On June 3rd, Opening Night at the Hollywood Bowl kicked off the iconic venue’s celebration of its first 100 seasons with a lineup of sensational performances featuring Gwen Stefani, LA Phil Music & Artistic Director Gustavo Dudamel and the Los Angeles Philharmonic. The LA Phil opened the evening with the world premiere of Centennial Overture, written by legendary composer John Williams, who made a surprise guest appearance to conduct the work commemorating the 100th anniversary of the Hollywood Bowl. The celebrations also included ballet stars Roberto Bolle and Tiler Peck. Other guests included violinist María Dueñas, jazz artist Branford Marsalis with bassist Eric Revis and LA Phil Principal Percussionist Matthew Howard, Novena Carmel with dance trio Let It Happen, musicians from YOLA (Youth Orchestra of Los Angeles) and the first-ever joint performance by members of the UCLA Bruin and USC Trojan marching bands. Blake Shelton made an additional surprise appearance, performing with his wife Gwen Stefani

The evening ended with spectacular fireworks. The Opening Night at the Hollywood Bowl benefit concert raised more than $2.46M for the LA Phil’s learning and community initiatives and programs (including YOLA), which serve more than 150,000 youth, families, and teachers every year. Attendees included actress Garcelle Beauvais, actor Kyle MacLachlan, architect Frank and Berta Gehry, composer John Williams, Principal Conductor of the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra Thomas Wilkins, LA Mayor Eric Garcetti, and many more.