Los Angeles - Music Center

The Music Center, situated on the summit of Bunker Hill, was built from sandstone in the years 1964-67, and is similar in many ways to the Lincoln Center in New York, dating from about the same period. At the time, the total cost of the three buildings amounted to 34 million dollars, half of which came from public collections made by Mrs Dorothy Chandler, the mother of the publisher of the "Los Angeles Times". A plaza links the three buildings which, were it not for the giant sculpture by Jacques Lipchitz, would have a somewhat desolate appearance.

The Music Center, Performing Arts Center in Los Angeles is a huge arts center and one of the largest in the United States. There are four venues here; the Walt Disney Concert Hall, the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, the Ahmanson Theatre, and the Mark Taper Forum.

The Ahmanson Theatre is home to the Center Theater Group and hosts a variety of plays throughout the year. Its unique design makes it a good venue for both large and small productions. The recently renovated, state of the art Mark Taper Forum also hosts the Center Theater Group. The Dorothy Chandler Pavilion is where you will find performances by the Los Angeles Opera.

At the south end of the Music Center is the buildings most recent addition, the spectacular Walt Disney Concert Hall. The main auditorium is designed to resemble a ship's hull and offers incredible acoustics, with seating for over 2,200 people. There are also two outdoor amphitheatres. The concert hall is hard to miss with its unique exterior of stainless steel sails.