LOS ANGELES (April 18, 2025) – Staycation alert! Angelenos of all ages won’t need to venture far to find the ultimate destination for summer vibes. Located along Downtown L.A.’s newly created Grand Avenue Cultural District—and easily accessible by public transportation—The Music Center via its TMC Arts programming division, its resident company partners (Center Theatre Group, LA Opera, LA Phil and the Los Angeles Master Chorale) and Gloria Molina Grand Park will offer an incomparable summer calendar* packed with the best and most unforgettable experiences geared for all ages. From Tony Award®-winning musicals performed in The Music Center’s Ahmanson Theater to legendary outdoor dance parties taking over Jerry Moss Plaza at The Music Center to an epic Summer Block Party guaranteed to burst the thermometer, The Music Center is the top spot for fun under the sun, under the stars and under the spotlight.
“This summer, The Music Center invites all Angelenos to visit the heart of Downtown L.A. where our campus and Gloria Molina Grand Park will come alive with music, dancing and a wide array of performances—many of which are free or low cost,” said Rachel S. Moore, president and CEO of The Music Center. “Summer is the perfect time of the year to step outside, discover what makes Los Angeles so culturally vibrant and connect with one another. Join us at L.A.’s performing arts center to celebrate creativity, build lasting memories and elevate the artistic voices and stories that define Los Angeles. The Music Center will be your place for unforgettable moments all summer long!”
To view a complete list of summer events at The Music Center, visit musiccenter.org/summer.
The Music Center
- The Music Center’s Spotlight Grand Finale
The Music Center’s Ahmanson Theatre
Come see the stars of tomorrow perform on The Music Center’s Ahmanson Theatre stage! The Music Center’s 37th Annual Spotlight Grand Finale celebrates 14 Southern California teens selected from among more than 1,600 applicants and showcases their incredible talent during a free performance that concludes their yearlong artistic journey. The Music Center’s Spotlight is a free nationally acclaimed performing arts competition, scholarship and artistic development program for local teens competing in seven categories: acting, ballet, dance, classical voice, non-classical voice, classical instrumental and contemporary instrumental.
Friday, June 6, 8:00 p.m.
Free!
- Glorya Kaufman Presents Dance at The Music Center: Boston Ballet's Swan Lake
The Music Center’s Dorothy Chandler Pavilion
Step into the entrancing world of Swan Lake, a masterpiece of classical ballet that has mesmerized audiences for generations with elegant dancing, iconic music and a timeless tale of love and loss. Boston Ballet Artistic Director Mikko Nissinen’s exquisite production follows the Swan Queen Odette and Prince Siegfried in a tale of romance, sorcery and deceit. The second act, originally choreographed by Lev Ivanov, is historically considered the finest piece of classical choreography for the corps de ballet. The production showcases the technical precision and emotional tonality of the full company, brilliantly transformed by Robert Perdziola’s impeccable costume design and set to the timeless score by P.I. Tchaikovsky.
Thursday, June 26, 7:30 p.m.
Friday, June 27, 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, June 28, 1:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, June 29, 2:00 p.m.
- The Music Center’s Dance DTLA
Jerry Moss Plaza at The Music Center
Join the thousands who love the chance to learn new dance styles and dance the night away under the stars! The Music Center's Dance DTLA returns this summer for its 21st season with Friday nights of free, in-person beginner dance lessons followed by a dance party to practice some new moves. No dance experience necessary! Food and beverages will be available for purchase. No outside alcohol is permitted.
Friday nights (exact dates to be announced soon!)
7:00 – 11:00 p.m.
Free!
- Live at The Music Center: esperanza spalding
Jerry Moss Plaza at The Music Center
An annual free concert, Live at The Music Center returns to Jerry Moss Plaza at The Music Center for the fourth consecutive summer, thanks to the generosity of A&M Records Co-Founder Jerry Moss and his wife Tina Moss. Held in one of L.A.’s top outdoor concert settings, the concert will feature Grammy®-winning music artist and composer esperanza spalding.
Saturday, August 2, 8:00 p.m.
Free!
- The Music Center Tours
Meet at The Music Center’s Walt Disney Concert Hall, 111 S. Grand Ave., Los Angeles 90012
Create fun memories during summer vacation with a free tour of The Music Center’s sprawling campus! Led by volunteer Music Center docents, the Symphonians, the 90-minute tours encompass The Music Center’s Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, Ahmanson Theatre, Mark Taper Forum and Walt Disney Concert Hall and share details of each theatre’s history and architecture, along with Jerry Moss Plaza, while highlighting the many pieces of artwork, sculptures, tapestries, paintings and antiques from across the globe dating back to the 17th century. The free tours begin in the Grand Lobby of Walt Disney Concert Hall.
Tuesdays thru Fridays, 11:00 a.m.
Saturdays and Sundays, 10:15 a.m.
Free!
- The Music Center Presents: Breakthru
Jerry Moss Plaza at The Music Center
Join us for a free daily movement and breathing-based microbreak on Jerry Moss Plaza at The Music Center. Every day at noon and 6:00 p.m., Angelenos come together to move, breathe and reset—right in the heart of Downtown L.A. Guided by a series of two-minute movement and breath work sequences, shift your mood by choosing joyful, energized, centered and confident. This ever-evolving, crowd-curated experience gives us all permission to pause, reflect and recharge.
Now through Monday, June 30
Noon and 6 p.m.
Free!
Gloria Molina Grand Park
- Gloria Molina Grand Park's Wellness Breaks
Angelenos are invited to experience outdoor movement, restoration and reinvigoration—in under an hour. This free series is set to redefine midday breaks. Every Wednesday and Friday, amid the lush greenery of the park, participants can immerse themselves in their yoga flow. In addition to the regular weekly yoga classes, everyone is encouraged to mark their calendars for every third or fourth Saturday for the park’s “Wild Card” series, adding excitement and variety to the Wellness Breaks. These sessions are located on the scenic performance lawn between Grand Ave and Hill St.
Wellness Breaks: Wednesdays & Fridays
Noon – 12:45 p.m.
Free!
Wild Card Series: May 17 (Tempo Training & Resistance Bandwork: THIGHs, TRIs and BIs); June 21 (Family Yoga with Tree Yoga); July 26 (Groundwork Bodyweight Training); August 23 (Surprise Class)
10:30 a.m. - Noon
- Gloria Molina Grand Park’s Summer Block Party
The largest free summer block party on the West Coast returns with fun for the whole family. With over 35 local food vendors, family activities, live music, dancing and an unforgettable drone light show, this legendary celebration of L.A.’s diverse communities is not to be missed. This year’s festivities also will feature workshops, live DJs, music, dance and a Ferris wheel!
Friday, July 4, 4:00 – 9:00 p.m.
Free!
- Gloria Molina Grand Park’s Sunday Sessions
A celebration of L.A.’s contributions to the global art form of dance music specially curated with DJs, themes and experiences unique to the house music genre and cultural community, Gloria Molina Grand Park’s Sunday Sessions is simply the best way to enjoy the park, sip cocktails, picnic and dance your heart out.
Sundays: July 20 & August 17
3:00 – 8:00 p.m.
Free!
Center Theatre Group
- Life of Pi
The Music Center’s Ahmanson Theatre
Winner of three Tony Awards® and the Olivier Award for Best Play, Life of Pi is an unforgettable, epic tale of adventure and “an exhilarating evening of theater” (The Wall Street Journal). After a shipwreck in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, a 16-year-old boy named Pi survives on a lifeboat with four other companions—a hyena, a zebra, an orangutan and a 450-pound Royal Bengal tiger. What happens next leads them on an edge-of-your-seat unforgettable journey.
May 6 – June 1
Tuesdays through Fridays, 8:00 p.m.
Saturdays, 2:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m.
Sundays, 1:00 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.
- Hamlet
The Music Center’s Mark Taper Forum
It’s been a half-century since Hamlet was produced at The Music Center’s Mark Taper Forum. This all-new adaptation is directed by Tony Award®-nominated visionary Robert O’Hara who directed the landmark box office hit Slave Play. O’Hara returns to stage one of the most famous tales ever told. A rich entitled prince goes on a ferocious rampage that will lead to a massacre in the living room. Is he a tragic hero as we have often been told, or a royal-blooded serial killer? The audience will step into a Shakespearean noir through a forensic investigation of the ultimate crimes of passion.
May 28 – July 6
Tuesdays through Fridays, 8:00 p.m.
Saturdays, 2:30 p.m. and 8:00 p.m.
Sundays, 1:00 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.
- Parade
The Music Center’s Ahmanson Theatre
Leo and Lucille Frank are a newlywed Jewish couple struggling to make a life in the old red hills of Georgia. When Leo is accused of an unspeakable crime, his circumstances propel them into an unimaginable test of faith, humanity, justice and devotion. Riveting and gloriously hopeful, Parade reminds us that to love, we must truly see one another. Winner of the 2023 Tony Award® for Best Revival of a Musical, Parade has been proclaimed as “a work of art! As commanding as any musical revival to hit Broadway in years” (Deadline).
June 17 – July 12
Tuesdays through Fridays, 8:00 p.m.
Saturdays, 2:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m.
Sundays, 1:00 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.
LA Opera
- Rigoletto
The Music Center’s Dorothy Chandler Pavilion
In a court ruled by decadence and corruption, the Duke of Mantua sits on top. Whatever he wants, he gets, and lately, he’s set his sights on Rigoletto’s daughter. It’s enough to send the carefree court jester into a deadly rage, but revenge comes at a price he never expected. Verdi master James Conlon conducts Rigoletto, featuring some of the most famous music ever written. Quinn Kelsey, the premier Verdi baritone of his generation, returns to star in the title role, with tenor René Barbera as the suave and sadistic Duke, and Italian soprano Rosa Feola as Gilda, his unsuspecting prey. Stage director Tomer Zvulun updates the action to Mussolini’s Italy, transporting audiences to a realm of glittering grandeur that’s absolutely rotten to the core.
Saturday, May 31, 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, June 8, 2:00 p.m.
Thursday, June 12, 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, June 15, 2:00 p.m.
Wednesday, June 18, 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, June 21, 7:30 p.m.
- Renée Fleming & Friends
The Music Center’s Dorothy Chandler Pavilion
Don't miss an unforgettable evening with living legend Renée Fleming. The iconic soprano closes out the season with an enchanting evening of arias and songs. Savor the exquisite voice and peerless artistry of this longtime audience favorite, treasured for her unforgettable LA Opera appearances in La Traviata, A Streetcar Named Desire and The Light in the Piazza, as well as numerous concerts and recitals.
Saturday, June 14, 7:30 p.m.
LA Phil
- Sheku Kanneh-Mason & Isata Kanneh-Mason
The Music Center’s Walt Disney Concert Hall
Two siblings from one of Britain’s most talented musical families create “a sense of togetherness, of shared sensibility” (The New York Times), where the cello and piano become equal partners in musical conversation. The duo performs cello sonatas by Mendelssohn, Poulenc and Fauré as well as a new work by British composer and violinist Natalie Klouda.
Wednesday, May 28, 8:00 p.m.
- Tchaikovsky & Pereira
The Music Center’s Walt Disney Concert Hall
“Tchaikovsky’s Fifth Symphony” embodies a profound journey, rife with dramatic orchestral color, tumultuous emotions and passionate themes of fate and triumph. Percussionist-turned-conductor Gustavo Gimeno leads the symphony after guiding the orchestra through the suspenseful brass-filled suite of love and obsession from Alfred Hitchcock’s Vertigo before a world premiere spotlighting two of the LA Phil’s own: Principal Percussionist Matthew Howard performs the new concerto by Principal Timpanist and composer Joseph Pereira.
Thursday, May 29, 8:00 p.m.
Saturday, May 31, 8:00 p.m.
Sunday, June 1, 2:00 p.m.
- New Voices from Korea
The Music Center’s Walt Disney Concert Hall
Unsuk Chin curates an evening exploring the diverse and dynamic voices of Korean and Korean-born composers including two world premieres. The first is a new violin concerto from Yie-Eun Chun, whose often playful music has found its inspiration in everything from Lewis Carroll’s and Hans Christian Andersen’s stories to stop-and-go traffic in New York City, performed by SooBeen Lee. The premiere of “reflective - silky and rough,” composed by Dongjin Bae, revels in the dual and contrasting sounds of the flute as Yubeen Kim balances his instrument’s smooth and lyric quality with its raw and breathy character. Preceding the premieres, Sun-Young Pahg’s “L‘autre moitie de Silence (The Other Half of Silence)” showcases the traditional Korean bamboo flute called the daegeum in a suite of five miniatures based on the work of Korean writer Jae-Young Yoo. Juri Seo’s music is often built on alternating textures and tonality, and her piano concertino shifts between fanfare, a jazz fugue and an homage to Robert Schumann. Closing the evening, Chin’s “Gougalon” channels “imaginary folk music” to explore her memory of Seoul in the 1960s: a fast-modernizing city that juxtaposed glittering shopping centers and traditional wooden food stalls.
Tuesday, June 3, 8:00 p.m.
- Korean Premieres & Sunwook Kim
The Music Center’s Walt Disney Concert Hall
South Korea is home to an ever-expanding cohort of inventive composers with fresh ideas and talented performers who have made names for themselves at many of the world’s finest concert halls. In the first of two Seoul Festival programs with the LA Phil, composer Unsuk Chin curates a night showcasing Korean composers and artists who are shaping musical culture and building connections from Seoul to Los Angeles. Composer and UCLA assistant professor Kay Kyurim Rhie was born in South Korea and raised in L.A. and blends influences ranging from film and jazz to European avant-garde and Korean folk melded with the blues. Hankyeol Yoon leads the LA Phil in the world premiere of a new orchestral piece.
Texu Kim’s lullaby-inspired “Viola Concerto” takes its name “Ko-oh” from the Korean baby-talk word for “sleep;” he musically explores the idea of sleep as both a nightly occurrence and a mortal and final destination. USC Thornton faculty Yura Lee performs the world premiere of Kim’s revised viola showpiece.
In 2006, Sunwook Kim became the first Asian and youngest winner in 40 years when he took top prize in the prestigious Leeds competition with a performance of “Brahms’ Piano Concerto No. 1.” The work has remained close to his heart, recording it twice and earning praise by Gramaphone for his “beauty of line and sound” and “melodies [that] are molded with great sensitivity,” particularly in the soulful adagio. Kim joins the LA Phil to cap off the evening with one of his specialties.
Friday, June 6, 8:00 p.m.
- Unsuk Chin & Brahms’ Double Concerto
The Music Center’s Walt Disney Concert Hall
South Korea is home to an ever-expanding cohort of inventive composers with fresh ideas and talented performers who have made names for themselves at many of the world’s finest concert halls. In the second of two Seoul Festival programs with the LA Phil, composer Unsuk Chin curates a night showcasing Korean composers and artists who are shaping musical culture and building connections from Seoul to Los Angeles. Herbert von Karajan Award-winning conductor Hankyeol Yoon leads the LA Phil in a world premiere by Whan Ri-Ahn followed by Han Kim’s performing Unsuk Chin’s “Clarinet Concerto,” which was called “a musical, out-of-body experience” by the Financial Times. Violinist Inmo Yang and cellist Jaemin Han embody a young generation of South Korean performers who have turned major international competition wins into thriving careers. Yang and Han—the 2022 Jean Sibelius Violin Competition winner and top prize at the 2021 George Enescu International Competition respectively—combine forces for “Brahms’ Double Concerto,” which offers a musical conversation for its two soloists moving between joy and turbulence.
Saturday, June 7, 8:00 p.m.
Sunday, June 8, 2:00 p.m.
- Igor Levit
The Music Center’s Walt Disney Concert Hall
With his “clear-eyed precision” and an “ever-thoughtful approach” (Presto Music), Igor Levit performs remarkable works for solo piano by classical music’s esteemed Three B’s: Bach, Beethoven and Brahms. Please note: This concert has been rescheduled from the previous date of January 8, 2025. Tickets purchased for the previously scheduled event will be valid for the new concert. No action is needed for those ticketholders.
Sunday, June 8, 7:30 p.m.
- Seoul Chamber Music
The Music Center’s Walt Disney Concert Hall
This program, presented as part of the LA Phil’s Seoul Festival and curated by renowned composer Unsuk Chin, highlights the acclaimed Novus String Quartet and young rising stars from South Korea. Robert Schumann’s “E-flat Piano Quintet,” one of the first examples of its kind, creates an enthusiast and serene showcase of each instrument’s capabilities. In the same vein, Brahms’ “Clarinet Quintet” is reminiscent of a warm summer night, featuring colorful lyricism, rich textures and a flicker of aching nostalgia. Also on the program is Debussy’s raw and humorously dark “Cello Sonata” and the captivating “Intermezzo” from Schoenberg’s early-career piece sometimes referred to as “String Quartet No. 0.”
Tuesday, June 10, 8:00 p.m.
Los Angeles Master Chorale
- New Renaissance
The Music Center’s Walt Disney Concert Hall
The Los Angeles Master Chorale concludes its monumental 60th Anniversary season with a spectacular celebration of harmony and innovation that honors its storied past, embraces the vibrant present and sets the stage for an exciting future. Featuring an extraordinary playlist of music ranging from Shakespeare’s England to the choral Renaissance happening in Los Angeles right now, the composers represent the creative forces that have both shaped the Chorale and solidified its place at the epicenter of the choral world.
Sunday, June 1, 7:00 p.m.
*Programs and artists subject to change.
ABOUT THE MUSIC CENTER
The Music Center convenes artists, communities and ideas with the goal of deepening the cultural lives of every resident in Los Angeles County. The $80 million non-profit performing arts organization has two divisions: TMC Arts and TMC Ops. TMC Arts, The Music Center’s programming engine, provides year-round programming inside The Music Center’s four theatres, on Jerry Moss Plaza, outside at Gloria Molina Grand Park—a 12-acre adjacent green space—in schools and other locations all over Los Angeles County. TMC Arts presents world-class dance with Glorya Kaufman Presents Dance at The Music Center, free and low-cost public concerts and events, live and digital K–12 arts education programs, workshops, performances, interactive experiences and special events. TMC Ops manages the theatres, the Plaza and Gloria Molina Grand Park, which comprise $3 billion in county assets, on behalf of the County of Los Angeles. The Music Center is also home to four renowned resident companies—Center Theatre Group, Los Angeles Master Chorale, LA Opera and LA Phil. For more information, visit musiccenter.org. Follow The Music Center on social media @MusicCenterLA.
ABOUT GLORIA MOLINA GRAND PARK
A vibrant outdoor gathering place, Gloria Molina Grand Park is a beautiful public park for the entire community in Los Angeles County. With expansive green space for gatherings large and small, Gloria Molina Grand Park celebrates the county’s cultural vitality and is host to community events, cultural experiences, holiday celebrations and many other activities that engage and attract visitors from all communities. The 12-acre Gloria Molina Grand Park, which celebrated its 10th anniversary in 2022, stretches from The Music Center on the west to City Hall on the east and is easily accessible by Metro via the B/D (formerly Red/Purple) line to the Civic Center/Grand Park station. The park was named one of American Planning Association’s 10 “Great Public Spaces” in the U.S. for 2013. Working closely with the county, The Music Center is responsible for all operations and programming for the park. For more information, visit grandparkla.org. Follow Gloria Molina Grand Park on Instagram, X, Twitch, TikTok, Spotify and Mixcloud (@grandpark_la) as well as YouTube and Facebook (@grandparkLosAngeles).
ABOUT CENTER THEATRE GROUP
Center Theatre Group, one of the nation’s preeminent arts and cultural organizations, is Los Angeles’ leading not-for-profit theatre company, which, under the leadership of Artistic Director Snehal Desai, Managing Director / CEO Meghan Pressman, and Producing Director Douglas C. Baker, programs the Mark Taper Forum and the Ahmanson Theatre at The Music Center in Downtown Los Angeles, and the Kirk Douglas Theatre in Culver City. Center Theatre Group is one of the country’s leading producers of ambitious new works through commissions and world premiere productions and a leader in interactive community engagement and education programs that reach across generations, demographics, and circumstances to serve Los Angeles. Founded in 1967, Center Theatre Group has produced more than 700 productions across its three stages, including such iconic shows as Zoot Suit; Angels in America; The Kentucky Cycle; Biloxi Blues; Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992; Children of a Lesser God; Curtains; The Drowsy Chaperone; 9 to 5: The Musical; and Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo. CenterTheatreGroup.org
ABOUT LA OPERA
Los Angeles is a city of enormous diversity and creativity, and LA Opera is dedicated to reflecting that vibrancy by redefining what opera can be. Through imaginative new productions, world premiere commissions, and inventive performances that preserve foundational works while making them feel fresh and compelling, LA Opera has become one of America’s most exciting and ambitious opera companies. In addition to its mainstage performances at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, the company explores unusual repertoire each season through the LA Opera Off Grand initiative, featuring performances in a variety of venues throughout Los Angeles. The LA Opera Connects initiative offers a robust variety of educational programming and community engagement offerings that reaches people throughout every corner of Los Angeles County. Learn more at LAOpera.org
ABOUT THE LA PHIL
Under the leadership of Music & Artistic Director Gustavo Dudamel, the LA Phil offers live performances, media initiatives and learning programs that inspire and strengthen communities in Los Angeles and beyond. The Los Angeles Philharmonic orchestra is the foundation of the LA Phil’s offerings, which also include a multi-genre, multidisciplinary presenting program and such youth development programs as YOLA (Youth Orchestra Los Angeles). Performances are offered on three historic stages—Walt Disney Concert Hall, the Hollywood Bowl, and The Ford—as well as through a variety of media platforms. In all its endeavors, the LA Phil seeks to enrich the lives of individuals and communities through musical, artistic and learning experiences that resonate in our world today.
ABOUT THE LOS ANGELES MASTER CHORALE
The Grammy™ Award-winning Los Angeles Master Chorale is the “the finest-by-far major chorus in America” (Los Angeles Times) and a vibrant cultural treasure. Hailed for its powerful performances, technical precision, and artistic daring, the Master Chorale is led by Grant Gershon, Kiki & David Gindler Artistic Director. Celebrating its 60th anniversary in the 2024/25 season, the Master Chorale reaches over 175,000 people a year through its concert series at Walt Disney Concert Hall, international touring of innovative works, commissions, recordings, and community education programs. The mission of the Master Chorale is to share the traditional and evolving spectrum of choral music with the widest possible audience.
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