THE FREE ONLINE SERIES OF CONCERTS AND CONVERSATIONS IS CURRENTLY

IN ITS SECOND SEASON

 Friday, June 11, 2021

LA Phil Media is supported by the David C. Bohnett Discovery & Innovation Fund

LOS ANGELES, June 2, 2021 - Los Angeles-based Weezer’s performance with members of the Los Angeles Philharmonic and YOLA (Youth Orchestra Los Angeles), the band’s first time performing with an orchestra, has been added to LA Phil Media’s Sound/Stage series and is set for release on June 11, 2021. Filmed at Walt Disney Concert Hall, the Weezer episode features the band accompanied by members of the LA Phil and YOLA, performing from their OK Human album, which came out earlier this year on Crush Music/Atlantic Records, in addition to other Weezer favorites. Orchestrated and conducted by Rob Mathes, the performance, presented by NoCap, was recorded on April 16.

The Sound/Stage episode also features Weezer frontman Rivers Cuomo in conversation with LA Phil Assistant Concertmaster Akiko Tarumoto, hosted by KCRW’s Novena Carmel. In the talk, Cuomo and Tarumoto, who attended Harvard University together, discuss working together and the crossover between rock and classical music.

Sound/Stage’s second season launched March 5, 2021, continues through June 25, 2021, and has featured performances with Grammy Award-winning gospel duo Mary Mary, opera star Nadine Sierra, and acclaimed pianists Yuja Wang and David Fung, as well as conversations with LA Phil Creative Chair John Adams and renowned chef José Andrés. Each episode includes one or more special segments, ranging from animated shorts to interviews between LA Phil Music & Artistic Director Gustavo Dudamel and his guests. The second season of Sound/Stage and supporting materials, including artist-curated playlists, program notes and insights from Dudamel on how each program came together, is currently available at laphil.com/soundstage.

Remaining Sound/Stage episodes include Oscar- and Grammy Award-winning artist, activist, author and actor Common; and Grammy-Award winner, singer-songwriter and one of the world’s greatest ambassadors for Latin music, Carlos Vives. A remaining bonus chamber performance featuring LA Phil musicians, filmed at The Ford, will be available June 4.

Episode 6 (June 11)

Weezer with the LA Phil and YOLA

Featuring Rivers Cuomo and Akiko Tarumoto in conversation, hosted by Novena Carmel

Los Angeles Philharmonic

YOLA

Rob Mathes, conductor & orchestrator

Weezer

Episode 7 (June 18)

Dudamel and Common

Featuring Dudamel in conversation with Common, hosted by Kimberly Clark

Los Angeles Philharmonic
Gustavo Dudamel, conductor

Common

Episode 8 (June 25)

Dudamel and Carlos Vives

Featuring Dudamel in conversation with Carlos Vives

Los Angeles Philharmonic
Gustavo Dudamel, conductor

Carlos Vives

Carlos Vives performs a special acoustic set with the LA Phil and joins Gustavo Dudamel in conversation

CHAMBER MUSIC PERFORMANCE AT THE FORD

Chamber Music: Márquez (June 4)

Filmed at The Ford

Arturo MÁRQUEZ  Homenaje a Gismonti

Bing Wang, violin

Sydney Adedamola, violin

Dana Lawson, viola

Jason Lippmann, cello

About LA Phil Media

Created at the outset of the COVID-19 crisis, LA Phil Media encompasses the organization’s media projects, including audio recordings, radio and television broadcasts, online streaming series, digital festivals and podcasts.

About the LA Phil

Under the leadership of Music & Artistic Director Gustavo Dudamel, the LA Phil offers live performances, media initiatives and learning programs that inspire and strengthen communities in Los Angeles and beyond. The Los Angeles Philharmonic orchestra is the foundation of the LA Phil’s offerings, which also include a multi-genre, multidisciplinary presenting program and such youth development programs as YOLA (Youth Orchestra Los Angeles). Performances are offered on three historic stages—Walt Disney Concert Hall, the Hollywood Bowl, and The Ford—as well as through a variety of media platforms. In all its endeavors, the LA Phil seeks to enrich the lives of individuals and communities through musical, artistic and learning experiences that resonate in our world today.

About YOLA (Youth Orchestra Los Angeles)

Through Gustavo Dudamel’s YOLA (Youth Orchestra Los Angeles) program—inspired by Venezuela’s revolutionary El Sistema—the LA Phil and its community partners provide free instruments, intensive music training and academic support to over 1350 students from vulnerable communities, empowering them to become vital citizens, leaders and agents of change. YOLA provides students, from 6 to 18, with a strong musical and social foundation through participation in 12–15 hours of programming each week.

On August 15, 2018, the Los Angeles Philharmonic unveiled the architectural design by Gehry Partners, LLC, for its new Judith and Thomas L. Beckmen YOLA Center at Inglewood, the first permanent, purpose-built facility for YOLA, scheduled for completion in 2021. For more information, please visit laphil.com/yola.

About Weezer

Weezer is an American rock band formed in Los Angeles, CA, in 1992, currently consisting of Rivers Cuomo (lead vocals, lead guitar), Patrick Wilson (drums), Brian Bell (rhythm guitar, backing vocals, keyboards), and Scott Shriner (bass, backing vocals). Weezer has sold 10 million albums in the U.S. and over 35 million records worldwide. Their catalogue has included such megahits as “Buddy Holly,” “Undone (The Sweater Song),” “Say It Ain’t So,” “El Scorcho,” “Hash Pipe,” “Island In The Sun,” “Beverly Hills,” “Pork and Beans,” and more. Weezer has won Grammys, MTV Video Music Awards and more throughout their career. Following massively acclaimed album releases in 2016 and 2017 (Weezer [The White Album] and Pacific Daydream, respectively) and two sold-out amphitheater tours with Panic! At the Disco (in 2016) and Pixies (in 2018), Weezer released a fan-inspired cover of Toto’s “Africa.” The cover propelled the band back onto the charts across the board, giving Weezer their FIFTH #1, TENTH Top 5, and SIXTEENTH Top 10 at Alternative Radio, in addition to landing Top 5 on the Hot AC chart. It has since gone platinum. They then surprise-dropped a covers album at the start of 2019—Weezer (The Teal Album)—which has been streamed over a hundred million times since its release. In 2021, Weezer has released two very different but equally Weezer albums—OK Human, an orchestral pop album meditating on technology and disconnectedness, and Van Weezer, an homage to the band’s shared metal roots growing up. They will also celebrate the 20^th anniversary of Weezer (The Green Album) and the 25th anniversary of Pinkerton.