In 1919, a collective of influential figures from Los Angeles’ cultural and civic life united to create the nation’s first urban open-air performing arts venue. Explore six key founders who helped build the Hollywood Bowl.

This exhibition documented the LA Phil in performance at our iconic summer venue during the mid-to-late 1950s, through the innovative stereo recordings of pioneering acrylics manufacturer, music lover, and audio enthusiast David Swedlow. Visitors experienced the excitement of this golden era of sound with access to our collection of his rare high-quality recordings and ephemera, featuring over 100 audio selections and insight into his unique life and recording process.

This 2016 exhibition explored the LA Phil’s longstanding efforts to keep aircraft out of the skies above the Hollywood Bowl during performances. Since the 1970s, these efforts have included outreach to aviation organizations and the distribution of “no fly” posters to help preserve the Bowl’s quiet, open-air concert experience.

Without even looking at the dates, it is easy to place these Hollywood Bowl program covers in their corresponding decade. From the Art Deco designs of the mid-1920s through the expressionist style of the mid-1930s, the modern futurist aesthetic of the mid-1950s and beyond, these programs provide a visual history with the power to transport you back to a magical night in any decade spent under the stars at the Hollywood Bowl.