The Los Angeles Music Center: Dorothy Chandler Pavilion

The Dorothy Chandler Pavilion is referred to my most Angelenos simply as the Music Center.  It’s indeed a part of the Music Center, but it shares that distinction with the Walt Disney Concert Hall, the Mark Taper Forum and the Ahmanson Theatre.

The Dorothy Chandler Pavilion is Pavilion is home of the Los Angeles Opera and Glorya Kaufman Presents Dance at the Music Center.  It’s one of the three largest music centers in the United States. The Pavilion has 3,156 seats spread over four tiers, with chandeliers, wide curving stairways and rich décor.

The Los Angeles Music Center sits on the top of Bunker Hill alongside LA’s tallest skyscrapers and some of our most notable downtown landmarks.  Within easy walking distance you have the dramatic architecture of the Walt Disney Concert Hall, Grand Park with the dancing Arthur J. Will Memorial Fountain, the iconic City Hall building with the sweeping views of LA from the observation deck, the urban oasis at California Plaza and the beloved Angel’s Flight funicular railway.  There is also the Broad Art Museum and the Museum of Modern Art on Bunker Hill.

The Dorothy Chandler Pavilion opened on September 27, 1964. It was named for Dorothy Chandler who spearheaded the effort to build a suitable home for the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra (note that home to the Philharmonic is now the Walt Disney Concert Hall). Her nine-year campaign for the Music Center raised more than $19 million in private donations.

Each year on Christmas Eve the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion puts on the Los Angeles County Holiday Celebration, a free to the public musical performance to provide Angelenos of all ages an opportunity to come together during the holidays to experience and honor the dynamic, rich cultures of the County. Diverse L.A. based artists showcase their talent, artistry and traditions. The show is broadcast live in Southern California on PBS SoCal (KOCE), live streamed on pbssocal.org and presented live at The Music Center.

For the last six years, each year on New Year’s Eve the Music Center organizes the Grand Park + The Music Center’s N.Y.E.L.A. This New Year’s Eve celebration has become recognized alongside the major New Year’s Eve celebrations around the world.  This unique event brings Angelenos  together to celebrate the holiday at L.A.’s biggest dance party with music on two stages. A countdown to the New Year is done on the side of the 22 story City Hall building.

The Dorothy Chandler Pavilion is located at
135 N. Grand Ave.
Los Angeles, CA
For information on shows and tickets visit the Music Center website.

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