In 1886, Behymer was instrumental in bringing Los Angeles its first important operatic production by the National Grand Opera Company. The first symphony orchestra in Los Angeles was organized by Behymer, who managed it for 18 years. He formed the Philharmonic courses in the larger cities of the American Southwest in conjunction with local music clubs and gradually built up these centers of music to rival those of the East. The Hollywood Bowl idea was formulated at the Behymer home. The first of the Easter services at Mount Rubidoux in Riverside, California, came about through a fiesta given by Behymer that was attended by Theodore Roosevelt. The annual pilgrimage to the mountain at daybreak continues today. At the pinnacle of Behymer's career, an average season would include about 250 bookings in about 250 cities in California and the West. Behymer started his career offering a variety of entertainment programming that would appeal to all segments of the then-small population. He would mix operatic performances with the likes of Enrico Caruso, Adelina Patti and Sarah Bernhardt with other entertainment by performers like James Whitcomb Riley, Mark Twain or various vaudeville acts.