Author Archives: Amanda Lester

Spotlight_Series_silk_road2On Sunday, the Silk Road festival returns to Levitt Pavilion Los Angeles in MacArthur Park for the fifth consecutive year to showcase the vast cultural riches of three diaspora communities. Did you know that Los Angeles—one of the world’s great crossroads—is home to people from over 180 countries, speaking 140 different languages? This wealth of ethnic diversity translates directly to the city’s cultural offerings, including food, art, theater, dance and music.

The upcoming Silk Road festival (not to be confused with Yo-Yo Ma’s Silk Road Ensemble) will feature the Los Angeles-based Jung Im Lee Korean Dance Academy, Anatolia Turkish Folk Dance Group and Nupur Academy for Indian Classical Performing Arts. Get ready for a lively night with this behind-the-scenes look at a few dances from these groups’ respective homelands! Continue reading

23rd-Army-Band
With July 4th just around the corner, proud members of the United States armed services are set to bring musical fireworks to Americans’ ears. This Friday, for example, the 23rd Army Band of the Utah National Guard will give a patriotic performance at the Levitt AMP Midvale Music Series in Midvale, Utah.

The U.S. military boasts 11 premier bands and over 100 active-duty and reserve bands across the federal and state uniformed services—the oldest is the U.S. Marine Corps Band, also known as “The President’s Own.” First used to signal troops and mark special occasions two decades before the U.S. Army was created in 1775, military bands acquired a commanding patron during the Revolutionary War when Gen. George Washington (an accomplished flutist) ordered his musicians to train with the regimental drum and fife majors. Continue reading


Sheboyganites, get ready to give a rousing “¡Olé!” to Flor de Toloache, the GRAMMY-nominated, all-female mariachi sensation from New York! On the heels of last Friday’s performance at the Levitt Shell in Memphis, these talented ladies are headed to Wisconsin, where they’ll launch the 2016 Levitt AMP Sheboygan Music Series tonight at The Art Center’s Festival Green. Continue reading