Category Archives: Levitt in America

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

A happy family of Levitteers picnics on the lawnThank you for being a Levitteer during the most exciting Levitt season yet! Over half a million people are coming together in 16 cities for 400+ free concerts and building stronger, healthier communities in the process.

Want to help even more people experience the power of free, live music? Support America’s largest free outdoor concert series today with a tax-deductible donation at http://levitt.org/donate!


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

Spotlight Series: Trout Fishing in America

Keith Grimwood and Ezra Idlet are no strangers to Levitt stages.

As Trout Fishing in America (TFIA), the duo has performed at Levitt Arlington (2013, 2010), Levitt Shell Memphis (2011) and Levitt Westport (2011), and they’ll be adding Levitt SteelStacks to the list when they bring their family-friendly folk-rock show to the Lehigh Valley this Saturday at 7:30 p.m.

Get to know the band before they take the stage with some fun TFIA trivia! Continue reading

Mimi and Liz for Blog

Mimi Levitt and Liz Levitt Hirsch at the reopening of Levitt Westport, 2014

In many parts of the country, the name “Levitt” has become synonymous with “free outdoor concerts,” “revitalized spaces” and “citywide destinations” open to all. And for good reason—in 2015, more than 400 Levitt concerts will be presented in 16 cities, bringing the joy of free, live music to hundreds of thousands of people of all ages and backgrounds across America, ensuring access to the arts and strengthening communities in the process. America’s largest free outdoor concert series is made possible, in part, by the generous philanthropy and forward-thinking vision of the Levitt family—the late Mortimer Levitt (1907-2005), whose humble beginnings inspired his lifelong love affair with free music under the stars, his wife Annemarie “Mimi” Levitt, and daughter Liz Levitt Hirsch. Since Mortimer’s passing in 2005, Mimi and Liz have taken the reins of their private family foundation, the Mortimer & Mimi Levitt Foundation, and have led it with aplomb, honoring Mortimer’s legacy while directing more than $18 million in grants to support the core Levitt program of outdoor music venues presenting free concert series, along with other meaningful projects that invigorate communities through the arts. Continue reading

The wait is finally over! We’re thrilled to announce the tour dates for the 2015 Levitt National Tour, featuring the one and only Black Violin!

tour date graphic_no dates
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Are you excited for the Levitt National Tour? In just a few months, Black Violin, the genre-busting pioneers of urban meets highbrow, will be bringing their show-stopping talent to six Levitt stages across the country: Levitt Arlington, Levitt Los Angeles, Levitt Memphis, Levitt SteelStacks, Levitt Pasadena and the future site of Levitt Denver.

We’ll be announcing their tour dates soon, but until then, here’s a taste of what’s to come! Earlier this month, the duo turned a plane ride into an impromptu show, breaking out their instruments for a rousing rendition of “A-Flat.” Check out their surprise performance!

Young snowboarder

Courtesy of Andy Cross – The Denver Post

Ruby Hill Park (where Levitt Denver will open in 2016) boasts 88 acres of land, breathtaking 360 degree views of the city and, at the moment, a free snow-filled winter wonderland for urban skiers, snowboarders, inner tubers and sledders. The name of this playground for snow enthusiasts: Ruby Hill Rail Yard.

With the snow-covered Rocky Mountains right in Denver’s backyard, why is a little mid-city snow so exciting? Continue reading