Hollywood Bowl Easter Sunrise Service, Inc. is proud to present this non-denominational Easter celebration at the Hollywood Bowl, free of charge to the community.

The first outdoor Easter Sunrise Service in Hollywood was conducted in 1919, when worshippers gathered on a residential street in the hills of Franklin Avenue, just east of the present Hollywood Freeway. The service was sponsored by the Hollywood Community Sing that had been organized in 1917, led by Artie Mason Carter.

Due to the success of that first hilltop event, a larger site – the picturesque Olive Hill in Barnsdall Park – was chosen for the 1920 Easter Sunrise Service. The L.A. Philharmonic Orchestra, in its second year, performed at the Service. The overflow attendance of thousands made an even larger site necessary for future Easter Sunrise Services.

The Hollywood Bowl had been purchased by a group of local art patrons, including Charles E. Toberman, the “Father of Hollywood.” Mrs. Carter was also a member of the group and she made plans for the 1921 Easter Sunrise Service to be held in the Bowl.

The first Hollywood Bowl Easter Sunrise Service was held on March 27, 1921. At that time, the area was known as Daisy Dell. Hugo Kirchhoffer, director of the Community Sing, remarked that the acoustics were naturally good because it was shaped like a “huge bowl.” The remark stuck, and soon everyone referred to Daisy Dell as the “Hollywood Bowl.”

And so, in the early dawn of March 27, 1921, the L.A. Philharmonic Orchestra assembled on a crude platform, before an enormous crowd, gathered in the weeds and grass on the rocky hillside, to inaugurate the Bowl’s first Easter Sunrise Service. The orchestra played as dawn came to the surrounding hills and the audience sang its Psalm of Praise. It was a memorable occasion and the Bowl’s first major event.

The Service prompted Mrs. Carter to begin a series of summer concerts at the Bowl. Thus with the success of the first Easter Sunrise Service at the Hollywood Bowl and the resolve of Mrs. Carter, two traditions were begun: the “Hollywood Bowl Easter Sunrise Service” and the “Symphonies Under the Stars” program.

Although the tremendous size of the Bowl lends a spectacular atmosphere to any event held there, the Easter Sunrise Service turns the Hollywood Bowl into nature’s cathedral, with the service being a reverent, religious, and inspiring experience for all who attend. The first rays of light create a magnificent silhouette of the mountaintops and a pre-dawn musical program leads into the sounding of carillon bells and the brass choir playing the “Gloria Patri” at six o’clock, signaling the start of the service.

Throughout the years, many parts of the program have become tradition: the singing in unison by the audience and the choruses of “Holy, Holy, Holy,” the reading of “The Master is Coming,” and the beautiful use of lilies to adorn the stage pulpit. Perhaps the most cherished tradition of the Easter Sunrise Service is the Living Cross, introduced in 1922 by the venerable Mr. Kirchhoffer. During the first part of the service, the children of the Youth Chorus, seated in a Latin Cross formation, are attired in black robes. They rise at a signal from the conductor and in a dramatic, precise motion drop their outer capes, revealing their snow-white vestments and forming a massive Living Cross. Framed by the graceful outlines of the orchestra shell, they sing “Christ the Lord is Risen Today” in unison.

Easter observances at the Bowl have always been community-wide, non-denominational events, and children come from all areas and churches. The choristers often include the grandchildren of those who sang in the earliest days of the Easter Sunrise Services.

During periods of major renovations at the Bowl, the Easter Sunrise Service has been moved to several alternate locations, including Hollywood High School (1926), the Women’s Club of Hollywood, and the Hollywood United Methodist Church (1995-1999), in order to maintain the continuity of this historic Easter Sunrise Service.

Hollywood Bowl Easter Sunrise Service, Inc., was formed in 1943 in order to “perpetuate the traditions of the Easter Sunrise Service” and to ensure that “no taint of commercialism shall ever touch” the integrity of the Service. The Board of Directors, the Guild Members, general members and committee volunteers donate their time, talent, and services to produce this historic Service. The clergy, musicians, choirs, soloists, and celebrities also participate without compensation.

All members of the tax-exempt, non-profit Hollywood Bowl Easter Sunrise Service, Inc. and the hundreds of participants and volunteers, are privileged to bring you the 86th Anniversary of the Easter Sunrise Service at the Hollywood Bowl, in the hope that the hearts of those worshiping there, at home, and around the world through media communications will be filled with joy, beauty, and hope in the message of Easter.