To properly celebrate the 50th anniversary of hip hop we needed a little bit of pain with our joy. We also needed some education with our entertainment. 50 years means that three generations have now grown up with hip hop, which also means that we've lost many hip hop elders along the way. Thus, last Saturday wasn't just a party... it served as a moment of solemn reflection too.

CalPlaza was filled with music lovers who cheered and danced to a plethora of classic soul songs, often introduced by the DJs via heartwarming pre-recorded dedications

This past Saturday we were treated to two intimate and soulful performances by Martha Redbone and her friend and opening act Maritri Garrett.

LA Stories, featuring 17 local artists, touched on issues of gentrification, beloved landmarks, lost landscapes, over-policing, culture, and pride. These raw and unfiltered stories generated claps, laughs, and even a few gasps.

During its legendary decade-long run at the Zanzibar in Santa Monica, Afro Funke' parties were renown for their spontaneity and eclecticism. Boasting the globe-spanning, crate-digging resident DJs Jeremy Sole (KCRW) and Glenn Red (La Junta), you could expect the unexpected on any given Thursday night. ⁠

LA’s underground jazz legend Garrett Saracho made a triumphant return to the stage. The show, co-presented by Jazz Is Dead, was so much more than just a revisiting of his 1973 lost classic En Medio.

Thanks to Viver Brasil, the GP community became fully immersed in Brazilian culture this past Saturday. That immersion even included guided dance lessons and interactive art installations that captivated the audience.

We've been blessed to witness such great performances by The Nubian Sound Group and Sona Jobarteh this past Saturday!

Last Friday was one for the books, thanks to Brian Sonia-Wallace who curated an evening of poetry with artists from the LGBTQ+ community in honor of Pride month.

There was so much energy in the air at California Plaza during this past Saturday's Shahin Najafi show!

Thank you to our three unforgettable COLA Artist Fellows who performed live this past Saturday for the COLA Artist Fellows 2023 showcase.⁠

GP23 grand opening was a smash with explosive performances by Son Rompe Pera, La Verdad, and La Papaya Club.

If you’re a GP donor member, we have some special benefits waiting for you at our 2023 season opener!

Grand Performances returns to Downtown Los Angeles for our 37th Summer Season of Free Concerts at California Plaza!

A funny thing happened recently: we were clearing out storage space at the GP offices and came across some old hard drives containing concert footage from a decade ago that had never been posted!

In partnership with our friends at dublab, we hosted “Alice Coltrane: An Expansive Spirit” a tribute concert celebrating the legendary artist and spiritual leader. Here’s performance footage and our thoughts on that magical evening.

Here’s a few individual song performances worth revisiting from our 2022 season.

Please consider donating to Grand Performances during our End Of The Year Drive so we can further our mission to bring the global performing arts to Los Angeles, accessible to all for free!

Reflecting back on the summer of 2022, our 36th Grand Performances season