General Information
NFT Map: 9
Address: 135 N Grand Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90012
Phone: 213-972-7211
Website: www.musiccenter.org
Overview
The Music Center brings world-renowned actors, dancers, and classical musicians to its four main venues in downtown LA. Whether it’s a classic production of La Bohème or a new composition by John Adams, the Music Center’s resident companies add much-appreciated artistic gravitas to the city.
Walt Disney Concert Hall
The curving stainless-steel exterior of Frank Gehry’s Walt Disney Concert Hall, erected October 2003, is now an iconic Southland image. The Los Angeles Philharmonic, infused with new energy by its young music director Gustavo Dudamel, routinely sells out the house. Catching a concert in the state-of-the-art auditorium is something everyone in LA should experience at least once. Steep tickets prices are a paltry excuse: $17 can buy you a seat in the choral bench section, where you can look over the musicians’ shoulders and follow along with their scores. These cheap seats are available by phone or at the Grand Avenue box office starting at noon on the Tuesday two weeks before the week of the concert. They sell out within 30 minutes and are not available for all performances. For more information on the Los Angeles Philharmonic and Walt Disney Concert Hall, including schedules and tickets, visit www.laphil.com, or call 323-850-2000.
Under the baton of musical director Grant Gershon, the Grammy-nominated Los Angeles Master Chorale sings everything from avant-garde opera such as 2007’s wildly popular, multimedia “Tristan Project,” to Handel’s Messiah (yes, you can sing along) in a hall that gives new meaning to “surround sound.” $10 Student Rush seats (obstructed view) are available to students with valid ID at the box office two hours before every performance on a cash-only, one-ticket-per-person basis. For Master Chorale schedules and tickets, visit www.lamc.org, or call 213-972-7282.
REDCAT
Short for the Roy and Edna Disney/CalArts Theater & Gallery, REDCAT is a slick black-box theater and art gallery operated by the California Institute of the Arts. REDCAT boasts an impressively diverse season of live performances and films highlighting innovative up-and-comers and cutting-edge performance artists from around the world. $10 Student Rush tickets are available at the box office 30 minutes before most performances on a cash-only, one-per-person (with ID) basis. The lobby houses a nice café/bookstore as well as an open gallery space that shows a range of innovative installations. For REDCAT schedules and tickets, visit www.redcat.org, or call 213-237-2800.
Dorothy Chandler Pavilion
The 3,197-seat Chandler, located on the southern end of the Music Center plaza, is home to the Los Angeles Opera and Music Center Dance programs. LA Opera, led by Plácido Domingo and music director James Conlon, presents greatest hits, new works, and intimate vocal recitals with stars like Renée Fleming. $25 Student and half-price Senior Rush Tickets go on sale from 10–Noon for matinees and 4-6 pm for evening performances on a cash-only, one-per-person basis (with valid ID only). Visit www.laopera.com, or call 213-972-8001 for LA Opera tickets and schedules. The company drew international attention in 2010 when it mounted an innovative production of Wagner’s Ring cycle.
Dance at the Music Center is the organization responsible for bringing famed troupes such as the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and the American Ballet Theatre to the Chandler’s stage. Student and Senior Rush Tickets priced $10–$15 are available at the Chandler box office two hours prior to curtain on a cash-only, one-per-person basis (with valid ID only). For more information, visit www.musiccenter.org, or call 213-972-0711.
Mark Taper Forum & Ahmanson Theatre
Center Theatre Group produces high-profile musicals, dramas, and comedies on the stages of the Mark Taper Forum and Ahmanson Theatre, most of which are on their way to or from Broadway. Purchase tickets for either venue at the Ahmanson’s box office, located on the north end of the Music Center plaza, or buy online. $12 rush tickets (balcony level) are available two hours before most performances on a cash-only, two-per-person basis. The Hot Tix! discount offers a certain percentage of tickets to each show for only $20. For more information on Center Theatre Group, including schedules and tickets, visit www.centertheatregroup.org or call 213-628-2772. Non-affiliated, half-priced ticket consolidators abound, too. Check out Plays411.com or LAStageTix.com for discounts.
Where to Eat/Shop
The Patina Group operates all Music Center restaurants and concessions. Kendall’s Brasserie & Bar, located on N Grand Avenue under the Chandler, has an impressive selection of imported beers and tasty French fare. Both the casual grab-and-go Spotlight Café and the sit-down burger spot Pinot Grill are centrally located between the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion and the Mark Taper Forum. Across First Street, the Walt Disney Concert Hall has a ho-hum sandwich shop in the lobby, so instead we recommend visitors try the wonderfully inventive and delicious meals prepared by super chef Joachim Splichal’s fine-dining flagship, Patina. For more information on Patina’s restaurants, visit www.patinagroup.com. REDCAT’s minimal-yet-cozy Lounge is independently operated and serves snacks, coffee drinks, and cocktails.
The LA Phil Store is located in the Walt Disney Concert Hall lobby and sells gifts for music aficionados and architecture buffs, including T-shirts, jewelry, music recordings, and books. REDCAT, too, has a tiny giftshop specializing in art theory and biographies.
How To Get There—Driving
The Music Center is located in downtown Los Angeles near the intersection of the 110 and the 101 freeways.
Chandler/Ahmanson/Taper (135 N Grand Ave)
110 N and 110 S: Exit Temple, turn left on Temple, right on Grand, then turn right into the Music Center garage.
101 N: Exit at Grand, turn right on Grand, and turn right into the Music Center garage.
101 S: Exit on Temple, turn left on Temple, right on Grand, and turn right into the Music Center garage.
Walt Disney Concert Hall (111 S Grand Ave)
From 110 N: Exit on Fourth, continue straight, turn left on lower Grand, pass Kosciuszko, and turn left into the WDCH parking garage.
From 110 S: Exit at Hill, continue past Temple, turn right on First, left on Olive, right on Kosciuszko, right on lower Grand, and left into the WDCH parking garage.
From 101 N: Exit on Grand before the 110 interchange, turn right on Grand, right on Second, and right into the WDCH parking garage.
From 101 S: Exit at Temple, go straight onto Hope, turn left at Second Place, merge onto Kosciuszko from the middle lane, turn left on lower Grand, and turn left into the WDCH parking garage.
Parking
For self-parking at the Chandler, Ahmanson, or Taper, use the Music Center garage located on Grand Avenue between Temple and 1st Streets. Daytime parking costs $3.50 for every 15 minutes with a $20 maximum, while the evening/event rate (after 4:30 pm for evening performances, two hours prior to matinee performances, and weekends all day) costs $9. Valet parking is available on Hope Street for $23.
The parking area located directly beneath WDCH has two entrances; one on 2nd Street and one on lower Grand Avenue. Valet parking is available on Hope Street for $23.
If you’re buying or picking up tickets for any venue, the box office will validate for 30 minutes of free parking.
Additional parking options are within walking distance. County Lot 17 on Olive Street has parking for $8, DWP charges $5 (enter on Hope Street or 1st Street), or cruise through County Mall Parking VIP-style, with their underground tunnel to the Music Center Garage (enter on Grand Avenue) for $8.
How To Get There—Mass Transit
The Metro Red Line stops at the Civic Center/Tom Bradley Station at First & Hill Streets, two blocks east of the Music Center. Metro Blue, Green, and Gold Lines connect with the Red Line.
Many bus lines stop near the center—consult the service providers listed below for routes and schedules.
MTA: 800-266-6883, www.metro.net
Foothill Transit: 800-743-3463, www.foothilltransit.org
Metrolink: 800-371-5465, www.metrolinktrains.com
Big Blue Bus: 310-451-5444, www.bigbluebus.com