The grand finale of Grand Performances’ 38th summer season was a cornucopia of cumbia. We witnessed the entire breadth of this beloved genre, from its old school beginnings in Colombia to the innovative new takes we’re currently hearing all across Latin America.

Grand Performances was blessed to have three powerhouse female performer grace our stage last Saturday, each imbuing the night with soulfulness and depth.

For Saturday’s one of a kind show, we leaned into the expertise of our co-presenters Leaving Records and dublab, who curated a remarkable lineup of young LA-based transcendental jazz artists and beat makers.

Our audience at last Friday’s Prelude Classical show was treated to both a stunning performance and a history lesson! The theme was 19th and 20th century French classical composers, and the trio of Eder Rivera (oboe), Jordan Farber (bassoon) and HyeJin Park (piano) played the music of this impressionist period with flair.

With 4,000 in attendance, last Saturday’s Celia Cruz tribute show was one of GP’s biggest. The crowd energy felt distinct. There was a palpable sense of love in the air: Love for her legacy. Love for salsa music. Love for dancing. Love for community. Love for LA.

Okwy, from Nigeria, represents West African Highlife music. His band's upbeat grooves felt like a fusion of guitar-driven jazz, R&B, roots reggae singing, and African percussion.

Arocena arrived at CalPlaza just in time to hit the stage with no sound check and completely wowed our audience, who were none the wiser. She brought it that night… her powerful, soulful voice soaring through the night, her dance moves infectious with energy, her stage presence completely impeccable.

Saturday’s Mariachi Women’s Festival was simply unforgettable. Featuring no less than five bands and 50 total musicians hailing from LA to Mexico City and Jalisco, this was a celebration of a beloved artform that spans both generations and borders.

We cannot thank our ensemble of Adam Millstein (violin), Emma Lee (cello), and Dominic Cheli (piano) enough for blessing us with an enchanting evening of classical music.

When Grand Performances and Hello Stranger link up to throw a show, good things happen! This past Saturday’s Cali Soul Jam saw an outpouring of love as a large crowd representing multiple generations and ethnicities gathered in unity to appreciate lowrider oldies.

Thanks to pioneering voices like Allen Ginsburg and Mary Oliver, LGBT perspectives were gaining prominence through poetry long before they had in other artistic mediums.

Saturday night’s Max Roach centennial tribute show was simply magical. Everything aligned serendipitously including our performers’ schedules, the great weather, and the impeccable crowd energy.

Grand Performances’ rich, decades-long partnership with the City of LA’s Artist Fellows program continues to inspire, thanks to this past Friday’s performances by Chris Wabich (experimental drums), Gina Loring (poetry), Sehba Sarwar (documentary and spoken word), Jay Carlon (choreography), and Dorian Wood (vocalist & piano).

For this past Saturday’s NOLA themed show, we pulled out all the stops to honor the rich cultural heritage of the Crescent City. Drawing upon his youth spent near New Orleans, DJ Bennett kicked things off with a mix of NOLA funk and southern soul, including several fun brass band covers of pop songs.

For those of a certain age, house music means transcendent all night dancefloor experiences in clubs and illegal warehouses throughout the 80s and 90s. It was vinyl and it was soulful. It was bold and drew upon R&B, funk, and disco. That was the grown folks vibe that Soulnic brought to our Grand Performances stage this past Saturday.

KCRW and GP audiences coming together for another magical Summer Nights event = Community

As the organization moves toward its 40th Anniversary in 2026, Grand Performances has developed a new Strategic Plan which sets forth a vision, four key goals, an action plan, and an implementation chart for 2024 through 2027.

We are thrilled to introduce four exceptional new members joining our Board: Fabiola Torres, Lorenza Muñoz, Jordan Gadd, and Michael Centeno.

When reflecting on our 2023 concert season, the Grand Performances team is proud to say that we stayed true to our mission of bringing truly global music and art to Los Angeles.

During our 2023 summer season, we worked with BIPOC artists and offered concert goers a unique opportunity to take a piece of the show home with them.