New Haunt for LA Orchestra
Architect Frank Gehry designed the new Disney Concert Hall for the Los Angeles Philharmonic. The irregular, chaotic pile of metallic shapes houses a warm, wooden performance venue, whose October debut has gotten positive reviews.

	Downtown LA has a new star -- a landmark swirl of shiny metal. Frank Gehry has finally arrived (in his own home city), and the Philharmonic finally has a new home of its own, after over 15 tortuous years of planning and development. Lillian Disney, widow of Walt Disney, apparently preferred Lawrence Welk to the classics. Nonetheless, she donated $50 million for a new LA concert hall. That was 1987. This month, the public was invited to hear the LA Philharmonic's debut in the new hall.
The project almost died several times in between, from soaring costs, economic doldrums, questionable management, and design disagreements. The final price tag of almost $300 million was paid through a remarkable drive for additional private (and some public) funds. The design was completely overhauled several times during the process.
	But in the end, it appears LA has a winner. Gehry's design is a real eye-catcher (if not actually a beauty for everyone's eyes). And the sound is terrific. Acoustician Yasuhisa Toyota once again served as Gehry's "Sorcerer's Apprentice," having teamed with the architect for Bard College's spectacular new Fisher Center [see Vibrations feature]. The interior is lined with Douglas fir (the stuff of great cellos) and floored with oak, and the 2,265 upholstered seats are covered with a surprising floral pattern.

The hall was tried out for the first time in June, and after final tweaking and tuning, was dedicated on October 21. This week marks the public debut of the new hall.

Visit the Disney Hall's own site

Read a news story about the hall from Reuters or CNN

Listen to four NPR-produced radio documentaries about the project: the architecture; the art of construction; the LA Philharmonic; the marriage of music & architecture

Listen to NPR's reporting of the Disney Hall inaugural

Read the Seattle Post-Intelligencer's recounting of the "wild ride" that led to the hall

See more pictures of the hall from ArcSpace

Read the October 24 New York Times "Critic's Notebook" or their October 23 Architecture Review column

Learn more about architect Frank Gehry

Read our Vibrations features on Bard's Fisher Center or visit another Gehry design, the Experience Music Project