Matt,
It's all in the packaging. I'm all for attending events in a "Romantic Music Festival" or "Choral Music Festival" within a season, but wild horses couldn't drag me (not that many are tempted) to a festival of a single composer.
This isn't about contemporary music verses other musics, naturally. It's about creating mini seasons-within-a-season and I believe that it's a recipe for (momentary?) success.
Matthew,
Don't we/you do that already? (thinking about a recent audition that I heard featuring Haydn along with Kagel, Antheil, and Higdon)
MJ,
Many places are re-inventing their programming, not just the LAPhil. They, however, have a perfect space for presenting anything they want in traditional or non-traditional ways (including a small open-air theater on the roof and REDCAT -- CalArts' black box theater that is also in the building) (Thank you, Mr. Gehry)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walt_Disney_Concert_Hall
Best,
EC