All this talk about Siri reminds us of good our friend Hal from 2001: A Space Odyssey. You know what else does? Strauss' Also Sprach Zarathustra, which the Pacific Symphony is performing this Thursday Friday and Saturday at 8 PM. more ›

Charo, look out. The guest star of honor getting all the attention today is LA Philharmonic Music Director Gustavo Dudamel who will be making an appearance in the upcoming 42nd season of Sesame Street. more ›

If you want to stay as far away from the 405 as possible, Dudamel is conducting Puccini's Turandot next Sunday at the Hollywood Bowl. more ›

It's a good week to be in LA. Dudamel returns to conduct Bruckner, eighth blackbird is performing in Fullerton, and Zubin Mehta conducts the Israel Philharmonic this Tuesday at the Disney Hall. more ›

Dudamel discusses Mahler's 9th Symphony, which you can hear this weekend at the Walt Disney Concert Hall. This is the last performance of January for Dudamel and the LA Phil before they kick off their European tour. Their next performance will beon February 12th with Leonard Slatkin, and their next performance with Dudamel will be on March 3rd, when Dudamel conducts Bruckner. more ›

This is an excerpt from Messiaen's Turangalila, which you can catch this weekend at the Walt Disney Concert Hall with pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet, featured in this clip. No, there's no such thing as "Pianofest" in LA, but if you take a look at the schedule this week, you'll see why. Dudamel and Ax are still performing the Beethoven with a concert this afternoon at 2 PM (if you're reading this, you're probably too late for it). more ›

The LA Times Roundtable Series is holding a session with the LA Phil's Music Director Dudamel and LA Opera's Placido Domingo. Although tickets are unavailable, the website says that if additional tickets are released, then the website will update immediately. Tickets are free so check it often if you want to go. more ›

Normally, a 3D family adventure isn't worth a hoot, but Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole may be a bonafide barn storm. The animated film's voice talent includes Hugo Weaving, Geoffrey Rush, Helen Mirren and Sam Neill. Critics are middling, but cite director Zack Snyder's dark tones and violence as high-points, so your kids may grow some teeth in the process... more ›

No oranges involved in tonight's performance of Carmen, which is probably a good thing. This week is probably going to present the best opportunity for you to see Dudamel in person. The Hollywood Bowl tickets are cheaper than the Walt Disney Concert Hall tickets, there are many more seats to fight over, and tickets are still available for all of his shows. Tonight, Dudamel is making his US opera debut with Bizet's Carmen, if you're in a mood for some Toreador or Habanera. This concert starts 30 minutes earlier than your typical Classical concerts, at 7:30 PM. more ›

Gabriela Montero and Gustavo Dudamel are frequent collaborators as Salonen was with John Adams, Saariaho, or Dawn Upshaw. We get a chance to see this collaboration for the first time next month (Montero performed last at the Hollywood Bowl with Thomas Wilkins). more ›

If you can't get tickets for Tuesday's performance or want to see the inaugural concert for Gustavo Dudamel with the LA Phil, buy the DVD! Or you can buy tickets to the other performances this weekend. Alan Rich, former classical music critic of the LA Weekly (and KUSC contributor), passed away this weekend. If you wish to discover or rediscover his writings, check out his book or his blog which both include articles from his stints at the LA Weekly and New York Times (among others). He will be missed. more ›

Former Los Angeles Times reporter Bill Boyarsky discusses his book Inventing L.A.: The Chandlers and Their Times tonight at 7 pm at Diesel, A Bookstore Brentwood. The book focuses on the Chandlers' reign over LA through the L.A. Times. It’s a tale of politics, family and fortune with the city of Angels as backdrop. more ›

LAist reported earlier that LA Phil violinist Robert Korda has been missing for three days now. His son Noah posted a few hours ago that "Verizon has cooperated...because we managed to get a court order". Once again, if anyone sees a Geo Metro with the license plate 3GPJ453, please call the LAPD Missing Persons Unit at (213) 485-5381 or (877) LAPD-24-7. more ›

This EXTENSIVE gift guide is not a reflection of any particular taste or preference; it is a gift guide for classical music lovers/enthusiasts of all shapes and sizes. Like always, it is recommended to support your local establishments and artists, especially in a city like Los Angeles that is rich in talent and culture. If you're looking to buy tickets as a gift, it is recommended to buy tickets for two people, because no one likes going to a concert alone. It's the perfect gift for a date! The LA Phil offers subscriptions to a series of concerts, and we also recommend tickets to go see Salonen before he's gone or for Dudamel to see what all the craze is about. The Ring Cycle is coming to town, and the LA Opera is putting on productions of Das Rheingold and Die Walkure that look to be very promising. These tickets can get pretty expensive if you go see all four, but up to half the subscription cost is tax deductible. Subscriptions to the Ring Cycle to see all four range from $100-$2,200, so choose the tickets according to how much you like that person. Don't forget LACO, the Cal Phil, Musica Angelica, or other fine orchestras featured on our website weekly. There are also world-class events at the Hollywood Bowl, Royce Hall, and Zipper Hall that you can purchase tickets for. more ›

By week's end, LA is regularly littered with a handful of free rags. Combined, these publications put the Tribune Company's Spring Street operation LA Times to shame as far as reporting on the dozens of municipalities that make up this metropolis of more than 12 million people. LAist reads the weeklies so you don't have to. If there's anything we missed, let us know, or better yet drop it in the comments section below.... more ›