City of Inglewood, CA 2021 City Events, 21 Oct 2021

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From YouTube: YOLA Grand Opening

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The highly anticipated Judith and Thomas L. Beckmen YOLA Center (BYC), the new home for the LA Phil's Youth Orchestra program, today offiicially opened its doors following a ceremonial ribbon-cutting with community partners and members of the LA Phil family including CEO Chad Smith, LA Phil Music Director Gustavo Dudamel, architect Frank Gehry and the Inglewood City Council.

The BYC is the first permanent home of YOLA and provides free music education to communities throughout Los Angeles County. Today, CEO Chad Smith proudly boastes that although Mayor Butts and Council advocated for at minimum 50% admission for Inglewood students, 80% of the inaugural class at YOLA are from Inglewood! Another historic day!

A

I could not be more honored elated overjoyed to welcome you to the judith and thomas l, beckman yola center at inglewood.

A

On september 20th, just three weeks ago, we had our first class at the beckman yola center 130 students marked the first class in this building and mr mayor I'm going to reference many of our conversations today. But I remember in one of those early conversations. It was extraordinarily important to you and to the city leadership that this building before the community of englewood and I'm proud to say that 81 of this incoming class are residents of inglewood.

B

I think this is the result of a of a dream of a dream that but a collective dream.

B

I think we went to venezuela together, frank came to venezuela and we saw how how powerful is the impact of music in the life of the children, because you know it's not only them, I will say the aesthetic or the technical action of doing music is how you empower the new generation with beauty.

B

Every children that go will go in that doors. You will enter in a process of beauty. You know creation, creating harmony together, creating something that builds. You know give optimism, and this is what is all about. The dream is to give access to our new generations in a community as beautiful, as is inglewood through the beauty of music.

C

It was an old building right and I figured that's what we had to deal with. It was an old building uh and how do you make it work so that it it has gravitas for kids coming for their first experiences to be able to feel the the feeling of a concert hall without an airplane.

C

So I I thought it was important to add that little extra space, and so my simple idea- was to lower the floor and raise the ceiling. So we got a volume. So when the kids start playing, they feel the volume of space that a concert hall has and it gives it more meaning and more involvement.

C

It shows you don't have to spend a lot of money. You don't really have to it's. It's feelings are more important. That's what this guy brought! So I'm honored to be part of it.

D

We really look forward to this day for so long judith and thomas chad, gustavo frank. You guys from now on and forever are part of the history of the city. Some of you know some of you don't. This security bank was my first bank. I deposited my uh check from the city of inglewood. I made 178 every two weeks and I would visit it here and never would have dreamed in 1972. Never would I have dreamed that this would be the center for culture in the great city of inglewood.

D

So thank you la phil. Thank you. Everyone that had a hand in rounding, the city out and thank you on behalf of the children of englewood, appreciate you very much.

E