LOS ANGELES — A free concert for firefighters and fire victims and a production of "Jesus Christ Superstar" with Cynthia Erivo of "Wicked" fame in the lead role will be among this year's highlights at the Hollywood Bowl, officials announced Tuesday.

What You Need To Know

  • The Hollywood Bowl schedule has been announced

  • LA Phil unveiled the Bowl's 2025 summer season, which will see Gustavo Dudamel return for his 16th and penultimate season as music and artistic director

  • Before the summer season kicks off, the venue will host a special free concert to thank the first responders who fought January's wildfires and the community members who were impacted

  • Dudamel, who will leave LA Phil to conduct the New York Philharmonic in 2026

LA Phil unveiled the Bowl's 2025 summer season, which will see Gustavo Dudamel return for his 16th and penultimate season as music and artistic director.

Before the summer season kicks off, the venue will host a special free concert to thank the first responders who fought January's wildfires and the community members who were impacted, titled "We Love LA." It will be held on April 1, and will feature Dudamel, the Los Angeles Philharmonic and special guests to be announced.

"The start of 2025 has been a profound reminder of the strength and resilience of Los Angeles," said Kim Noltemy, president and CEO of the Los Angeles Philharmonic Association. "Many of our orchestra members, guest artists and community members have been deeply impacted by this moment, and we are grateful to the dedicated firefighters, service workers and broader community whose efforts help keep LA strong. Their dedication and perseverance inspire us as we look ahead to a 2025 Bowl season that unites the world's greatest talent with moments of joy, discovery and celebration all summer long."

Dudamel, who will leave LA Phil to conduct the New York Philharmonic in 2026, is slated to conduct eight performances in August with the Los Angeles Philharmonic and Venezuela's Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra.

On Aug. 12, they will perform music from a journey of dances around the world culminating in Ravel's "Boléro" and Yuja Wang in Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No. 1.

On Aug. 14, Dudamel will lead the Bolívars and the Los Angeles Philharmonic, side by side, through Tchaikovsky's dramatic Fourth Symphony. Opening the evening is Ricardo Lorenz's "Todo Terreno" (LA Phil commission), and Pacho Flores will return for the world premiere of Márquez's Concerto for Trumpet No. 2 (LA Phil commission).

"The Hollywood Bowl is a place where history, culture and music converge," Dudamel said. "In the 2025 Bowl season, we will explore the very essence of that connection, from Ellington to Ravel, Mahler to Korngold, Tchaikovsky to Márquez. We will also honor the 50th anniversary of El Sistema with a deeply personal series of performances, bringing together my LA Phil and Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra families for four nights of concerts and collaborations, celebrating the world's greatest musical gathering place."

Among the season's highlights:

  • Opening night on June 7 will feature actor Hugh Jackman performing songs from "The Greatest Showman," "The Music Man" and more accompanied by the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, led by conductor Thomas Wilkins, and musicians of Youth Orchestra Los Angeles. The one-night annual gala raises funds for the LA Phil's music education initiatives.
  • "A Roots Picnic Experience" returns for a second year in LA, with a continuous set from The Roots featuring Lil' Kim, Method Man and Redman, Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, DJ Quik, Raekwon, E-40, Goodie Mob, Havoc of Mobb Deep and more. June 8.
  • The newly minted Blue Note Jazz Festival (formerly Hollywood Bowl Jazz Festival) will feature performances by Grace Jones, The Isley Brothers, WILLOW, De La Soul, Stanley Clarke N'4EVER, The Soul Rebels with special guests Rapsody, Goapele and Brandee Younger, Derrick Hodge with special guest D Smoke, Dee Dee Bridgewater and Bill Charlap, Joe Lovano's Paramount Quartet featuring Julian Lage, Asante Santi Debriano, and Will Calhoun, Keyon Harrold, Lakecia Benjamin, Weedie Braimah and The Hands of Time, Pedrito Martinez, Mohini Dey, Brandon Woody, DC6 Singers Collective, Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz Performance Ensemble at UCLA, LAUSD Beyond the Bell All-City Jazz Big Band and more. Performances on June 14-15.
  • "Rhiannon Giddens: American Tunes" takes audiences on a journey through the evolution of folk music, featuring Giddens and The Old-Time Revue (Dirk Powell, Jason Sypher, Demeanor, Amelia Powell and Justin Robinson of the Carolina Chocolate Drops) alongside Steve Martin, Ed Helms, Leyla McCalla, Amythyst Kiah, Alison Brown and more. June 18.
  • Wizkid, the Nigerian superstar who's topped charts and won awards around the world for global megahits like "One Dance," "Essence" and the Beyoncé collaboration "Brown Skin Girl," joins with Derrick Hodge and Color of Noize Orchestra for his Hollywood Bowl debut. June 22.
  • This year's July Fourth Fireworks Spectacular features Earth, Wind & Fire together with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, conductor Thomas Wilkins and the Bowl's signature fireworks display. July 2-4.
  • Rocker John Fogerty celebrates his momentous career featuring Creedence Clearwater Revival classics and fan favorites. July 6.
  • "Oliver Zeffman's Classical Pride" travels from London to the Hollywood Bowl, honoring queer musicians for their artistic brilliance. Bookended by Bernstein's "Candide" overture a trio of celebrated vocalists -- Pumeza Matshikiza, Jamie Barton and Anthony Roth Costanzo -- in the world premiere of "Pride Songs" with music by Jake Heggie and lyrics by Taylor Mac; and violinist and drag performance artist Thorgy Thor of RuPaul's "Drag Race" fame takes the stage for her spirited blend of comedy and music. July 10.
  • Juanes, the winner of a combined 29 Grammys and Latin Grammys, will return to the Bowl. July 16.
  • Carlos Miguel Prieto leads the annual "Tchaikovsky Spectacular with Fireworks" made extra spectacular this year by the dancers of San Francisco Ballet. The evening features music from "Swan Lake," "Symphony No. 3," "Capriccio Italien" and, as always, the "1812 Overture" featuring the USC Marching Band. July 18-19.
  • Dalia Stasevska curates and conducts a program of instantly recognizable works from the Americas by Gershwin, Ginastera and Dvorák, featuring viral piano sensation Hayato Sumino, who makes his LA Phil and Hollywood Bowl debuts. July 22.
  • Los Angeles native Leonard Slatkin comes home to conduct Holst's masterpiece "The Planets" as well as his own son's homage to NASA's Voyager. LA Phil principal concertmaster Martin Chalifour will give one of the final performances of his tenure, in the violin solo of Ralph Vaughan-Williams' "The Lark Ascending." July 24.
  • Diana Ross returns by the Bowl to perform classics such as "I'm Coming Out," "Ain't No Mountain High Enough," "Stop! In The Name of Love," and more. July 25-26.
  • "I Want My '80s" featuring Rick Springfield, John Waite, Wang Chung and Paul Young. July 27.
  • Italian conductor Daniele Rustioni makes his Los Angeles Philharmonic debut in an evening of Roman scenes featuring music by Berlioz and Respighi, plus Liszt's mythological Prometheus. Veronika Eberle reunites with the Los Angeles Philharmonic for Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto. July 29.
  • The Hollywood Bowl tradition of the star-studded musical returns with "Jesus Christ Superstar" Aug. 1-3, featuring Emmy, Grammy and Tony winner Cynthia Erivo as Jesus.
  • Dudamel will team with rising star pianist Seong-Jin Cho for Ravel's two ravishing piano concertos, each paired with swinging symphonic works by jazz great Duke Ellington. Aug. 5.
  • Dudamel will revisit Mahler's First Symphony, a piece that was performed when he made his debut as music director of the LA Phil in 2009. This time, the work is paired with Korngold's Violin Concerto featuring Norwegian superstar Vilde Frang.  Aug. 7.
  • Reggae Night XXIII welcomes back Damian and Stephen Marley, playing the iconic music of their father, Bob Marley, as well as hits from their own Grammy-winning careers. Aug. 17.
  • Herbie Hancock returns to the Bowl for a night of freewheeling and thought-provoking jazz. Aug 20.
  • Grammy-winning conductor Daniel Harding leads a two-night mini- Rachmaninoff festival featuring some of the composer's most iconic works. Daniil Trifonov returns for a performance of Rachmaninoff's Second Piano Concerto on night one and the Third Piano Concerto on night two. Aug. 19, Aug. 21.
  • Lithuanian conductor Giedre Slekyte makes her conducting debut with the LA Phil in a night of Beethoven Under the Stars, featuring Japanese pianist Nobuyuki Tsujii, who has been blind since birth, performing the dramatic "Piano Concerto No. 4," followed by Beethoven's revolutionary Symphony No. 3 "Eroica." Aug. 26.
  • Jazz giant Wynton Marsalis debuts his Concerto for Orchestra (world premiere, LA Phil commission) at the Hollywood Bowl with the Los Angeles Philharmonic helmed by conductor Rafael Payare. Special guest Alisa Weilerstein performs Dvorák's Cello Concerto. Sept. 9.
  • Jonathon Heyward, music director of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, conducts the Los Angeles Philharmonic in two interpretations of Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet" — Tchaikovsky's romantically saturated fantasy overture and Prokofiev's pulsating suite featuring the legendary classical ballet company Dance Theatre of Harlem, who also set Adolphus Hailstork's "Symphony No. 1" in motion. Sept. 11.

The Bowl will also continue its summer tradition of programs spotlighting music from the movies, including the following events:

  • "Jaws in Concert with the Los Angeles Philharmonic," July 5.
  • "Bugs Bunny at the Symphony" celebrating Bugs Bunny's 85th anniversary and the concert's 35th, created by George Daugherty and David Ka Lik Wong. Iconic Looney Tunes moments will delight audiences of all ages as over a dozen animated shorts are projected on the big screens while the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, conducted by Daugherty, plays the original scores live. July 11-12.
  • Two-time Academy Award-winner Alexandre Desplat, who makes his first appearance at the Hollywood Bowl, leads a program of his most popular and cherished film scores including "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" and "The Shape of Water," as well as selections from his scores for director Wes Anderson. July 15.
  • "Jurassic Park in Concert" with Dudamel and the Los Angeles Philharmonic features the visually stunning imagery of the entire film projected in HD with a performance of John Williams' iconic score. Aug. 8-9.
  • "Maestro of the Movies," celebrating the music of John Williams, is an annual tradition at the Hollywood Bowl. Light-saber in tow, conductor David Newman leads the Los Angeles Philharmonic in some of the composer's best- loved and most iconic movie scores, with some selections accompanied by film clips. Aug. 22-24.
  • "Black Movie Soundtrack V" brings host Craig Robinson, musical director Marcus Miller and curator Reginald Hudlin together with special guests, film clips and a deep well of film music accompanied by Derrick Hodge and Color of Noize Orchestra. Sept. 10.
  • "Rodgers & Hammerstein's The Sound of Music Sing-A-Long," hosted by Melissa Peterman, also an annual tradition. Audience members are invited to don costumes for the pre-show costume contest. Sept. 20.

Additional information is available here.