2015 has been a fantastic year for music, from the largest Levitt season yet bringing free, live music to 16 towns and cities across the country, to a number of excellent releases by acclaimed, emerging talent and seasoned, award-winning artists alike. It was hard to choose our favorite songs of the year, but here is a selection of what we loved in 2015!
DREAM on display at Burning Man, image courtesy of Bob Pruitt
We’ve all heard the expression, ‘everything is bigger in Texas.’ After getting a sneak peak of the new DREAM sculpture in Arlington, Texas, it looks like dreams are no exception!
The unveiling and dedication for this 54′ long, 12′ tall, metallic LED-lit piece adjacent to Levitt Pavilion Arlington will take place tonight at 7 p.m., in conjunction with the annual South Street Art Festival and a lively performance by folk rocker Luke Wade at Levitt Arlington. Continue reading
Ready for Beethoven’s Fifth…in virtual reality?
Today and tomorrow, VAN Beethoven, a free, unprecedented classical music experience comes to Levitt Pasadena and Levitt Los Angeles as a part of the Los Angeles Philharmonic’s Immortal Beethoven Festival.
Using virtual reality headsets, “concertgoers” will experience the opening minutes of Beethoven’s famous symphony as if seated in the Walt Disney Concert Hall—without ever leaving the VAN Beethoven truck. Continue reading
Photo by Robert Vizzini, Courtesy of The Municipal Arts Society of New York
Today is 9/11, a day which 14 years ago claimed thousands of lives and two iconic towers in New York that will forever be etched in the minds of people across the globe. Six months following the attacks—on March 11, 2002—a public artwork emerged that has served as an international symbol of hope and remembrance ever since: “Tribute in Light.”
Illuminating New York City skies and visible to all those within a 60-mile radius every September 11th since 2002, “Tribute in Light’s” powerful beams of light return tonight, honoring “those who were lost and those who worked so hard to get…[New York City]…through that terrible trial” according to the Municipal Arts Society (MAS)—the presenter of this work for the first 10 years, before the 9/11 Memorial Museum took over the display in 2012. Continue reading
Upon its completion, Portraits of Hope’s vibrant installation, “Spheres at MacArthur Park” will be the largest public art exhibition Los Angeles has ever seen. It’s such a treat to see this explosion of color come to life right here in our own backyard in MacArthur Park, the home of Levitt Pavilion Los Angeles. Continue reading
We’re thrilled to see some familiar faces honoring the 1970 Grateful Dead classic, “Ripple.” This is one tribute you don’t want to miss!
Earlier this month, headlining act of last summer’s inaugural Levitt National Tour, Playing For Change, released this powerful cover in conjunction with a milestone performance in the Grateful Dead’s long and prolific career—their 50th anniversary and final concert. Continue reading
In today’s data-driven world, it’s perhaps only fitting that the modern-day mix tape was brought to life by an algorithm. In 2000, Pandora burst onto the scene, offering people a new kind of radio; breaking songs down into basic components, categorizing them and streaming playlists tailor-fit to listeners’ personal preferences. To date, there are over 250 million registered Pandora users—clearly, the creators of this platform were onto something.
The man behind the complex categorization system that powers Pandora (the Music Genome Project) is chief musicologist, Nolan Gasser, who recently posed the question: “How can we make use of that information to make our lives better?” To answer that question, he turned to music therapists, who show us day after day how music can in fact make our lives better—especially when something goes wrong. Today, we explore the possibly of Gasser’s relation-identifying algorithm making an even deeper impact than it has already made. Continue reading
1969 Beatles “Abbey Road” billboard. All photos by Robert Landau.
Here at Levitt Pavilions, we celebrate the “place” in creative placemaking. Places give a city its character and its inhabitants points of pride, which is why we’re so excited to learn more about the history of a place just outside our Los Angeles office digs: the Sunset Strip. In a new exhibition at the Skirball Cultural Center (on view through August 16, 2015), Los Angeles-based photographer, Robert Landau (b. 1953) artfully captures the spirit of L.A.’s iconic Sunset Strip in the 1970’s-80’s—a place that was home to the industry’s biggest record companies, night clubs and rock star-filled hotels.
I had the pleasure of chatting with Landau about his work and the unique place that he captured on film, a place he refers to as the ”Ground Zero of the entire music industry.” Continue reading
The incomparable opera singer Sarah Brightman is not the only talented musician heading to space. Starting in 2020, Levitt Pavilions will transform OUTER spaces in addition to neglected outdoor spaces!
Levitt Pavilions is thrilled to announce the launch of the Star-Powered Astro-Concert Experience (SPACE) Initiative. Through a historic multi-year partnership with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), musicians will begin accompanying astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS) in 2020 as part of their psychological support team. During their three-month residencies, SPACE musicians will teach weekly music lessons, work with astronauts to compose songs and present a live concert from space that will be broadcast to global audiences. Continue reading
What do creativity, collaboration and improved academic performance all have in common?
They’re all benefits enjoyed by children who study music. Continue reading
