The 2015 Levitt concert season has finally come to a close, which means that our first-ever #musicmoves campaign has reached its end! 

October #musicmoves WinnerA hearty congrats to our fifth and final $100 iTunes gift card winner, Nick Timmerman from Denison, Texas, who posted this sweet photo of him and his fiancée celebrating their new engagement at the Levitt AMP Denison Music Series. Thanks for sharing your special night with us, and best wishes to you both as you enter this new and exciting chapter!

And thanks to all the Levitteers across the country who’ve reminded us just how many ways #musicmoves Levitt audiences—from picnicking, to singing, to dancing on the lawn. We’ve had so much fun seeing all the ways the power of free, live music moves you and your communities, we thought we’d share the joy—check out this video featuring some of our favorite submissions!

If you didn’t get a chance to enjoy the way music moved our 2015 #musicmoves winners, take a peek at the slide show below. Keep moving, and we’ll see you next season!

  • June #musicmoves winner

Levitt loves - selfless serviceAs the late, great Maya Angelou once said, “How important it is for us to recognize and celebrate our heroes and she-roes!”

Today we honor the service and sacrifice of the men and women who’ve proudly donned a United States uniform. Thank you for your courage and commitment to defending the freedoms that we all hold so dear. 

Veterans, we thank you for your selfless service—on this day, and all the rest.

What a difference a year can make! During the past year we’ve watched 10 Levitt AMP sites come to life—transforming underused public spaces into vibrant, music-filled community hubs. With the inaugural Levitt AMP Music Series coming to a close this week, we’re celebrating some of the many ways this free, community-driven outdoor music series has impacted the 2015 Levitt AMP grantees’ hometowns.

Public voting now open!Although the first Levitt AMP chapter is about to conclude, the next is already underway! The application period for the 2016 Levitt AMP [Your City] Grant Awards has just ended and the applicant pool has nearly doubled from 2015.

Which brings us to some fantastic news! Recognizing our nation’s growing need to come together as communities, we’re thrilled to announce that we’ve expanded Levitt AMP to 15 grants to be awarded across the country in 2016! That’s right, 15!

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Levitt venues

Pictured from L to R (top row): Levitt Pavilion Arlington; Levitt Pavilion Los Angeles; Levitt Shell Memphis; (bottom row): Levitt Pavilion Pasadena; Levitt Pavilion SteelStacks; Levitt Pavilion Westport.

Across the country, another spectacular season of Levitt concerts has come to a close, and we’re once again celebrating the undeniable power of free, live music to bring people together of all ages and backgrounds, creating stronger communities. Watch your favorite Levitt venue in action!

You may ask, who brings the Levitt program to life, year after year? Your local Friends of Levitt nonprofit, that’s who! Each Friends of Levitt manages, programs and fundraises for the 50 free concerts every year. This is an impressive feat when you consider the sheer number of acclaimed artists presented on a Levitt stage featuring a range of music genres; the first-rate production crews and state-of-the-art sound and lighting; as well as the additional programming and activities realized through local partnerships to create unforgettable evenings of free music under the stars. Rounding out the experience are the passionate volunteers whose friendly smiles and enthusiasm embody that warm sense of community found on Levitt lawns.

And yet the Friends of Levitt nonprofit is only part of the equation. Equally important is the community of supporters—audience members who donate on the lawn, businesses sponsoring shows, grants from foundations, and local family and individual donors—whose generous contributions ensure the free music continues each year at their Levitt venue. Continue reading

musicmoves_delta arts alliance school of danceThe movement is strong with these youngters! @levittcleveland, thanks for sharing this fun pic of the Delta Arts Alliance School of Dance doing what they do best! The final show of the 2015 Levitt AMP Cleveland Music Series kicked off with lively performances by Danza Locke’s Hip-Hop I and Hip-Hop II classes—their first of the 2015-16 season.

So many of the 2015 Levitt AMP grantees have gone above and beyond a 10-artist lineup, and used their stages as platforms to showcase local talent prior to Levitt AMP headlining acts. This is a perfect example of the way thoughtful programming can transform a space into a hub for community life. Although the 2015 Levitt AMP Music Series is coming to a close, we hope the music continues to move you and your communities!

There’s only one week left to share your Levitt concert pics on Twitter and Instagram with #musicmoves for your chance to win a $100 iTunes gift card—image submissions will be accepted through October 31! See the #musicmoves September winner.

 

MarchFourthSpotlight

What do you get when you take a troupe of jazz, funk and brass musicians, dress them in marching band costumes, throw in stilt-acrobatics, hula-hoopers and Vaudeville dancers and ask them to put on a show? 

An experience unlike any other…that goes by the name MarchFourth!

Get ready Charlottesville, because the larger-than-life marching band is coming to IX Art Park as part of the Levitt AMP Charlottesville Music Series! Learn more about the “circus funk” group before their free show this Friday. Continue reading

Music_moves_latin arts festivalMusic was definitely moving the Cville Sabroso Festival dancers last month during Charlottesville’s Latin American Arts Festival! Thanks @richtarbell for capturing the color and energy of the festival in this great shot. Cville Sabroso—Charlottesville’s annual celebration of National Hispanic Heritage Month—brought live folkloric, traditional and fusion music, dance and visual/performance art to the IX Art Park lawn and Levitt AMP Charlottesville stage. Levitt AMP audiences were treated to festive music by 10-piece Latin jazz/salsa band Conjunto Sason, Norteño group Agave and opening Mexilachian duo Lua.

There’s still time to share your Levitt concert pics on Twitter and Instagram with #musicmoves for your chance to win a $100 iTunes gift card—image submissions will be accepted through October 31! See the #musicmoves September winner.

PublicVotingOpens
Applications for the 2016 Levitt AMP [Your City] Grant Awards are in, and we’re excited to begin the next phase of the grants competition!

Reflecting our commitment that each Levitt project be community-driven, YOUR votes help decide which small to mid-sized towns or cities win up to $25K in matching grants to present their own free outdoor concert series in 2016.

Online public voting opens November 2, so start rallying your friends, family, neighbors and colleagues to sign up to vote now!

Hold onto your hats—tomorrow night Cleveland, Miss. will be hit by a whirlwind of country, folk and soul when  The Memphis Dawls take the Levitt AMP Cleveland stage. Hailing from Memphis, Tenn., these contemporary folk sweethearts made their Levitt debut last year in their hometown with a memorable performance at Levitt Shell.

With a sound that’s part folk, part country and part gospel (and musical mentors like Dolly Parton, Emmylou Harris and Linda Ronstadt), the Memphis Dawls honor the legacy of folk music while infusing their own contemporary flare.  Continue reading

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Thanks Ashley Reed, the September winner of our #musicmoves contest, for sharing this photo of the Levitt AMP Trenton Music Series! Last month, downtown Trenton rocked out to a free show by Danielia Cotton, who brought her powerful voice back to her home state of New Jersey for a fun night of community through music.

Want to be our final winner of the year? This month is your last chance to enter to win a $100 iTunes gift card, so keep sharing your photos through October 31, 2015, and check out the live #musicmoves feed!