This year I’ve been visiting the Hollywood Bowl a lot.

So far, I’ve heard Beethoven’s 5th, 8th and 9th symphonies, Holst’s The Planets, Sibelius’ Violin Concerto, Berlioz’ Symphonie funebre et triomphale and Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto 1 and 1812.

I was initially opposed to tearing down the old shell which had been in place for decades and had sheltered so many celebrated artists. But I’ve since become a convert and really like the new shell and setup.

During my last visits, I’ve each time observed several bats performing aerobatic maneuvers above the audience. They come out at dusk and disappear when it gets dark. I did not know that bats are such fast and agile flyers.

In one strange encounter, one bat flew so close that for a fraction of a second, it was about an arm’s lengh away from my face. I could even hear the whirring sound of its wings.

Reinhard Kargl

Journalist and media professional currently based in Los Angeles, California. Focusing on science and technology.