“Comedian Jack Benny once introduced Dorothy Buffum Chandler and her husband, Los Angeles Times publisher Norman Chandler, as Mr. and Mrs. Pavilion,” writes Mark Swed in Friday’s (12/19) Los Angeles Times. “This was very funny … we all know about the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, which turned 50 this month. But it was also an acknowledgment of something quite rare, a major concert hall named for a woman. This being a major anniversary season of the Music Center, Mrs. Chandler’s contribution to the musical life of L.A. … has deservedly gotten a lot of attention lately. So has the current president and chief executive of the orchestra, Deborah Borda, arguably the most successful arts administrator in America at the moment. Last week the orchestra received a $20-million gift in her honor. But look around town. The majority of our largest classical music organizations are run by women, and most are doing well in a time when that is not the norm elsewhere. This includes the Los Angeles Master Chorale, Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra … The Pasadena Symphony has just named a new president: a woman. … What is often overlooked is that in L.A., women had a larger hand in the creation of music capital than in any other major city.”
Posted December 22, 2014
