With concerts at the Hollywood Bowl underway, the Los Angeles Philharmonic is lining up a season at its other outdoor venue. The Ford, in its first year of live performances under the orchestra’s management, reopens at the end of July.
Two weeks of free programs, July 30 – Aug. 8, will welcome audiences back to the storied amphitheater. It’s all L.A. performers for these initial concerts, from the drummers of TAIKOPROJECT (Aug. 1) to LA Phil musicians in a chamber program of Arvo Pärt and Julius Eastman (Aug. 3).
The LA Phil makes another appearance later in the season, with two performances accompanying singer-songwriter Father John Misty (Sept. 22–23). Serious star musicians from every genre are gracing The Ford lineup: Patti Smith on Sept. 3, jazz vocalist Cécile McLorin-Salvant on Sept. 24, and many more.
Two L.A.-area opera companies are staging summer productions at the venue. Long Beach Opera presents its double bill of Pierrot Lunaire and Kate Soper’s Voices From the Killing Jar, Aug. 14–15, and Pacific Opera Project returns with Rossini’s La Cenerentola (Cinderella), Aug. 27.
A handful of favorite events are back on The Ford calendar too, from an evening of spoken-word poetry (Sept. 4) to a night of Bolero music (Boleros De Noche, Aug. 21) to a performance by hip-hop troupe Versa-Style Dance Company (Oct. 1). “We wanted this season to be a celebration bringing together the communities that make Los Angeles unlike any other city,” said The Ford’s director, Cynthia Fuentes.
Tickets for The Ford’s 2021 season go on sale June 15. Find the complete season schedule, running through Oct. 30, plus updates on the venue’s Covid safety protocols, on The Ford’s website.
