What genre of music gets you showing off some moves? For the folks at Levitt AMP Greensboro’s second concert of its series, it was salsa played by Latin dance band Bio Ritmo! Check out this North Carolina city’s #musicmoves in the video below! Continue reading
“Kaleidoscope of Dreams” by Canvas by Canvas (2015), created as part of the Star of Texas citywide art exhibition in Arlington, Texas; Levitt Pavilion Arlington/Founders Plaza (Image courtesy of the City of Arlington, TX)
This spring, 20 six-foot fiberglass stars will be brightening up Arlington, Texas, home to Levitt Pavilion Arlington, as part of the Star of Texas public art project. The stars—designed by local artist Chris Cunningham—each feature a different Texan artist’s depiction of the city’s new moniker, “the American Dream City.” Continue reading
Alex Hwang of Run River North performs at Levitt Los Angeles in 2015
Asian Americans make up the fastest growing population in the U.S. and have been involved in the American music scene since the early 20th century during the Jazz Age. While a few artists, like Chinese American cellist Yo-Yo Ma, have become household names, many others left the U.S. to create music for Asian markets due to American media’s lack of acceptance for Asian American musicians. That’s starting to change with the rise of social media and popularity of indie music, which has helped springboard acts who were once considered outsiders in mainstream entertainment.
Over the years, Levitt concerts have featured Asian American artists performing an array of genres for music lovers nationwide and will continue to do so this concert season. In honor of Asian and Pacific Islander American Heritage Month, here are five Asian and Pacific-Islander American artists who have performed on or are about to grace Levitt stages. Check out the videos below to hear some new and fan favorite songs! Continue reading
Last Sunday, the Gate City Divas officially kicked off the 2016 Levitt concert season in Greensboro, N.C.
This lively shot of soulstress Danielia Cotton was taken at the 2015 Levitt AMP Trenton Music Series—which will bring life to Capital Green once again this summer!
This month, we’re also looking forward to concerts starting at Levitt AMP Denison, Levitt Pavilion Arlington and Levitt Pavilion SteelStacks!
You might remember last summer’s Spotlight Series feature on Brave Combo, the genre-bending polka band that has wowed audiences for over 35 years. This week they’re highlighted in a new Meet the Artist video filmed at Levitt Pavilion Arlington, where the band has performed eight times including on the venue’s opening day back in 2008. Check out the video above to find out more about Brave Combo’s origins, eclectic musical style, and why they keep returning to perform at Levitt venues. Want to know more about this lively band’s history? Read below for five fun facts!
Featured Levitt AMP Music Series artists, by column, left to right: (Levitt AMP Carson City) SambaDá, Whitney Myer and Incendio; (Levitt AMP Denison) John Fullbright, Danielle Nicole and Billy Joe Shaver; (Levitt AMP Greensboro) Gate City Divas, Carolyn Malachi and The Suffers; (Levitt AMP Jacksonville) Benton Blount, Radio Birds and Old Salt Union; (Levitt AMP New Albany) Dee-1, Marcella & Her Lovers and Pala Mali; (Levitt AMP Sheboygan) Flor de Tolache, Synthian and the Rebirth Brass Band.
“Levitt at the Falls” set to open in 2019
The Mortimer & Mimi Levitt Foundation is thrilled to announce that Sioux Falls, South Dakota will be home to a new permanent Levitt venue, presenting 50 free concerts every year featuring a diverse range of emerging and acclaimed talent. Set to open in 2019, Levitt Shell Sioux Falls will be located within the city’s beautiful and historic namesake, Falls Park, and will be known locally as “Levitt at the Falls.” This new venue will be part of the national network of permanent outdoor Levitt music venues with locations in Arlington, Texas; Bethlehem, Pa.; Denver, Colo. (opening in 2017); Houston (opening in 2018); Los Angeles; Memphis; Pasadena, Calif.; and Westport, Conn.
Change embodies creative placemaking focus for Foundation
Last month, we announced some exciting news—the work of our national nonprofit, Levitt Pavilions, will be carried out by the Mortimer & Mimi Levitt Foundation going forward, furthering our mission to strengthen communities across the country through free, live music.
Since 2005, the Levitt Foundation has awarded more than $20 million to its nonprofit partners and grantees to support free concerts in communities large and small. As Liz Levitt Hirsch, president of the Mortimer & Mimi Levitt Foundation, explained, “This exciting change signals our resolve to direct the majority of the Foundation’s philanthropy towards creative placemaking programs that focus on free concerts in public spaces. With funding now geared to one main cause, it made sense to place the operations of our national organization under one roof and to function as the Levitt Foundation, thus sunsetting Levitt Pavilions.” Continue reading
Artists pictured above (L to R, from top to bottom): Benton Blout, Marina V., David Gerald, Sarah Ross, Radio Birds, Fivefold, Rapture Ruckus, Aaron Kamm and The One Drops, Angela Perley and The Howlin Moons and Old Salt Union.
Artists pictured above (L to R, from top to bottom): Alvin Youngblood Hart, Dee-1, Marcella & Her Lovers, Sam Mosley and the Muscle Shoals Horns, Cedric Burnside Project, Drvin’ N Cryin,’ Scott Mulvahill, Papa Mali, Young Valley and Holy Ghost Electric Show.