The Music Center's Walt Disney Concert Hall

The Music Center's Walt Disney Concert Hall

Designed by architect Frank Gehry, The Music Center’s Walt Disney Concert Hall (Concert Hall) opened in 2003 as the newest of The Music Center’s four venues. The Concert Hall was conceived when Lillian B. Disney made an initial gift of $50 million to build an additional performance space on Los Angeles County land in honor of her late husband Walt Disney and his dedication to the arts. Home to LA Phil and the Los Angeles Master Chorale, Walt Disney Concert Hall is one of the most acoustically sophisticated concert halls in the world and provides both visual and aural intimacy through its exterior and interior design.   

More than 6,000 panels create the curving stainless steel skin of the Concert Hall’s exterior. Resembling silver sails, the Concert Hall’s design plays off the bowed cornice of The Music Center’s Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, forging a link between the old and the new. 

The use of natural materials and skylights creates a bright and airy interior in the Concert Hall. Gehry’s team visualized the lobby as a transparent and light-filled “living room for the city.” Massive columns within the lobby structure evoke an image of tree trunks. They are clad in vertical grain Douglas fir and serve the functional purpose of housing the lighting, heating and air conditioning systems.  

The 2,265-seat auditorium is a concrete box that is structurally independent of the rest of the building. Gehry collaborated with renowned acoustician Dr. Yasuhisa Toyota to design the acoustics. The walls of the auditorium are vertical grain Douglas fir and the floor is red oak. The stage is Alaskan yellow cedar, the same wood often used on the backs of cellos and violas and can be configured to hold larger performing organizations by removing the first rows in Orchestra View. Natural light enhances daytime concerts with a large 36-foot-high rear window and skylights. 

The terraced vineyard style seating is designed to bring the audience close to the orchestra and provide an intimate view of the musicians and conductor from any seat. A focal point for the auditorium is the 50-foot organ that houses 6,134 pipes ranging in size from a pencil to a telephone pole. Only two percent of the pipes are visible. The organ weighs more than 40 metric tons and was designed by Los Angeles organ designer Manuel Rosales along with Frank Gehry.   

Gehry’s design includes details as specific as the carpet pattern used in the auditorium. Named “Lillian” in Mrs. Disney’s honor, the pattern was designed to bring Mrs. Disney’s garden into the Concert Hall and is featured in the seating upholstery as well. Foam padding, the material and the hollow underside of the seats mimic the human body in reflecting sound; in fact, the sound is the same no matter how full or how empty the auditorium. The only piece of art in the Concert Hall, “Blue”, was created by Los Angeles artist Peter Alexander. It is located above the Grand Avenue staircase between the Garden and Terrace levels. 

The Concert Hall includes BP Hall, which is an additional space for performances and can accommodate up to 350 people. Clad in vertical grain Douglas fir as well, the curved room posed an acoustical challenge. To avoid focusing sound in one area of the space, perforations were added to the wood paneling with special material placed behind the panels to give the room proper acoustics. 

Located on the second floor of the Concert Hall is the Library of Congress/Ira Gershwin Gallery. Designed by Hodgetts + Fung Design Associates, the gallery was made possible by a gift from the Ira and Leonore Gershwin Trust for the Benefit of the Library of Congress and rotates its collection bi-annually.   

The Roy and Edna Disney/CalArts Theater (REDCAT), named in honor of Walt Disney’s brother and partner Roy and Roy’s wife, Edna, is also housed within the Concert Hall. An interdisciplinary contemporary arts center, the theatre is programmed by CalArts, based in Valencia, California. REDCAT features a flexible 200-  to 270-seat multi-use theatre and a 3,000 square-foot exhibition space. Its entrance includes a marquee of curvilinear stainless steel and leads directly into an expansive multi-use space that includes a lobby and lounge for meetings, receptions and post-performance events. The REDCAT stage can be transformed into several configurations, from thrust and end stage to completely in the round. The performance space is lined with hinged panels, each with finished wood on one side and sound-absorbent material on the other. To quiet outside noise and prevent transmission of vibrations from the Concert Hall, REDCAT is built as a steel box-within-a box, with the interior box floating on 72 special rubber pads. 

 

Featured at Walt Disney Concert Hall

  • Wed Dec 18 8:00 PM

    LA Phil Jennifer Hudson: The Gift of Love

    Walt Disney Concert Hall

    The holidays are here! The youngest female EGOT winner in history comes to Walt Disney Concert Hall to perform selections off her new album, The Gift of Love.

    The holidays are here! The youngest female EGOT winner in history comes to Walt Disney Concert Hall to perform selections off her new album, The Gift of Love.

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  • Sat Dec 21 2:00 PM

    Sun Dec 22 8:00 PM

    LA Phil Home Alone in Concert

    Walt Disney Concert Hall

    A true holiday favorite, this beloved comedy classic features renowned composer John Williams' charming and delightful score performed live to picture, conducted by David Newman. Macaulay Culkin stars as Kevin McCallister, an 8-year-old boy who's ...Show More

    A true holiday favorite, this beloved comedy classic features renowned composer John Williams' charming and delightful score performed live to picture, conducted by David Newman. Macaulay Culkin stars as Kevin McCallister, an 8-year-old boy who's accidentally left behind when his family leaves for Christmas vacation, and who must defend his home against two bungling thieves. Hilarious and heart-warming, Home Alone is holiday fun for the entire family!

    Please note: Children ages 2 and up are permitted.

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  • Mon Dec 23 8:00 PM

    LA Phil Arturo Sandoval Swinging Holiday

    Walt Disney Concert Hall

    Jazz up your holidays! The multiple-Grammy-winning Arturo Sandoval makes it a jumping, jiving, jingling night at Walt Disney Concert Hall, performing a program of holiday favorites.

    Jazz up your holidays! The multiple-Grammy-winning Arturo Sandoval makes it a jumping, jiving, jingling night at Walt Disney Concert Hall, performing a program of holiday favorites.

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  • Tue Dec 31 7:00 PM

    LA Phil New Year’s Eve with D-Nice & Friends

    Walt Disney Concert Hall

    Legendary artist and DJ D-Nice ushers in 2025! His spirit of uplift and positivity brought millions together for Club Quarantine, both online and in one of the highlights of the 2021 Bowl season. Following appearances at the 94th Academy Awards an...Show More

    Legendary artist and DJ D-Nice ushers in 2025! His spirit of uplift and positivity brought millions together for Club Quarantine, both online and in one of the highlights of the 2021 Bowl season. Following appearances at the 94th Academy Awards and New Year’s Rockin’ Eve, as well as concerts at Carnegie Hall and the Apollo Theater, he sets it off for a party worthy of the biggest night of the year.

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  • Fri Jan 03 8:00 PM

    Sun Jan 05 2:00 PM

    LA Phil Batiashvili Plays Beethoven

    Walt Disney Concert Hall

    Sixteen years ago, Lisa Batiashvili recorded an outstanding rendition of Beethoven’s sole Violin Concerto. Critic James Leonard praised her performance: “Her tone is pure but touched with sweetness, her intonation precise but not at all pedantic, ...Show More

    Sixteen years ago, Lisa Batiashvili recorded an outstanding rendition of Beethoven’s sole Violin Concerto. Critic James Leonard praised her performance: “Her tone is pure but touched with sweetness, her intonation precise but not at all pedantic, her phrasing lyrical but not the least sappy, and her feeling for rhythm irresistible.” Batiashvili revisits the concerto under the baton of London-born conductor Robin Ticciati, leading the LA Phil in Dvořák’s own folk-inspired lyricism including his Prague Waltzes and the strikingly colorful “mood picture” that is his Eighth Symphony.

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  • Sun Jan 05 7:30 PM

    LA Phil Paul Jacobs

    Walt Disney Concert Hall

    “If anyone deserves to be called the greatest showman, it’s organ virtuoso Paul Jacobs” (Broad Street Review). Jacobs returns for a program that highlights the technical intricacies of Bach and the Romantic charisma of Liszt.

    “If anyone deserves to be called the greatest showman, it’s organ virtuoso Paul Jacobs” (Broad Street Review). Jacobs returns for a program that highlights the technical intricacies of Bach and the Romantic charisma of Liszt.

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  • Tue Jan 07 8:00 PM

    LA Phil Brahms, Beach, and the Piano

    Walt Disney Concert Hall

    Experience big performances on a more intimate scale when musicians from the LA Phil perform chamber music in small ensembles. Come early and enjoy a complimentary glass of wine before the performance, starting at 6:30pm.

    Experience big performances on a more intimate scale when musicians from the LA Phil perform chamber music in small ensembles. Come early and enjoy a complimentary glass of wine before the performance, starting at 6:30pm.

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