Today, we’re shining the spotlight on the Mississippi Delta’s own Kate Campbell—a country/folk singer-songwriter who uses music and storytelling to preserve memories from her childhood in the small town of Sledge, Miss. and who will be taking the Levitt AMP Cleveland stage in her home state tonight. Continue reading
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 second 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 AMP selection process to the public to choose the Top 25 Finalists. Continue reading
The 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.
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
Growing up with GRAMMY-winning zydeco artist Terrance Simien as her father, Marcella René Simien always knew she wanted to be on stage. By the age of 14, she was performing and touring with her father’s band, appearing at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, Festival International de Louisiane and the Legendary Rhythm & Blues Cruise, among others.
Marcella and Her Lovers performing at the Levitt AMP Lafayette Music Series. Photo by Sara Virginia Yongue.
Now a professional musician in her own right, Marcella wowed audiences in her hometown of Lafayette, La., at the Levitt AMP Music Series earlier this summer. And in the coming week, she will play two more Levitt stages with her band, Marcella and Her Lovers: Levitt Shell on September 13 and the Levitt AMP Cleveland Music Series on September 16. Continue reading
With the first Levitt AMP Music Series launching soon, we’re thrilled to announce our new Levitt AMP website, your destination for all things Levitt AMP—from concert schedules to artist biographies to information about the unique places where each concert series will take place.
Which brings us to the topic of today’s post: place. Some people are born to a place. Others create it. The winners of the 2015 Levitt AMP [Your City] Grant Awards fall into this second category. They are creators and activators, transforming underused sites—like a neglected horse farm in Lafayette, La., and abandoned railroad tracks in Cleveland, Miss.—into lively, music-filled community hubs as part of the inaugural Levitt AMP [Your City] Music Series. Continue reading
Drumroll please…
The votes have been tallied and the review process has come to an end. The moment we’ve all been waiting for has finally arrived!
Today Levitt Pavilions and the Mortimer & Mimi Levitt Foundation awarded $250,000 in matching funds to 10 nonprofits serving small to mid-sized cities across America to present free outdoor concerts as part of the first-ever Levitt AMP [Your City] Grant Awards. A new chapter of Levitt history has begun!
