L.A. Philharmonic Hosts Grand Opening

Celebrities and socialites celebrated Hollywood-style at the long-awaited October opening of the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles. Recording the L.A. Philharmonic with conductor Esa-Pekka Salonen for the three-night gala was Dave Hewitt’s Remote Recording Services. Programs — which ranged from the “Star Spangled Banner” and Stravinsky’s “The Rite of Spring” to a pops extravaganza — were emceed by Tom Hanks and Catherine Zeta-Jones and featured the themes from Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Planet of the Apes and The Magnificent Seven. The performances aired in simulcast on NPR radio and were later rebroadcast on KCET public television.