The Hollywood Bowl’s summer season has suffered a surprise last-minute loss. The Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra of Venezuela (SBSOV), which had been scheduled to perform at the Los Angeles venue from Aug. 12–16 under conductor Gustavo Dudamel, will not make the trip after all.
SBSOV’s Hollywood Bowl engagement was scheduled as part of the orchestra’s 50th anniversary celebrations. According to the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the organization presenting the concerts, the Venezuelan orchestra’s visit was canceled “due to travel complications.”
The Los Angeles Times reported that the Trump administration’s newly imposed travel restrictions on South American residents, which took effect in June, caused the issue. The LA Phil did not confirm that Trump’s travel restrictions were cause of SBSOV’s cancellation and only stated of SBSOV, “we look forward to welcoming the orchestra back in the future.”
Replacement performances have been announced. On Aug. 12, Elim Chan will conduct a program of Benjamin Britten and Igor Stravinsky, with James Ehnes soloing in Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto.
On Aug. 14, Gemma New will lead Tchaikovsky’s Fourth Symphony, which was supposed to be the centerpiece of one of SBSVO’s Hollywood Bowl concerts — Dudamel was slated to conduct the SBSVO and the LA Phil side by side.
On Aug. 15 and 16, the Enrico Lopez-Yañez will conduct the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra for a concert of traditional and contemporary Mexican music. Vocalist Pepe Aguilar is a headliner for the concert.
Those who purchased tickets for the SBSOV concerts have the option to attend on their previously scheduled date or exchange their tickets for a different performance at no additional cost.
Dudamel is still scheduled to conduct the LA Phil in two Bowl concerts this summer: a program of Maurice Ravel and Duke Ellington on Aug. 5 and Gustav Mahler’s First Symphony on Aug. 7.
In happier news, the LA Phil has also announced additional casting for its Aug. 1–3 presentation of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Jesus Christ Superstar. Besides Cynthia Erivo in the title role and Adam Lambert as Judas, the cast now includes Josh Gad as King Herod, Phillipa Soo as Mary Magdalene, and Raúl Esparza as Pontius Pilate. Stephen Oremus conducts.
