Jerry Moss Plaza
Jerry Moss Plaza (Plaza) is a beautiful 35,000 square foot outdoor urban oasis and destination for free and low-cost programs such as The Music Center’s highly popular Dance DTLA, along with festivals, concerts, special events and other art-making experiences. The “Plaza for All” welcomes all and brings to life the strength and diversity of Los Angeles County and with a range of dining options, refreshing gardens, an iconic fountain and views of Grand Park and City Hall.
The Music Center’s three original theatres are united by the Plaza. The Plaza’s location was planned so it would form a unit with what is now Grand Park to the east and the Department of Water and Power building to the west, creating the largest open, landscaped area of any downtown in the United States. The original Music Center was united by a central sunken plaza designed by landscape architecture firm Cornell, Bridgers and Troller in association with Welton Becket & Associates. Its refined architectural design was reflected in the original landscaping, combining water, trees, ground cover and patterned pavement to create the atmosphere of a formal courtyard.
In January 2018, The Music Center closed the plaza for a major renovation helmed by the award-winning Los Angeles-based multidisciplinary architecture and design firm Rios Clementi Hale Studios, now known as Rios. The architects not only updated the plaza’s infrastructure but also created a more welcoming space along with five new buildings: Lisa Specht Welcome Center, Abernethy’s (a full-service restaurant), The Mullin Wine Bar, and permanent public restrooms. The plaza had a major public grand opening in August 2019 and, in 2020, was renamed Jerry Moss Plaza following a $25 million benefaction by Tina and Jerry Moss to support free and low-cost programming. The reimagined plaza creates a fifth venue for The Music Center campus.
In its architecture and civic design approach, Rios raised the plaza to one single accessible level with 48,000 square feet of flexible, usable outdoor space, reconfigured the Grand Avenue staircase and added two new escalators on either side of what is now the Terri and Jerry Kohl Stairs on Grand Avenue as a new “front door” for The Music Center. The plaza redesign allows for more open space for public events and performances, enhances the connection to the community and visually connects The Music Center to Grand Park, leveraging the synergies between two major county assets.
New drought tolerant landscaping enriches the hardscape surface of the Plaza, including 20 new “Geijera parviflora” (Australian Willow) trees, which have low water requirements and were chosen for their shade and graceful foliage character. Two new gardens allow wining and dining al fresco: The plaza’s Blue Ribbon Garden is adjacent to The Mullin Wine Bar and the Fredric Roberts Garden is next to Go Get Em Tiger. The gardens feature Melaleuca quinquenervia (Paperbark) trees plus California and other evergreen plantings in a vibrant lime green color palette. Each of the gardens has historical globe lighting fixtures that sat on the original plaza and were restored and relocated to illuminate the garden spaces.
The public and artists alike appreciate the two new 12’ x 20’ plaza LED screens, which are equipped with sensors and cameras. The screens provide the opportunity to create “art” on the plaza through multiple interactive experiences that incorporate people and movement throughout the space. Imagined by the artists of Music Center partners yU+co, the LED screens feature live feeds, machine learning and various filters that allow plaza visitors to generate their own living video art in realistic or abstract ways as their movement and actions on the plaza are reflected on the LED screens. The Lisa Specht Welcome Center also features a 6’ x 20’ interactive touch screen that provides information and personalized guidance for visitors about the entire Music Center complex; The Music Center’s resident companies and TMC Arts, The Music Center’s programming engine; events, food and beverage options; and members of The Music Center community.
As part of the renovation, The Music Center moved the Jacques Lipchitz-designed “Peace on Earth” sculpture due west from its previous location in the center of the plaza’s fountain. The sculpture is now a focal point on the Hope Street side of The Music Center complex in the Rose Hills Foundation Courtyard. Additionally, the “Dance Door” designed by Robert Graham, was re-positioned in the Fredric Roberts Garden on the east side of the plaza.
TMC Arts programs Jerry Moss Plaza as both a civic and cultural space. In addition to arts programming, TMC Arts showcases artistic experiences on the plaza’s LED screens and also offers guests the opportunity to come together and share, actively or passively, in dialogue about civic issues and matters critical to each other, to the many communities in Los Angeles and to society overall. That can include showing the latest political debates—representing all sides of the political spectrum—town hall meetings, panels, talks and the like.
Featured on Jerry Moss Plaza
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Fri Jun 21 7:00 PM
Fri Aug 16 7:00 PM
A TMC Arts Program The Music Center's Dance DTLA
Jerry Moss Plaza
Don't miss the chance to try a different dance style for eight Friday nights this summer. Enjoy free in-person beginner dance lessons and then boogie down on the dance floor like no one is watching! No dance experience necessary!
Don't miss the chance to try a different dance style for eight Friday nights this summer. Enjoy free in-person beginner dance lessons and then boogie down on the dance floor like no one is watching! No dance experience necessary!
Show LessFree
Learn MoreFree
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Sun May 12 3:00 PM
A TMC Arts Program The Music Center and City of Monterey Park Present TAIKOPROJECT
320 W Newmark Ave, Monterey Park, CA
Experience the arts in your local community! Our Arts Grown L.A. program brings Music Center Performing Artists to communities and libraries all over L.A. County.
Utilizing authentic instruments hand-crafted in Japan, TAIKOPROJECT weaves tr...Show More
Experience the arts in your local community! Our Arts Grown L.A. program brings Music Center Performing Artists to communities and libraries all over L.A. County.
Utilizing authentic instruments hand-crafted in Japan, TAIKOPROJECT weaves traditional and modern forms of taiko together and share elements of their Japanese and Japanese-American culture.
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Learn MoreFree
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Thu May 09 8:00 PM
Sun May 12 2:00 PM
LA Phil Dvořák and Ortiz with Dudamel
Walt Disney Concert Hall
Filled with drama, sweet longing, and unforgettable melodies evoking an American landscape seen through an immigrant’s eyes, Dvořák’s Ninth has become one of the most popular and performed symphonies. But both in recent performances and recordings...Show More
Filled with drama, sweet longing, and unforgettable melodies evoking an American landscape seen through an immigrant’s eyes, Dvořák’s Ninth has become one of the most popular and performed symphonies. But both in recent performances and recordings, Gustavo Dudamel has been praised for “[jolting] the familiar score with vitality and imagination” (The New York Times). When Spanish violinist María Dueñas premiered the concerto Ortiz wrote for her, the Los Angeles Times wrote that “a star was born,” praising her musical depth and effortless virtuosity. Dueñas teams up with Dudamel once more for an encore performance of Ortiz’s Altar de cuerda.
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Sat May 18 7:30 PM
Sat Jun 08 7:30 PM
LA Opera Turandot
Dorothy Chandler Pavilion
Captivated by a beauty who scorns love, a renegade prince enters an all but impossible contest, where the price of failure is death. But beyond the legendary riddles, he’ll find another challenge in melting Turandot’s stubborn heart.
Captivated by a beauty who scorns love, a renegade prince enters an all but impossible contest, where the price of failure is death. But beyond the legendary riddles, he’ll find another challenge in melting Turandot’s stubborn heart.
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Sat May 18 2:00 PM
Sun May 19 2:00 PM
LA Phil Dudamel Conducts Harry Potter
Walt Disney Concert Hall
Since the mysterious opening celesta melody of “Hedwig’s Theme” sounded in the first Harry Potter film, John Williams’ score has been inseparable in audiences’ minds from the magic and wonder of the beloved franchise. E...Show More
Since the mysterious opening celesta melody of “Hedwig’s Theme” sounded in the first Harry Potter film, John Williams’ score has been inseparable in audiences’ minds from the magic and wonder of the beloved franchise. Each piece captures a character or idea, and Williams said that while he was composing, the enchanting themes all insisted on being “hatched” and “seemed to arrive all clamoring for their individual identities.” Gustavo Dudamel leads the LA Phil in a family friendly program featuring a Grand Suite from Harry Potter with a special guest narrator and selected film clips, as well as a musical journey through the orchestra guided by a magical Sprite. Described as a “concerto for orchestra and animated film,” Philharmonia Fantastique combines music by Mason Bates, direction by Gary Rydstrom, and animation by Jim Capobianco resulting in what John Williams praised as “the biggest step forward since Fantasia” in combining music and animation.
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Sat May 18 3:00 PM
A TMC Arts Program: Arts Grown L.A. The Music Center and Glendale Library Present Dancing Storytellers
Glendale Central Public Library, Glendale, CA
Experience the arts in your local community! Our Arts Grown L.A. program brings Music Center Performing Artists to communities and libraries all over L.A. County.
Experience the arts in your local community! Our Arts Grown L.A. program brings Music Center Performing Artists to communities and libraries all over L.A. County.
Show LessFree
Learn MoreFree
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Sat May 18 7:00 PM
Center Theatre Group The Trial of the Catonsville Nine
Mark Taper Forum
The Trial of the Catonsville Nine, written by Daniel Berrigan and directed by Michael John Garcés, will be the first play featured as a Taper Legacy Reading when it returns to the Taper stage for a one-night-only reading on May 18. The pl...Show More
The Trial of the Catonsville Nine, written by Daniel Berrigan and directed by Michael John Garcés, will be the first play featured as a Taper Legacy Reading when it returns to the Taper stage for a one-night-only reading on May 18. The play received its world premiere at the Taper in 1971, in a production commissioned and directed by Center Theatre Group Founding Artistic Director Gordon Davidson. The reading will feature film, television, and Broadway veteran Bill Pullman (The Goat, or Who Is Sylvia?, Oleanna, Independence Day, The Sinner), taking on the role of the author, Daniel Berrigan, with additional casting to be announced soon.
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Sat May 18 2:00 PM
Sun May 19 2:00 PM
LA Phil Dudamel Conducts Harry Potter
Walt Disney Concert Hall
Since the mysterious opening celesta melody of “Hedwig’s Theme” sounded in the first Harry Potter film, John Williams’ score has been inseparable in audiences’ minds from the magic and wonder of the beloved franchise. E...Show More
Since the mysterious opening celesta melody of “Hedwig’s Theme” sounded in the first Harry Potter film, John Williams’ score has been inseparable in audiences’ minds from the magic and wonder of the beloved franchise. Each piece captures a character or idea, and Williams said that while he was composing, the enchanting themes all insisted on being “hatched” and “seemed to arrive all clamoring for their individual identities.” Gustavo Dudamel leads the LA Phil in a family friendly program featuring a Grand Suite from Harry Potter with a special guest narrator and selected film clips, as well as a musical journey through the orchestra guided by a magical Sprite. Described as a “concerto for orchestra and animated film,” Philharmonia Fantastique combines music by Mason Bates, direction by Gary Rydstrom, and animation by Jim Capobianco resulting in what John Williams praised as “the biggest step forward since Fantasia” in combining music and animation.
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Thank You to our Generous and Visionary Donors to Jerry Moss Plaza
The renovated Jerry Moss Plaza completes a dream and opens the door to a future where The Music Center is at the heart of deepening the cultural lives of every resident of L.A. County. The Music Center will continue to uplift this vision by activating the plaza with innovative and inspiring arts experiences for all to enjoy.
Prohibited Items and Activities on Jerry Moss Plaza
For the safety and enjoyment of all guests who visit Jerry Moss Plaza, please note that the following items and activities are prohibited.
- Bathing in pools or fountain
- Camping
- Damage to plants or property
- Entering fountain pools at the Mark Taper Forum
- Feeding the birds
- Explosives
- Firearms
- Fires
- Lawn umbrellas
- Littering (including pet waste)
- Narcotics or illegal drugs
- Overnight lodging
- Outside alcohol
- Outside furniture
- Professional-grade photo and video equipment, including but not limited to: tripods, drones, microphones, cameras, lights, reflectors, etc.
- Public intoxication
- Electric scooters
- Rollerblading
- Skateboarding
- Smoking (including vapes) except in designated smoking areas
- Tents
- Tripods
- Unauthorized driving or parking
- Unauthorized photo or video shoots
- Unauthorized solicitation
- Unauthorized vending
- Unleashed animals
- Weapons