What do creativity, collaboration and improved academic performance all have in common?
They’re all benefits enjoyed by children who study music. Continue reading
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Author Archives: Nicole McGaffey
What better way to celebrate Women’s History Month than to spotlight a group of determined female musicians who’ve pioneered their way into music history?
Here we celebrate one of the 15 talented members of Mariachi Divas de Cindy Shea, the all-female, two-time GRAMMY-winning mariachi group. Dedicating their lives to a genre that has traditionally been dominated by men, Cindy Shea and the ladies of Mariachi Divas de Cindy Shea have challenged gender stereotypes, creating some incredible music in the process. In 2009, the group became the first all-female mariachi group to earn a GRAMMY nomination and win. They’ve since been nominated five times and took home a second GRAMMY Award for Best Regional Mexican Music in 2013—an award which marked the first time any mariachi group (male or female) had received two GRAMMY awards.
Be sure to check out their recent album, 15 Aniversario, which celebrates 15 years of making music with one another. We can’t wait to see what these determined divas are up to next!
Past Levitt performances:
Levitt Los Angeles (2014, 2007)
Levitt Pasadena (2014, 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009, 2008, 2007, 2006)
Ever found yourself on a beautiful grassy hill with the urge to throw your hands into the air and belt out, “The hills are alive…with the sound of music?” As music lovers—who happen to be particularly fond of filling beautiful green open spaces with melodious sounds—we’ve experienced this feeling many times.
50 years ago today—March 2, 1965—the one and only Julie Andrews sang her way into people’s hearts across the nation with the U.S. premiere of the Academy Award-winning film, The Sound of Music. Continue reading
Artists pictured above (clockwise, from top left): Barbara Morrison, Black Violin, Tia Fuller, Dirty Dozen Brass Band, Gedeon Luke & the People, The Soul Rebels, Chubby Carrier, Ruthie Foster, Booker T. Jones and The Drifters)
African Americans have shaped many of the most iconic American music styles—gospel, jazz, rock and roll, funk, hip-hop…the list goes on and on. As we wrap up Black History Month, we’d like to celebrate the musical contributions of some of the many talented African American artists who’ve graced Levitt stages across the country. Continue reading
What better reason to come together than free, live music? Levitt lawns give families, friends and people of all ages and backgrounds a place to gather and enjoy a rich spectrum of music—discovering new worlds and one another in the process!
Here are four adorable girls doing what Leviteers do best—comin’ together and dancing without a care in the world!
Last night, over 25 million viewers across the globe tuned in for music’s biggest night, the 57th Annual GRAMMY Awards at the STAPLES Center. Five of the 83 gilded gramophones given out last night went home with artists who’ve performed at Levitt venues. A hearty congrats to GRAMMY-winning artists: Rosanne Cash, Mike Farris and Pentatonix. Continue reading
We’re kicking off Black History Month spotlighting one of our favorite Levitt artists, the phenomenally talented Booker T. Jones—a musician whose creativity is matched by his courage. Jones made his Memphis debut at Levitt Shell in Memphis (then known as the Overton Park Shell) in 1968 with his GRAMMY-winning group, Booker T. and the M.G.’s. According to Rolling Stone, this group, made up of two black members and two white members, “became a symbol of racial integration in the South during the civil rights years.” Booker T. Jones and the M.G.’s were awarded the prestigious GRAMMY Lifetime Achievement Award in 2007 for helping to create the sound of the 1960’s and using notes to build bridges between people.
Our hats go off to Jones, who has always used his courage and creativity to push our nation’s musical and racial boundaries. Learn more about Jones in his Meet the Artist video.
Iconic American songs like Wilson Pickett’s “Mustang Sally,” and Willie Nelson’s “On the Road Again” are only two of the many songs that celebrate car culture; each sing of the thrill of hopping in your car and hitting the road. Here in Los Angeles, a city that loves its cars, we’re immersed in car culture–for better or worse. Having a car is a luxury that brings a new type of freedom and excitement…but what happens when the number of cars on the road increases while the amount of road space for those vehicles remains the same?
This brings us to the subject of today’s post: Mumbai.
Crawford Market traffic – image by Bipin Kokate, courtesy of Mid-day.com
This young drummer with a contagious smile is one of the many young Angelenos who took part in our pre-concert drum circle during the 2014 Levitt National Tour, featuring Playing for Change. Who knows where this young drummer’s interaction with music might take him? Lifelong dreams are born everyday!
This week we’ve honored one of our nation’s most courageous dreamers and visionaries, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Let this post serve as a reminder that it’s never too early or too late to dream big.
Courtesy of Andy Cross – The Denver Post
Ruby Hill Park (where Levitt Denver will open in 2016) boasts 88 acres of land, breathtaking 360 degree views of the city and, at the moment, a free snow-filled winter wonderland for urban skiers, snowboarders, inner tubers and sledders. The name of this playground for snow enthusiasts: Ruby Hill Rail Yard.
With the snow-covered Rocky Mountains right in Denver’s backyard, why is a little mid-city snow so exciting? Continue reading