LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles Philharmonic commissioned Emmy-winning and Grammy-nominated composer Adam Schoenberg to create a musical celebration of SoCal’s beloved mountain lion, P-22. The big cat defied the odds by surviving in Griffith Park for a decade, but was euthanized on December 2022, following a decline in health.

Schoenberg struggled with his own health while composing the piece and felt a special kinship with P-22’s tale of endurance and survival. 

With the commission now complete, Schoenberg’s “Cool Cat” premieres Sept. 12 with the LA Phil at the Hollywood Bowl under the baton of conductor Karen Kamensek.  

P-22 was laid to rest in the Santa Monica mountains by tribal leaders and later memorialized at a public event at the Greek Theater in February.