Booking the Bowl: a chat with L.A. Phil senior program manager Johanna Rees

L.A. Philharmonic senior program manager Johanna Rees has two majestic spaces with which to work -- the Hollywood Bowl and Walt Disney Concert Hall -- and she consistently books bands that make the most of it. Joanna Newsom, DeVotchKa and Grizzly Bear have all transformed Disney Hall; performances from Arcade Fire, Os Mutantes and Bright Eyes at the Bowl left audiences buzzing for weeks.

This summer is no less dazzling: Feist, Gnarls Barkley, Radiohead, Nick Cave and Beck are all on the Bowl's schedule. The NoCal native chatted about her passionate programming.

--Margaret Wappler

What was it like to help set up the 924 Gilman Street Project, a long-running Berkeley performance space with a strict DIY credo?

When I was in high school in the mid-'80s, I immersed myself in music -- the musical experience has always been at the core of who I am or what I do. It was a bunch of kids from MaximumRockandRoll, opening this complete nothing of a club. . . . I remember bringing in cases of Jolt Colas to sell. My taste was all punk rock in those days. I used to write Henry Rollins postcards -- he'd write back to every single one.

How did you make the leap to creating your own shows, instead of writing about them in punk magazines?

I started working for [the club] Luna Park, which is now closed. I really liked putting shows together -- we had two floors, and we booked seven nights a week. I was so busy working the grind, but I remember putting together a few shows that I loved. . . . I would find some weird connective tissue between three bands that seemingly didn't relate.

You've booked many shows where the orchestra plays with a pop band or musician. Did you face any reluctance from the orchestra?

It's a process. The first part is making sure the artists would work well with the orchestra before we even approach the band. I play the band for the orchestra and ask them, "Do we think it could work?"

At that point, if it's a good match, we invite the artist. It's about making everyone feel comfortable the whole way through.

You have a lot of questions about how exactly this is going to work. The orchestra's been really great. Some of these bands play very loudly, and they are one foot away from it. It's like throwing them to the wolves! It's an extraordinary orchestra -- a lot of orchestras wouldn't take the risk.

What are some of your dream shows that slipped away or are yet to be realized?

There are certain bands that have broken up. . . . I'd love to book some of those reunions. I was a huge Pixies fan, and when I heard the first whisper that they were getting back together, I started working on them for the Bowl. But there were so many variables with schedules, so they ended up playing the Greek.

I do have some other dream bands, but I worry that if I say any of them, then it won't come true. Let's just say I'm always working on a few dream shows.