José Salazar debuts with the Los Angeles Philharmonic
This week, José Salazar makes his LA Phil conducting debut, leading and hosting performances at the Walt Disney Concert Hall on Thursday 19 and Friday 20 March. Part of the orchestra’s ‘Symphonies for Schools Secondary’ series, these concerts welcome music students from across Los Angeles aged 11–18, offering free access to experience the LA Phil in action.
The performance will focus on the role of the conductor within a symphony orchestra, brought to life through an engaging and varied programme curated by José. This includes extracts from Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7, Mozart’s Symphony No. 25, and Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto with soloist Eunice Lee, alongside “Kauyumari“, a work by Gabriela Ortiz commissioned by the LA Phil.
As part of his 2025–26 Dudamel Fellowship with the LA Phil, José has assisted on a wide range of projects, including Beethoven’s “Egmont” with Gustavo Dudamel and narrator Cate Blanchett, as well as programmes featuring Prokofiev, Tchaikovsky and Adolphus Hailstork with guest conductor Jonathon Heyward. In April, he returns to Los Angeles to assist composer, conductor, and LA Phil Creative Chair John Adams on his new commission “After the Fall“, alongside Copland’s “Appalachian Spring” Suite and Ives’ “The Unanswered Question“.