Disney Concert Hall

Photo: Remy Franck

The Los Angeles Philharmonic announced that David C. Bohnett, Chairman of the David Bohnett Foundation, has pledged a $20 million gift to the Los Angeles Philharmonic. This gift will create the David C. Bohnett Presidential Fund for Discovery and Innovation and will also provide for the naming of the David C. Bohnett Presidential Chair, which endows the position of President and Chief Executive Officer in perpetuity (the position held by Deborah Borda since 2000).

This gift is made in honor of Deborah Borda’s continuing accomplishments with the Los Angeles Philharmonic. Bohnett is a former Board Chair of the Los Angeles Philharmonic Association and currently serves on the Board and the Executive Committee. One of the largest donations in the history of the LA Phil, this new gift will be divided into two equal parts: $10 million to endow the David C. Bohnett Presidential Chair, and $10 million to launch the David C. Bohnett Presidential Fund for Discovery and Innovation. While the naming of a chair is common practice in major academic institutions, the endowment of a CEO position is rare in artistic organizations.

The Fund for Discovery and Innovation will be distributed at the discretion of th President for programs that continue to shape the Los Angeles Philharmonic as an international model of an orchestra of the 21st century – through investments in new audience development and initiatives that enhance the institution’s mission of innovative programming and social responsibility to the community.