Tag Archives: Levitt AMP

  • 30 arts leaders, 15 small to mid-sized towns & cities and one common goal – to invigorate communities through free, live music!

Last week, the 2018 Levitt AMP Grantees joined the Levitt Foundation for the annual Levitt AMP convening at La Plaza de Cultura y Artes in Los Angeles! It was an honor to host these inspiring leaders in the arts and share ideas throughout two days of panels, presentations and group discussions.

With 15 small to mid-sized towns and cities from California all the way to Rhode Island, this year’s grantees truly represent the breadth of community spirit and placemaking efforts happening across the country. The endless enthusiasm in the room led to fruitful brainstorming and some truly meaningful exchanges. Each attendee left the convening with a newfound sense of energy and inspiration–we can’t wait to see how each Levitt AMP Music Series unfolds with great success this summer and fall!

2018Winners_color and pins updated

Today, the Mortimer & Mimi Levitt Foundation awarded $375,000 in matching grants to 15 nonprofits serving small to mid-sized towns and cities across America to produce free outdoor concerts, as part of the fourth annual Levitt AMP [Your City] Grant Awards. Reflecting the Levitt Foundation’s commitment to creative placemaking projects generating community support, once again the Foundation opened the Levitt AMP selection process to the public to choose the top 25 finalists. Continue reading

CONGRATS TO THE TOP 25 FINALISTS

We’re thrilled to announce the Top 25 finalists in the running to win $25K matching grants to present the 2018 Levitt AMP Music Series! Thanks to more than 30,000 votes this year, these 25 towns and cities are one step closer to bringing free, live music to their communities next summer and fall. Scroll down to view each finalist and learn how they hope to revitalize an underused public space through free Levitt AMP concerts:

2018 LEVITT AMP FINALISTS
(listed in alphabetical order)

Bay St. Louis, Mississippi
Alice Moseley Pavilion

Berea, Kentucky
Berea Arts Council

Carson City, Nevada
Brewery Arts Center

Chattanooga, Tennessee
Jazzanooga

Denison, Texas
Denison Main Street

Elko, Nevada
Elko County Art Club

Escondido, California
California Center for the Arts Escondido Foundation

Galva, Illinois
Galva Arts Council

Hattiesburg, Mississippi
University of Southern Mississippi

Jacksonville, Illinois
Jacksonville Main Street

Middlesboro, Kentucky
Discover Downtown Middlesboro

Moab, Utah
Moab Folk Festival

Nashua, New Hampshire
Great American Downtown

Ocala, Florida
Marion Cultural Alliance

Prior Lake, Minnesota
Viva Musica

Santa Fe, New Mexico
AMP Concerts

Sheboygan, Wisconsin
Kohler Arts Center of JMKAC

St. Johnsbury, Vermont
Catamount Arts

Stevens Point, Wisconsin
Arts Alliance of Portage County

Trenton, New Jersey
Trenton Downtown Association

Tulsa, Oklahoma
Tulsa Roots Music

Utica, New York
Utica Monday Nite

Waterville, Maine
Waterville Opera House

Whitesburg, Kentucky
Cowan Community Center

Woonsocket, Rhode Island
NeighborWorks Blackstone River Valley

Following Levitt’s review period, the 2018 Levitt AMP winners will be announced on January 2, 2018. Mark your calendars and stay tuned!


Voting for the 2018 Levitt AMP [Your City] Grant Awards is now officially open! Each year, the Levitt Foundation awards $25K matching grants to up to 15 nonprofits serving small to mid-sized towns and cities across the country. Since all Levitt projects are community-driven, each year the Top 25 Levitt AMP finalists are chosen through online, public voting, open to all.

Vote for your favorite Levitt AMP proposals (up to 5 per person!) and you can help decide which towns and cities will be one step closer to receiving a Levitt AMP grant to present their own Levitt AMP Music Series. With 150 free concerts around the country (10 in each community), the series will inject new life into underused public spaces across America. Vote now! Voting ends November 20, 5PM PST. Spread the word!

Spotlight_Series_whiskeyshivers

The Levitt AMP Middlesboro Music Series ends on a high note with critically acclaimed bluegrass darlings Whiskey Shivers, playing a FREE show tomorrow at 6PM! They’ve dazzled Levitt audiences in Denver (July 2017), Los Angeles (July 2014) and Arlington (September 2014) with their brisk energy and virtuosic folk spirit. Their theatrical, interactive performances have captured the attention of publications like NPR, The Washington Post and Rolling Stone. Middlesboro, mark your calendars because you don’t want to miss this one!

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sounds-of-fallCozy weather, leaves turning red and orange, quality time with friends and family – there’s so much about the fall season we’re looking forward to! And with more free, outdoor concerts continuing into the new season, we’re not winding down from the thrill of live music just yet. Get ready for more shows through the fall with this curated playlist of artists playing upcoming shows at the Levitt AMP Music Series in Chattanooga, Tenn. and Middlesboro, Ky., as well as Levitt Pavilion Arlington and Levitt Shell Memphis. This mellow, soothing collection of acoustic folk, R&B, indie and more is the perfect companion for the first week of fall – enjoy!

Spotlight_Series_HMBB

The bombastic, big-band sound of the High and Mighty Brass Band takes the stage at Dog Mountain for the Levitt AMP St. Johnsbury Music Series this Sunday at 4pm! Levitteers in Westport, Conn., will recall their set at Levitt Pavilion Westport in September 2016. Get ready to dance to the funky sounds of this New Orleans-via-New York outfit, stirring up a storm at festival stages all around the country and beyond!

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Spotlight_Series_LeeBains

The raucous spirit of punk and garage rock embraces the spiritual and socio-political bent of Southern songwriting in the music of up-and-coming outfit Lee Bains III and The Glory Fires. Often compared to kindred spirits like Drive-By Truckers and Alabama Shakes, they’ve received critical acclaim from far and wide, including The New York Times, NPR and the Wall Street Journal. Tonight, Levitteers in Hattiesburg, Miss., get to experience their raw energy at a free show as part of the Levitt AMP Hattiesburg Music Series – they take the stage at 8PM!

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Spotlight_Series_Matuto

A truly innovative musical experience is set to dazzle Levitteers at the Levitt AMP St. Johnsbury and Levitt AMP Utica Music Series this Labor Day weekend, thanks to Charleston-via-New York-via-Brazil outfit Matuto! Melding the sounds of American Appalachia, bluegrass, Brazilian folk and Pan-Latin rhythms, this critically-acclaimed and globally-minded troupe of musicians have toured internationally, playing at festivals and venues like The Kennedy Center, Expressions of Brazil Festival, Chicago World Music Festival and more. Earlier this month, they graced the stage at The Levitt Pavilion for The Performing Arts in Westport – now, they’re taking the stage at Dog Mountain in St. Johnsbury this Sunday at 4PM, and at Kopernik Park in Utica on Labor Day at 6PM!

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Last week we had the pleasure of hosting the 2017 Levitt AMP grantees here in our Echo Park office—what an inspiring group of individuals!

These local arts champions hail from 15 small- to mid-sized towns and cities all across the country. After experiencing their passion, enthusiasm and dedication to building community through music at this year’s Levitt AMP convening, we couldn’t be more excited to see the 2017 Levitt AMP Music Series come to life!

Hold onto your hats, folks! We’re in store for a fantastic 2017 concert season (and it’s only a few months away!)