Gustavo Dudamel and Youth Orchestra L.A. to perform at Super Bowl 50 halftime show

[Will 2,215]

This was actually announced on January 28 but I didn't hear about it until earlier today. 

 

http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/arts/culture/la-et-cm-gustavo-dudamel-yola-super-bowl-20160127-story.html

 

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As a fan of classical music, Chris Martin of the rock band Coldplay has attended Los Angeles Philharmonic concerts at Walt Disney Concert Hall over the years and even struck up a friendship with conductor Gustavo Dudamel. So when NFL leaders tapped Coldplay to headline the Super Bowl 50 halftime show next month in Santa Clara, Calif., Martin turned to Dudamel to join him onstage for the annual musical spectacular seen by more than 100 million viewers around the country.

 

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The L.A. Philharmonic announced Thursday that Dudamel will appear with student musicians from the Youth Orchestra L.A. during Super Bowl 50, set for Feb. 7 at Levi's Stadium.

 

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Deborah Borda, president of the L.A. Philharmonic, said students from YOLA have been rehearsing for weeks for the big show, which will air on CBS during the Carolina Panthers-Denver Broncos game.

 

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No details about the halftime program or Dudamel's place in the show have been revealed. A spokeswoman for NFL declined to comment on reports that Beyoncé, Bruno Mars and other prominent pop stars also will appear at halftime. The Dudamel-led group will feature students from the YOLA at Expo site in South L.A., which is a partnership of the L.A. Phil, the Harmony Project music program for low-income children and the Expo community center near the Memorial Coliseum. The Harmony Project said Thursday that its students started rehearsing for the Super Bowl just after Christmas. "Everyone's very excited," a representative said, adding that the appearance is by far the biggest exposure the group has received.

 

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The Super Bowl is also a coup for Dudamel, the 35-year-old music and artistic director of the L.A. Phil, who has sought to make classical music more accessible to the public.

 

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In 2014, soprano Renée Fleming performed the national anthem ahead of the Super Bowl, but the NFL doesn't often invite classical musicians to perform at its biggest night, which traditionally has been heavy on pop music. A performance slot at halftime is a coveted honor for musicians of any stripe, if only for the TV exposure. Organizers said that more than 118.5 million people in the U.S. watched last year's show, making it the most-watched halftime ever. Dudamel wasn't available for comment Thursday but said in a news release that "this is a wonderful honor and an extraordinary showcase for YOLA, as well as a tribute to youth orchestras worldwide. When we play, it will be for the youth of the world so they can be inspired to create both a better life for themselves and a better future."

 

Another article on the topic:

http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/arts/la-et-cm-dudamel-super-bowl-20160129-column.html

 

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So it should be a no-brainer to include Dudamel and YOLA at the Super Bowl. We have not yet learned what they will play. (They may still be figuring that out.) Williams is a good bet, but so is Beethoven. Anything they choose should work, because the bigger story is sure to be YOLA.

 

That sentence about them possibly playing Williams, even if it was entirely speculation, certainly made me excited for Sunday. Dudamel is a friend of Williams... But my hopes of them playing Williams (or a classical work, which would also be nice) were largely dashed when I saw a behind-the-scenes video of YOLA practicing and they were playing the Coldplay song "Viva la Vida". It would certainly be a disappointment if the orchestra was just a live backing track for Coldplay. Here's hoping that in addition to performing Coldplay stuff, YOLA will play something classical or, better yet, something by Williams. Somehow I doubt it though... Classical and Williams stuff is much less popular than Coldplay and other modern pop artists. 

 

By the way, if I remember correctly there are videos of YOLA practicing for the Super Bowl and some Dudamel interviews on NFL.com and YouTube. I don't have the direct links at the moment, though. 

[Tom 4,658]

I doubt there would be "time" for a standalone orchestra piece, but if there were, I would put the odds at 50/50 it would be Williams.  Given the March of the Resistance's similarity to the SNF theme, it would be a nice, short work.