Yuja Wang’s breathtaking virtuosity, Teddy Abrams’ inspired leadership, and a celebration of the city reveals how extraordinary music can restore the human spirit.
By John Lavitt
Los Angeles, CA (The Hollywood Times) 10-09-2026
At its best, Los Angeles is a city where artistic excellence, cultural diversity, generosity, and human connection converge to create something extraordinary.
On October 1, the Los Angeles Philharmonic’s 2026 Gala at Walt Disney Concert Hall embodied these qualities, delivering an exhilarating evening of music and reminding audiences why the arts remain essential to the city’s identity.
Under the spirited direction of conductor Teddy Abrams, the orchestra welcomed internationally acclaimed pianist Yuja Wang and principal clarinetist Boris Allakhverdyan for a program celebrating Los Angeles and its enduring ties to American musical culture.
What makes Abrams remarkable is his ability to engage warmly with audiences before and after each piece while remaining fully dedicated to the musicians before him. His personable charm and insightful commentary created an intimate atmosphere in the magnificent concert hall. Yet once he raised his baton, his focus became absolute, guiding the orchestra with precision, passion, and infectious enthusiasm.
Wang was nothing short of miraculous. Combining fierce passion with astonishing precision, she demonstrated an extraordinary ability to modulate the touch of her fingers on the piano keys, summoning a range of textures, colors, and emotional dimensions from the instrument. Every phrase seemed meticulously shaped yet spontaneously alive.
In Alexander Tsfasman’s scintillating Jazz Suite, Wang embraced the music’s rhythmic exuberance and playful sophistication, meeting its dazzling demands with seemingly effortless command. Her selections from Samuel Barber’s exhilarating Piano Concerto revealed another dimension of her artistry, balancing explosive virtuosity with remarkable expressive depth.
The audience was so captivated by her performances that Wang returned for two encores, extending an already unforgettable evening.
The program also celebrated Hollywood’s cinematic heritage with Bernard Herrmann’s haunting Scène d’Amour from Vertigo, alongside works by Jerry Goldsmith and Michael Tilson Thomas.
Meanwhile, Allakhverdyan, the LA Phil’s Principal Clarinetist and holder of the Michele and Dudley Rauch Chair, delivered a compelling performance of Leonard Bernstein’s Prelude, Fugue and Riffs. His expressive command underscored the exceptional strength and versatility of the orchestra’s principal musicians.
Beyond the music, the Gala honored architect Frank Gehry’s enduring legacy by unveiling a new exterior lighting design for his magnificent concert hall.
The evening also supported the LA Phil’s Learning and Community initiatives, reaching more than 150,000 children and families across Southern California.
For me, however, the evening’s deepest meaning emerged through my guest’s presence. Two years ago, he lost everything in a devastating house fire. Although he had rebuilt much of his life, the emotional scars endured.
After the concert, he told me that the experience had made him feel whole for the first time since the tragedy. It was, he explained, the final step in his healing. His words captured the profound, transformative power of live music and performance.
Great cultural institutions do more than entertain. They create spaces for people to reconnect with beauty, possibility, community, and themselves.
That is what the Los Angeles Philharmonic accomplished.
The finest expression of Los Angeles is not merely its artistic brilliance. It is the generosity of spirit that enables such brilliance to touch individual lives.
And sometimes, amid magnificent music and a welcoming community, a person can finally feel whole again.
Photos by Elizabeth Asher Courtesy of the LA Phil
