You still pondering who could be the next Music Director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic? Paavo Järvi has entered the chat. Continue reading
Author Archives: CK Dexter Haven
Comings and going at the LA Phil and beyond (March 2026 edition, pt. 2): the latest guest concertmasters, thoughts on oboist Ryan Roberts, and more
Yesterday, we talked about the Pacific Symphony and Los Angeles Philharmonic picking the same clarinetist to fill open titled chairs, as well as the results of the LA Phil’s Principal Viola auditions. Today we’ll cover: Continue reading
Appointments / Auditions & Appointments / Los Angeles Philharmonic / Music News & Info: Classical / Pacific Symphony
Comings and going at the LA Phil and beyond (March 2026 edition, pt. 1): a clarinet tug-of-war and a viola shuffle
The Los Angeles Philharmonic released details of their 2026-27 Walt Disney Concert Hall season yesterday, the first without Gustavo Dudamel as Music & Artistic Director and with Esa-Pekka Salonen in his new job as Creative Director (on top of his extant Conductor Laureate title). The press release is HERE. A full chronological schedule is HERE. … Continue reading
REVIEW: Shelley, Pacific Symphony decide Stravinsky’s complete”Firebird” score needs visual help
The Pacific Symphony’s choice of Alexander Shelley as its next Music Director has been a solid so far. He has crafted compelling programs. He’s made concise yet informative pre-performance comments from the podium. And it doesn’t hurt that he’s young, dashing, personable, and therefore a marketing department’s dream. Most importantly, he’s shown the capacity for … Continue reading
REVIEW: Dudamel’s latest take on Stravinsky and Adams with LA Phil is a winner
Last Thursday, the Los Angeles Philharmonic and Gustavo Dudamel trotted out the first of two programs they’ll be taking on their upcoming tour of Asia. On the bill: ballet music by Igor Stravinsky — The Firebird Suite (1919 version) and The Rite of Spring — along with the U.S. premiere of Frenzy: a short symphony … Continue reading
Comings and goings at the LA Phil (Fall 2025 edition, pt. 3): another new percussionist confirmed
Earlier this year, when the Los Angeles Philharmonic announced auditions for Assistant Principal and Section Percussion, I thought two things were possible: The auditions were for a single open position to replace Perry Dreiman, section percussionist who retired last year and who often played as acting principal. The auditions were for two separate positions, meaning … Continue reading
All Reviews / Los Angeles Master Chorale / Los Angeles Philharmonic / Music News & Info: Classical / Reviews 2025/2026
REVIEW: Dudamel, LA Phil open final season together in peak form with Reid world premiere and Strauss warhorse
This past weekend marked the beginning of the end of the Gustavo Dudamel era at the Los Angeles Philharmonic. The orchestra’s outgoing Music & Artistic Director kicked off his final season at Walt Disney Concert Hall with a banger of a pairing: An Alpine Symphony by Richard Strauss and world premiere performances of Earth Between … Continue reading
Comings and goings at the LA Phil (Fall 2025 edition, pt. 2): a familiar face gets newly created percussion job, plus woodwind news
Yesterday, in Part 1 of the latest edition of this ongoing series, I discussed efforts to fill double-digit openings in the strings sections of the Los Angeles Philharmonic. While the sheer number of strings vacancies is more than double those in the rest of the orchestra, the absence of single woodwind, brass, or percussion players … Continue reading
Comings and goings at the LA Phil (Fall 2025 edition, pt. 1): a potential new Concertmaster given a trial, plus other news with the strings
The Los Angeles Philharmonic’s 2025/26 indoor season kicks off tonight at Walt Disney Concert Hall, the final one of Gustavo Dudamel’s tenure before he decamps for New York. The program includes the world premiere of Ellen Reid’s Earth Between Oceans and Strauss’s An Alpine Symphony (which of course is actually a tone poem, not a … Continue reading
EXCLUSIVE: Comparing new SFS and LA Phil contract numbers (and current contracts of other orchestras)
Last Friday, the San Francisco Symphony announced a new 3-year contract with their musicians, featuring a retroactive start date of November 24, 2024. In doing so, they averted a potential strike and gave all of their stakeholders some much needed good news mere hours before their season-opening gala was to begin. The full SFS press … Continue reading
BREAKING: LA Phil musicians ratify new 4-year contract featuring significant pay raises and more
There has not been an official announcement (yet), but multiple reliable sources have confirmed with All is Yar that Los Angeles Philharmonic musicians have ratified a new 4-year contract. Words like “excellent” and “amazing” among other compliments were used to describe it. Just some of the noteworthy details: Continue reading
I was (mostly) right: LA Phil gives Salonen new title, answers some follow-up questions
Last year, when I wrote this piece about the Los Angeles Philharmonic’s search for a new Music Director once Gustavo Dudamel’s tenure ends in 2026, I said, “If I ruled the world, I’d put Esa-Pekka Salonen mostly in charge while I took my time to find the right permanent replacement.” Turns out, I’m not the … Continue reading
A chat with Matt Howard (part 2 of 2): more on the world premiere of Pereira’s percussion concerto “Naru”, Gustavo Dudamel’s upcoming final season, and more
This is part 2 of my conversation from Tuesday, May 28, with Matthew Howard, the Los Angeles Philharmonic’s Principal Percussion (part 1 is HERE). We continue our discussion about Naru, the percussion concerto Joseph Pereira wrote for him and the LA Phil receiving it’s premiere this week (Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday in Walt Disney Concert … Continue reading
Interviews / Los Angeles Philharmonic / Music News & Info: Classical / Philharmonic Society of Orange County
A chat with Matt Howard (part 1 of 2): LA Phil Principal Percussion talks about how he got started in music, his awesome job, and starts to talk about the origin of “Naru”
Almost all classical musicians start playing their instrument in their youth, usually when their age is still in single digits — some as young as 2-years old are bowing cardboard violins. They spend two decades refining their craft to take multiple auditions, hoping to get paid to play music. Most of them play in a … Continue reading
REVIEW: Dudamel, LA Phil thrill with Gustav Mahler’s 5th Symphony; Sasha Cooke joins for Alma Mahler’s Five Songs
Last Sunday, Gustavo Dudamel and the Los Angeles Philharmonic closed their curiously-named “Mahler Grooves Festival” with a fourth and final performance of a his-and-hers program: Gustav’s Symphony No. 5 and Alma’s Five Songs. The concert proved to be a thrilling way to cap Mr. Dudamel’s latest exploration of the Mahler oeuvre. The Venezuelan conductor has … Continue reading
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