GRAND PERFORMANCES
DOWNTOWN L.A.’S FREE SUMMER CONCERT SERIES
ANNOUNCES ITS 2015 SHOW ROSTER
Focusing on Latin beats, hip-hop, and musical mashups, highlights include:
THE GASLAMP KILLER EXPERIENCE, Malaysian pop star YUNA, QUANTIC’S ONDATRÓPICA Project, an exclusive WATTSTAX concert retrospective, and the West Coast debut of DICE RAW of The Roots’ “The Last Jimmy: A Hip Hop Musical”
SUMMER SEASON DATES: FRIDAY, JUNE 19 – SUNDAY, AUGUST 23
CALIFORNIA PLAZA PHOTO BY SHAWN AHMED, COURTESY OF GRAND PERFORMANCES.
Grand Performances announces its 29th annual outdoor concert season lineup, featuring a broad spectrum of cross-national, genre-defying performances curated to explore social issues and inspire joy. All shows are free; no advanced reservations are required. The acclaimed performing arts series takes place under the spectacular skyline of Downtown L.A.
The series opens on June 19 with a kickoff concert by 2015 Coachella favorite THE GASLAMP KILLER. Latin American and Asian musicians feature heavily in the 10-week season, and include Colombia’s ONDATRÓPICA project with QUANTIC AND FRENTE CUMBIERO (July 18), Uruguay’s JORGE DREXLER (an Oscar-winner for The Motorcycle Diaries, August 7), fan-favorite YUNA (August 8), and more.
The slate also reflects Grand Performances’ use of a strong curatorial voice to address important social and racial issues, as evidenced by the National Endowment for the Arts-supported series LOS ANGELES AFTERSHOCKS. Specially-commissioned concerts highlight the cultural aftershocks stemming from the 1965 and 1992 riots. BLACK LIVES MATTER and REVOLVE IMPACT (the team behind John Legend’s #FreeAmerica campaign) are project partners, and will facilitate post-show discussions to spark conversation and create context around the performances. The series includes:
- A tribute to L.A.’s first mega concert, WATTSAX (June 20)
- An exploration and intersection of jazz, hip hop, and politics orchestrated by local musical virtuoso Kamasi Washington, 66-92: THE RHYTHM CHANGES BUT THE STRUGGLE REMAINS (July 25)
- Lyricist Lounge’s WATTS 50 retrospective (July 10)
- The West Coast debut of The Last Jimmy: A Hip Hop Musical (July 17) by The Root’s DICE RAW examining race and the criminal justice system
Grand Performances also showcases the diversity of South and Central Asian Muslim artists with its RE:ARRANGED – MUSLIM CULTURES ILLUMINATED series, supported by the Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art. The first set of artists in this two year effort include returning Malaysian mainstream pop star YUNA (August 8), revered masters of Pakistani devotional music RIZWAN-MUAZZAM QAWWALI (August 22), and acclaimed female tar and sitar virtuoso, Iranian-American SAHBA MOTALLEBI (August 23).
The 2015 season invites Angelenos to explore the cultures of different countries – and the city around them. Grand Performances dabbles in the world of confections by partnering with Little Tokyo bakery CAFÉ DULCE to create a special “DWINKIE” (artisanal deep-fried Twinkie) to promote local indie band RUN RIVER NORTH (June 26). The DWINKIE will be available for sale exclusively at Café Dulce in early June.
“Grand Performances gives Angelenos both a quintessential L.A. experience as well as a genuinely global one,” says Leigh Ann Hahn, Grand Performances’ Director of Programming.
For a complete overview of Grand Performances’ upcoming season, please visit wwwgrandperformances.org
Grand Performances is located at California Plaza at 350 S. Grand Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90071 (213-687-2190). Complimentary bike valet is available for select events. The California Plaza parking garage is accessible on Olive Street, between 1st and 4th streets (351 S. Olive Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90013).
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