haired conductor with the text, "¡Vibrante Gustavo!" or "¡Bienvenidos Gustavo!" scrawled across it in bold letters. This animated man is Gustavo Dudamel, the young Venezuelan conductor who has just assumed a lead post at the Los Angeles Philharmonic. Everyone from Vogue to 60 Minutes has been buzzing about his arrival in the City of Angels, and after a free preview at the Hollywood Bowl last weekend, it's official: He's arrived.

It's difficult not to buy into the hyped-up excitement about Dudamel, especially when he's drawing comparisons to Leonard Bernstein and it's said his youthful energy might save the state of classical music in the U.S. Talk about expectation. That said, we're itching to see the man in action just as much as the next classical enthusiast. The question is how, especially when ticket demand for a Dudamel-conducted show is ridiculously high.

Purchasing from the L.A. Philharmonic's website is usually easy enough, but after clicking on descriptions of Dudamel's shows through early November, all that pops up is that pesky "Call for Availability" notification under "Price." In our experience with both the L.A. Phil and Hollywood Bowl, that's code for "Sold Out," unless tickets magically happen to be returned. It's always worth a shot to call-in for those shows, just in case, but we did find dates with open seats starting on November 12 for the Dudamel and Upshaw performance of folk music and Schubert's Symphony No. 8. Granted, available tickets are in higher price tiers—starting at $67, the last we checked—but an evening at Frank Gehry's awesome, acoustically-perfect Walt Disney Concert Hall never disappoints.

There are also plenty of places to eat Downtown before or after your performance, whether you decide to make a stop at Chaya, grab a casual glass of wine at CorkBar, or try Top Chef alumnus Ilan Hall's new restaurant The Gorbals, and for convenience's sake you can also eat at the WDCH itself at the well-respected Patina restaurant or Concert Hall Café. We can already hear the first notes of Beethoven's Symphony No. 5 ringing in anticipation.

Related Stories
· L.A. Philharmonic [Official Site]
· The Hollywood Hills Are Alive With the Sound of Music [Jaunted]

[Photo: MusicalCriticism.com]

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