This post was updated March 9 at 7:42 p.m.

From downtown Los Angeles to Westwood, members of the LA Philharmonic are building harmony within the City of Angels.

Established the same year as UCLA, 1919, LA Phil is a professional orchestra that hosts nearly 300 concerts every year in various venues across LA. Performing at Walt Disney Concert Hall in winter and at the Hollywood Bowl during the summer, LA Phil leverages music not only to celebrate the renowned pieces of classical music but also to shed the spotlight on the works of contemporary composers and rising artists. Some of the musicians behind this mission are UCLA faculty members, including UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music saxophone professor and vice chair of the Department of Music, Jan Berry Baker.

“They can play everything from the standard repertoire to the most contemporary,” Baker said. “That ability to be that flexible is not something that every orchestra has.”

Performing with the LA Phil as an extra musician, Baker said she appreciates the organization’s commitment to championing new music and celebrating diversity on stage. She added that one of her most memorable experiences with the orchestra was contributing to the world premiere of Gabriela Ortiz’s “Revolución Diamantina,” which later became a recording that collected multiple accolades at the 67th Annual Grammy Awards in February. As a female saxophonist – which she acknowledged as uncommon – Baker said it was a great honor for her to contribute to a project where a major orchestra highlighted the work of a female Mexican composer.

[Related: UCLA Percussion Ensemble plans to drum up vast range of sounds at winter recital]

James Miller, the associate principal trombone of LA Phil and a lecturer at the School of Music, said the musical directors of LA Phil have had a strong influence toward shaping the organization’s music and performances. Under the baton of Zubin Mehta, who directed the orchestra from 1962 to 1978, Miller said the LA Phil gained both national and international attention as Mehta drew in audiences. Miller also said Esa-Pekka Salonen, who served as artistic director between 1992 and 2009, spearheaded LA Phil’s exploration of contemporary compositions while instilling a sense of excellence within the ensemble.

“He’s such an excellent musician, excellent mind,” Miller said. “There’s a level of excellence that he brought and really formed our ensemble to represent that. And I think that that was really fantastic.”

With Salonen’s successor and current artistic director Gustavo Dudamel, Miller said LA Phil has adopted a special identity that experiments with various musical styles. Referring to the recent collaborations with pop musicians such as Laufey and Natalia Lafourcade, he added that Dudamel possesses a distinctive versatility in working with genres beyond classical music.

Baker said the School of Music has a similar interdisciplinary approach to music as the LA Phil, as the school prioritizes providing opportunities for future musicians to dabble in various genres and musical traditions. For instance, Baker added that student instrumentalists can study the music of a culture they are unfamiliar with or contribute to commissioning works written by composition students.

“It can be a challenge. At the same time, it’s a great learning opportunity for the students,” Baker said. “I think experimentation and exploration is definitely a mindset that the school has at heart.”

But Baker said the School of Music is not exclusively a place for students seeking to become performers to grow. There are six departments and programs – including ethnomusicology, music industry, global jazz studies and musicology – that Baker said blend music performance, composition and education together. Given the diversity embedded into the curriculum, she added that the School of Music supports students who are seeking to extend their music education into the music industry or research in musicology.

On the faculty side, Baker said members of the School of Music help students cultivate the skills and knowledge relevant to their careers. Miller said being a part of an orchestra while being an educator has allowed him to share some of the lessons he learned from rehearsals and performances to his students. Baker added that having active performers as mentors can benefit students by providing a real-life perspective into what working in the industry is like.

[Related: Grammys 2025: UCLA faculty, members of Decoda celebrate working on Grammy-nominated pieces]

Beyond the lessons about technical skills and technique for performances, Miller said he has sought to develop a culture in his trombone studio that is grounded in collaboration, especially given the nature of the music industry being more focused on the individual. He added that it was important for musicians to learn how to get along with peers and bring forth their strengths and talents to create something greater as a team.

“We all do things collectively,” Miller said. “They’re (the students are) all unique in their own ways, but it’s really like a group.”

In addition to the collaboration with other musicians, both Baker and Miller said the audience is an integral aspect of their experience as a musician. Baker said the audience base in LA is a major factor of the success of the orchestra. On a similar note, Miller said LA Phil’s legacy lies within the listeners who support the orchestra by attending its performances.

“They want to be a part of something great,” Baker said. “The LA Phil is always seeking that – greatness in their conductor, greatness in their musicians, greatness in their repertoire and greatness of their audience.”