Jessica Koslow

Some of music’s biggest stars wait until summer to hit the outdoor stage, and LA is home to some of the most iconic and historic amphitheaters: Catch Beck at The Greek, Santana at The Bowl or Flamenco! at the Ford. The days are lighter longer, and the tunes sound sweeter against the backdrop of lush natural landscape, whether it’s the Hollywood Hills or Santa Monica Mountains. Here’s what’s playing from June 20 through October 31 . . .

Read the entire article at LA Downtown News.

KCRW debuted a new voice on Monday night, May 11, from 8 to 10 p.m. Her name is Olive Kimoto, and although she’s not new to radio, she is one of two new DJs, along with J.Rocc, who recently joined the NPR member station’s lineup, which includes Jason Bentley, Novena Carmel, Anne Litt and Henry Rollins.

Her first night on air was “surreal, beautiful and so much fun. I can’t wait to do more,” she said. As someone who grew up in LA listening to KCRW, she considers it an honor to be among so many legendary people whom she respects.

“KCRW is an institution that has been around me my whole life,” said 31-year-old Kimoto. “So, to actually be on the public radio airwaves feels very flattering and humbling. I remember flipping back and forth between KCRW and KXLU, thinking, wow, there’s all this other stuff out there that I didn’t know existed, and it felt magical to be this small child not knowing what’s playing but just being like, wow, this is beautiful. I want to be part of this world more.” . . .

Read the entire article at LA Downtown News.

Todd and Robin Mason would often host little informal concerts in their West LA home and had attended other home chamber music performances. Being naturally competitive people, on their ride home, they would brainstorm ways that it could have been better. Those conversations eventually lay the foundation for Mason Home Concerts.

In 2013, the couple undertook extensive renovations to optimize their home for live performances, transforming it into a warm, acoustically excellent concert room designed specifically for chamber music.

“We took a chance and made a whole room, which can hold about 50 people,” Todd explained. “We got a beautiful piano: a Yamaha Concert Grand. That’s important because to do classical music and chamber music, you must have a good piano, because so much of the repertoire includes piano. We didn’t know if it would really take off. We just kind of did it because we loved it. We had a couple of concerts, and it was a very successful and positive experience. Everyone loved it, and word got out that we were doing this.” . . .

Read the entire article at The Argonaut.

Every Third Thursday since September, the Santa Monica Pier has been presenting Locals’ Night, a free community curated series for locals, by locals. With performances through May, each monthly event brings a unique offering to the community. The Feb. 19 performance, curated by BroadStage, is Jazz Night, spotlighting four bands featuring talented emerging musicians who were mentored by five-time Grammy-winning bassist and composer Stanley Clarke while they were students at Santa Monica College (SMC) and Santa Monica High School (Samohi).

Clarke, who has been the BroadStage Artist in Residence since August 2023, is a longtime supporter and mentor of young musicians. . . .

Read the entire article at The Argonaut.

Fernando Malvar-Ruiz, artistic director of Los Angeles Children’s Chorus (LACC), has worked with children’s and youth choirs his entire career. He thoroughly enjoys leading youth ensembles and assures that there are many stereotypes about children in music.

“People say, as long as they are cute on stage, that’s all that matters, or they ask, are you a babysitter?” he said. “Children are absolutely capable of great artistry at the same level as adults.”

Malvar-Ruiz prefers working with children because “frankly, they are more honest artistically, and they’re also more honest in their interactions,” he shared. . . .

Read the entire article at Pasadena Weekly.

Josephine Moerschel has seen firsthand how music helps kids develop grit and perseverance. It is one of the aspects she loves about her job as executive and artistic director at Elemental Music, which offers programs in and out of Westside schools. 

“It is so rewarding to see students work through a challenge and realize that when they put time and effort into something, they can see real growth,” Moerschel said. “By the end of our season, students understand that you can always get better at music, no matter who you are. It might be hard work, but kids can see and hear their progress so easily in a discipline like music. That often encourages a sort of stick-to-itiveness that you don’t always get from other subjects.”

Moerschel began her journey with Elemental Music as a viola coach when the organization launched as Elemental Strings in 2004, and she stepped into her current position in 2009. . . .

Read the entire article at The Argonaut.