NIGHT OF CELEBRATION FEATURED JACKMAN, THOMAS WILKINS AND THE HOLLYWOOD BOWL ORCHESTRA AND MUSICIANS OF YOLA

  OPENING NIGHT RAISES MORE THAN $2.6 MILLION FOR THE LA PHIL’S LEARNING AND COMMUNITY PROGRAMS

LOS ANGELES, CA (June 7, 2025) — The LA Phil opened its 2025 Hollywood Bowl season on June 7, 2025, with “An Evening with Hugh Jackman.” The Broadway and Hollywood star sang favorites from The Greatest Showman, The Boy from Oz, The Music Man and more alongside Thomas Wilkins, the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra and musicians of YOLA (Youth Orchestra of Los Angeles). 

Other noted guests included Third District Supervisor Lindsey P. Horvath, Fourth District Supervisor Janice Hahn and Fifth District Supervisor Kathryn Barger; Los Angeles County CEO Fesia Davenport, LA City Councilmember (Fourth District) Nithya V. Raman, Director of LA County Parks Norma Garcia and former Speaker of the California State Assembly Anthony Rendon; co-chairs Lisa Field, Robyn Field & Anthony O’Carroll, Monique & Jonathan Kagan, and Barbara & Jay Rasulo; Hollywood Bowl Opening Night Co-chair and Kaiser Permanente CEO Gregory A. Adams and Kaiser Permanente Regional President (Southern California) Michelle Gaskill-Hames. Kaiser Permanente is the official partner in health and harmony of the LA Phil. With more than 10,000 guests in attendance, Opening Night at the Hollywood Bowl raised more than $2.6 million to support the LA Phil and its Learning and community programs.

Wilkins and the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra opened the celebratory evening with a rendition of “The Star Spangled Banner” and Prokofiev’s March in B-flat before transitioning into a suite from Meredith Willson’s The Music Man. After a short video about the YOLA program, musicians from the youth orchestra joined the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra to perform LA Phil Composer Fellowship Program alum Ethan Chaparro’s A Troupe’s Cadence, after which the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra and Wilkins closed the first half with a suite of music from X2: X-Men United. 

After intermission, Jackman joined Wilkins and the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra for an evening of hits from his most memorable roles, interspersed with covers of classics by Neil Diamond, John Denver, Peter Allen and Frank Sinatra. Eighteen YOLA musicians joined in for “A Million Dreams” from The Greatest Showman.

The Hollywood Bowl 2025 season runs through Sunday, September 28, 2025 and tickets are on sale now. For more information on the 2025 Hollywood Bowl season, visit https://www.hollywoodbowl.com/. 

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ABOUT THE HOLLYWOOD BOWL 

One of the largest natural amphitheaters in the world, with a seating capacity of nearly 18,000, the Hollywood Bowl has been the summer home of the Los Angeles Philharmonic since its official opening in 1922 and plays host to the finest artists from all genres of music. For over a century, the Bowl has been a Los Angeles County public park, operated in partnership with the LA Phil to welcome visitors from all over the world. It remains one of the best deals anywhere in Los Angeles; to this day, $1 buys a seat at the top of the Bowl for many classical and jazz performances. In February 2025, the Hollywood Bowl was awarded the Outdoor Concert Venue of the Year award at the 36th Annual Pollstar Awards, an honor bestowed 17 previous times. For millions of music lovers across Southern California, the Hollywood Bowl is synonymous with summer. hollywoodbowl.com

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.