Frank Gehry’s Final Concert Hall Is Taking Shape In Los Angeles

In downtown Los Angeles, a significant cultural addition is taking shape as architect Frank Gehry finalizes construction on Kohl Hall, a new concert venue adjacent to his iconic Walt Disney Concert Hall. This $337 million project is designed to serve as a vibrant hub for performance and education within the Colburn School of Performing Arts, with a planned opening in September.

Kohl Hall distinguishes itself with an intimate, in-the-round seating arrangement accommodating approximately 1,000 guests. This layout aims to foster a close connection between performers and audience members, enhancing the immersive experience of live music. The venue is equipped with a full-size stage and an orchestra pit, enabling it to support a range of performances including symphony concerts, opera, and dance productions.

The hall bears the name of Pasadena philanthropists Terri and Jerry Kohl, reflecting their support for the arts. Its acoustical design features innovative elements such as steel and concrete sound-reflecting clouds suspended from the ceiling, crafted with advanced digital fabrication techniques by a specialist firm based in the Netherlands. These enhancements are intended to provide superior sound quality and a sense of spatial openness within the hall.

Yasuhisa Toyota, renowned for his work on acoustics in Gehry's earlier projects including Disney Hall, returns to oversee the sound environment at Kohl Hall. His expertise ensures the new space meets the high standards for which Gehry's venues are known.

Beyond serving as a performance venue, Kohl Hall will be integrated into the Colburn School's educational framework. The school, which educates over 2,000 students primarily ranging from middle school to college age, will utilize the hall for its symphony orchestra, youth ensembles, and children's choirs. Moreover, the hall is designed to be a versatile space available for rental, accommodating a spectrum of external events such as jazz and classical concerts, with anticipated usage exceeding 200 events annually.

The inauguration of Kohl Hall is scheduled for a celebratory opening weekend beginning September 25, which will also feature the debut of a new dance center within the Colburn expansion. This facility will double the capacity of the school's dance instruction spaces, including a 100-seat theater and multiple professional dance studios.

Starting in the year following its opening, Kohl Hall will become the principal venue for the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra (LACO). LACO plans to highlight the hall’s capabilities by premiering new compositions, notably fanfares by prominent film composers, including a commissioned work by John Williams. These premieres will be curated by Seth MacFarlane, noted for his musical talent and entertainment career.

The hall's seating capacity positions it strategically between the larger Disney Concert Hall, which seats over 2,200, and the smaller Herbert Zipper Concert Hall on the Colburn campus, which accommodates around 415. This intermediate size fills a notable gap in Los Angeles’s performance venue landscape, offering an ideal scale for a broad array of artistic presentations.

Architecturally, the addition maintains Gehry’s signature style with a striking exterior clad in a luminous pink coating known as Pink Kandi. This complements the existing artistic fabric of the Bunker Hill district, where Gehry's work already includes the Disney Concert Hall and the Grand LA mixed-use complex.

As the Colburn School’s expansion nears completion, Kohl Hall stands as both a testament to Gehry’s architectural innovation and a new cornerstone for Los Angeles’s cultural scene. Its blend of technical precision, artistic vision, and educational purpose underscores the city’s ongoing commitment to fostering the performing arts.