*The renown Gustavo Dudamel conducted the LA Philharmonic for the world premiere of Good News Mass by Carlos Simon. It’s described as a celebratory homage to Black joy, spiritual discovery, and the power of faith.
The evening started with Dudamel conducting Leonard Bernstein’s classic Divertimento. The term describes various instrumental works for soloists or chamber ensembles that are secular and non-religious. The Bernstein composition was written in 1980 and premiered at the Boston Symphony.
It was written as a love letter to the orchestra in celebration of their 100th season. Bernstein was no stranger to love stories, having composed the iconic score for Westside Story. Divertimento is an eight-part suite, comprising a rotisserie of musical flavors. The audience feasted on salty staccato rhythms, lyrical interludes and orchestral fanfare.
Witnessing Dudamel at work transfixed the crowd with pure excitement as he commanded the exquisite musicianship of each orchestra member.
Divertimento is a delight for philharmonic purists and equally thrilling for those who don’t speak the language of composition but simply enjoy a world class orchestra.
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Next was the Violin Concerto No. 2 by Florence Price. This lofty composition featured young virtuoso Randall Goosby.
In a word, his performance was heavenly. It is fitting that this piece was showcased on such a special night. Florence Price was the first African American woman to have her music performed by major symphony orchestras.
She lived from 1883-1953. Despite her musical genius, her career was stifled due to her race. In 1933 the Chicago Symphony performed her Symphony in E minor at the World’s Fair.
The great Marian Anderson had the privilege of performing over fifty songs by Florence Price.
After her death, much of Ms. Price’s repertoire was abandoned in a Chicago house but it has since been retrieved by Arkansas archives.
In 2025 Philadelphia-based soprano Karen Slack and pianist Michelle Cann won Best Classical Solo Vocal Album at the Grammy Awards for their recording of “Beyond The Years: Unpublished Songs Of Florence Price.” It was the first time in that category that music composed solely by a Black woman was awarded a Grammy. Gustavo Dudamel, the LA Philharmonic and Randall Goosby’s presentation of Violin Concerto No 2 by Florence Price is indeed a stroke of poetic justice.
Then the piece de resistance opened part two with the splendor of the Good News Mass. Kudos to LA Phil President Kim Noltemy, Presidential Chair David C. Bohnett and LA Phil Music and Artistic Director Gustavo Dudamel for inviting and showcasing these works that appeal to all but certainly intone the cultural excellence from which they evolved.
The Good News Mass experience included performances from gospel artists Samoht and Zebulon Ellis and Jason White & The Samples. Spoken word artist Marc Bamuthi Joseph paired his poetry with a libretto by Courtney Ware.
Mr. Joseph is also known for his TED Talk titled “You Have the Rite.” Cinematographer Malik Hassan Sayeed, producer Amanda Leya Andrews and executive producer Ali Brown were also featured contributors.
Complementing this multi-dimensional musical journey is the visual narrative from Melina Matsoukas. A drop-down screen displayed culture defining and culture clashing images that accentuated the performance. Matsoukas is also known for her music video work with artists like Beyoncé and Rihanna. This performance was generously supported in part by the Kohl Virtuoso Violin Fund.
Coming up on the calendar at LA Phil in the Walt Disney Concert Hall are performances of Mozart & Neilson on April 25th, Ravel & Adolphe on May 16th and much more. The full line up is available at LAPhil.com
LA Phil hosts almost 300 concerts annually at Walt Disney Concert Hall, the Hollywood Bowl and The Ford. The Hollywood Bowl 2025 Forever Summer series includes Hugh Jackman, Earth Wind & Fire, Diana Ross, John Legend, Yo-Yo Ma & Angelique Kidjo, Grace Jones, Cyndi Lauper and more. For more information go to: Hollywood Bowl. The Ford 2025 season will be announced on May 13th. For details visit: The Ford | Home
Music is the universal language. Let’s all get along like music. Leave the outside world behind and bond over music, then take that bond back into the outside world.
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