Elim Chan’s Swan Lake Los Angeles 2026 Concert Guide

Elim Chan’s Swan Lake Los Angeles 2026 concerts bring the conductor, pianist Yefim Bronfman and the Los Angeles Philharmonic together for three performances at Walt Disney Concert Hall from October 16–18. The program pairs familiar Romantic works by Liszt and Tchaikovsky with the world premiere of a new LA Phil commission by South Korean composer Donghoon Shin.

Elim Chan Swan Lake Los Angeles 2026 dates and tickets

The Los Angeles Philharmonic’s official concert page lists performances Friday, October 16, at 8 p.m.; Saturday, October 17, at 8 p.m.; and Sunday, October 18, at 2 p.m. Ticket prices currently begin at $67, with programs, prices and availability subject to change.

The concerts are scheduled for approximately two to two-and-a-half hours, including a 20-minute intermission. Friday ticket holders can attend complimentary pre-concert drinks in the rooftop garden beginning at 6:30 p.m., weather permitting. An Upbeat Live talk begins in BP Hall at 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday and at 1 p.m. Sunday; the talk is free after the performance ticket has been scanned.

A world premiere opens the program

The first work is Dance Card, a roughly seven-minute LA Phil commission receiving its world premiere. Donghoon Shin’s new composition is described by the orchestra as waltz-inspired, making it a contemporary opening to an evening shaped by dance, momentum and transformation.

The premiere also places the concert within the LA Phil’s broader commitment to living composers. Its official 2026–27 commissions and premieres overview lists 23 commissioned works, 16 world premieres and three U.S. premieres across the season. For audiences curious about how new orchestral music enters the repertoire, Dance Card offers the rare experience of hearing a piece at its first public performance.

Yefim Bronfman plays Liszt

Pianist Yefim Bronfman is the soloist in Franz Liszt’s Piano Concerto No. 2 in A major. The approximately 24-minute work unfolds continuously through contrasting sections rather than stopping between traditional movements. Its shifts from quiet lyricism to forceful virtuosity give Bronfman a central role in the program’s first half.

The LA Phil notes that Bronfman performed this concerto at age 15 during an audition that helped propel his career. That history adds context to his return to a score he has known for decades, while first-time listeners can follow how Liszt repeatedly transforms a small group of musical ideas.

Elim Chan’s symphonic approach to Swan Lake

After intermission, Chan conducts a roughly 35-minute suite from Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake. The selection includes the opening scene, waltz, dance of the swans, Hungarian, Spanish and Neapolitan dances, mazurka, and the final scene. Chan has arranged the familiar ballet excerpts into a sequence the orchestra describes as structured almost like a symphony.

That approach lets concertgoers hear the dramatic arc without staging or dancers. The orchestra carries the storytelling through recurring themes, changing instrumental colors and sharply contrasted dances. The result is not a complete performance of the ballet, but a focused orchestral journey through its best-known musical episodes.

Planning a visit to Walt Disney Concert Hall

Walt Disney Concert Hall is at 111 South Grand Avenue in downtown Los Angeles. The LA Phil recommends arriving at least one hour early. Metro riders can use the A or E Line to Grand Avenue Arts/Bunker Hill or the B or D Line to Civic Center/Grand Park. Parking is available beneath the hall through entrances on Second Street and Lower Grand Avenue.

Student groups of 10 or more can request $20 tickets, subject to availability, through LA Phil Group Sales. Accessibility services are available for guests with mobility, auditory or visual needs. Readers following other live-music events can also see Hollywood Weekly’s Charli xcx Los Angeles concert preview.