Grand Performances: DTLA summer concert series unveils eclectic lineup
DTLA’s Grand Performances unveiled a lineup of global stars and local legends for its 2024 Summer Season, running from June 1 to Aug. 24 at California Plaza.
With an array of modern and traditional sounds from across Latin America, Asia and Africa, Grand Performances’ 2024 Summer Season cuts across genres and generations, from Afrobeat to cumbia, classic jazz to modern soul, ambient electronica to heavy-hitting salsa.
Highlights of season include the New Orleans brass band and 2023 Grammy winner The Dirty Dozen Brass Band on June 15; Nigerian highlife royalty Okwy Osadebe on July 27 and Afro-Cuban vocalist Daymé Arocena on July 20.
The season opener on June 1 features critically acclaimed singer iLe, presented by KCRW. As a teenager, iLe and her two brothers Residente and Vistante soared to global superstardom with Calle 13, winning 21 Latin Grammys. iLe later forged her own creative path, winning a Grammy for her solo work.
Grand Performance’s season finale on Aug. 24, featuring cumbia sonidero pioneers Chucho Ponce Y Los Daddys De Chinantla, is the follow-up to last year’s record-setting Grupo Kual concert, with a capacity crowd of 7,000 people, plus more than 225,000 viewers on the live-stream the venue’s YouTube.
Two special events this summer will celebrate the legacies of Celia Cruz and Max Roach, continuing Grand Performance’s long-standing tradition of iconic tribute shows, previously honoring Alice Coltrane, Minnie Riperton, Sly Stone, Art Laboe and Agustín Lara. On Aug. 3, the Celia Cruz tribute will feature Havana Secret, the backing band from Cruz’s final U.S. tour, along with salsa DJ superstar Gia Fu from Hong Kong.
On June 22, an all-star lineup of more than 25 of LA’s finest musicians (including Brandon Coleman, Todd Simon, Jimetta Rose, Munyungo Jackson, Tommaso Cappellato and Dexter Story) will celebrate the 100th birthday of bebop pioneer and civil rights icon Max Roach.
“This season, we expand our platform to feature more local artists and present a spectacular collection of international artists to Los Angeles, bringing the community free access to global performing arts on the Grand Performances stage,” said Rafael González, president and chief executive officer of Grand Performances. “Angelenos are in for an unforgettable summer as our creative team has curated what’s sure to be a remarkable season.”
In addition to the newly added Friday night Poetry and Classical music series, Grand Performances is expanding its year-round programming. After last summer’s concert series, Grand Performances continued to host events throughout the off-season, including the screening of KCET and PBS So Cal documentary “Chinatown Punk Wars,” featuring performances by The Linda Lindas and Alice Bag, The ReelAbilities Film Festival with the city of Los Angeles Department on Disability, Grand Avenue Arts All Access.
Continuing its long-running history of collaborating with cultural institutions, Grand Performances presents its June 21 show in partnership with the city of Los Angeles (COLA) Department of Cultural Affairs (DCA), its July 20 show in partnership with De Los, its July 27 show in partnership with KPFK’s Radio Afrodicia, and its Aug. 10 show in partnership with dublab.
Concerts
June 1: iLe / Mestizo Beat / DJ José Galván
June 8: To Be Announced
June 15: The Dirty Dozen Brass Band / DJ Bennett
June 21: COLA Artist Fellows (Presented by city of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs)
June 22: Max Roach: The Drum Also Waltzes Centennial Celebration (Presented by Worlds Alive)
June 29: Cali Soul Jam (Presented by Hello Stranger)
July 13: The 11th annual International Mariachi Women’s Festival
July 20: Daymé Arocena / Pan Dulce ft. Alan Lightner / Wyldeflower (Presented by De Los – LA Times)
July 27: Okwy Osadebe / The Neighborhood Orchestra / Kevin Lincoln (Presented by Radio Afrodicia)
Aug. 3: Celia Cruz Tribute ft. Havana Secret / CONTRA-TIEMPO / DJ Gia Fu (Presented by Nance Arte Productions and Fania Records)
Aug. 10: Listen to Music Outside with Leaving Records (Presented by dublab)
Aug. 17: To Be Announced May 21
Aug. 18: The Neighborhood Orchestra in Plummer Park (city of West Hollywood)
Aug. 24: Chucho Ponce Y Los Daddys De Chinantla / Turbo Sonidero (Presented by Discos Rolas)
Grand Performances presents three poetry nights with award-winning LA-based poets and educators, with nights focused on Pride Month, LA music history, and a multicultural approach to the places we call home. Amplifying the influence and impact of spoken word with multimedia and live performances in an intimate space, talented artists will create an opportunity for love, understanding, and acceptance.
Poetry nights
June 28: LA Stories – Poetry of Pride + Legacy with Jen Cheng
July 26: LA Stories – Music is History with Mike the Poet
Aug. 16: LA Stories – Home with Carribean Fragoza
Grand Performances also presents a classical music series on Fridays with KUSC hosts Solomon Reynolds and Suraj Partha. With the help of local classical musicians, audiences will explore and discover direct connections between classical music and today’s charting hits.
Classical nights
July 12: Prelude Classical
Aug. 9: Prelude Classical
All Grand Performances’ events are free, outdoors and for all ages at the California Plaza, 350 S. Grand Avenue, Los Angeles, from 6 to 10 p.m., unless otherwise noted.
Grand Performances is funded, in part, by a grant from the city of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs and the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors through the Department of Arts and Culture, plus generous support from our sponsors, partners and donors.
