SATURDAY, AUGUST 2, 2025, 8:00 P.M.
Fourth Annual ‘Live at The Music Center’ Made Possible by Generous Gift from the Late Recording Industry Executive Jerry Moss, Co-Founder of A&M Records and Longtime Music Center Patron
LOS ANGELES (June 23, 2025) — Angelenos and jazz lovers of all ages are invited to experience a free concert by the incomparable GRAMMY®-winning artist esperanza spalding (name stylized as lowercase) on Saturday, August 2, 2025, at 8:00 p.m., on Jerry Moss Plaza at The Music Center. The ultimate public summer concert is the fourth annual gathering under the stars of the Live at The Music Center series made possible by a generous gift from longtime Music Center patron and recording industry executive Jerry Moss.
Tickets are not required for this free concert. However, concertgoers are highly encouraged to RSVP for the concert at musiccenter.org/live.
“esperanza spalding is an extraordinary artist, community healer and visionary who defies convention and whose extraordinary work pulses with boundless creativity. Her performance at Jerry Moss Plaza at The Music Center will be more than a concert; it will be a call to listen deeply, celebrate our shared humanity and experience jazz’s transformative power to uplift our souls,” said Rachel S. Moore, president and CEO of The Music Center. “We offer our deep gratitude to Jerry Moss and the Moss Foundation for their generosity. Once again, with this incredible support, we are able to offer Angelenos a free summer concert under the stars, a much-needed reminder that the performing arts can spark joy and nourish the spirit.”
Hailing from Portland, Oregon, spalding is a self-described eaabibacliitoti artist (an acronym for European-African ancestored being influenced by American cultures living in Indigenous Territories of Turtle Island), who is trained and initiated in the North American jazz lineage and tradition. With five GRAMMY® wins and 11 GRAMMY® nominations in her portfolio, spalding’s remarkable work interweaves through various combinations of instrumental music, bass playing, improvisation, singing, composition, poetry, dance, therapeutic research, storytelling, teaching, regenerative agriculture, and urban land & artist-sanctuary custodianship. She founded and co-directs Prismid Sanctuary, a non-profit organization that creates and stewards free artist residency, performance and workshop space in Portland. spalding’s 2019 and 2021 albums, respectively 12 Little Spells and songwrights apothecary lab, each won a GRAMMY® Award for Best Jazz Vocal Album. To date, spalding has released eight full-length albums, including 2024’s Milton + esperanza—a collaborative album with Brazilian jazz singer-songwriter Milton Nascimento—which earned a GRAMMY® nomination for Best Jazz Vocal Album. In addition to working with her heroes, which include Nascimento and Wayne Shorter, spalding has collaborated with Q-Tip, Janelle Monae, Robert Glasper, Terri Lyne Carrington and many others. She is a 2024 recipient of the Doris Duke Foundation Artist Award and a 2016 Ford Foundation “Art of Change” Fellow.
“esperanza spalding is a phenomenal artist, who performs with exceptional mastery and passion while remaining profoundly engaged in community and educational work and exploring music’s power to heal—she walks the talk,” said Josephine Ramirez, executive vice president of TMC Arts, the programming arm of The Music Center. “esperanza is also one of the most delightful, joyful and compassionate humans you'll ever meet—her essence shines through in every performance. Join us on August 2 under the stars for music that will stir your soul and lift your spirit!”
This summer, spalding has partnered with The Music Center, UCLA Jane & Jerry Semel Institute for Neuroscience & Human Behavior, Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science, the Office of Los Angeles County Supervisor Holly J. Mitchell and Los Angeles County Parks & Recreation to lead an iteration of her brainchild Songwrights Apothecary Lab (SAL), a six-week course offered through the University of California – Los Angeles. The hands-on, community-engaged course provides structure for musicians, music students, arts-based therapeutic practitioners and students in fields relating to sound, healing and cognition to develop music with enhanced therapeutic potential. As part of SAL, The Music Center will offer several public engagement sessions where audiences can hear and discuss the music being created. SAL evolved from spalding’s longing to share music, dance, teaching and performance in ways more conducive to connection with locally based arts and education communities that share her passion for these connections. SAL is also supported by LA Commons, Dexter Story and TEC Leimert. For more information about SAL, visit musiccenter.org/sal.
Live at The Music Center is generously supported by Moss Foundation. In October 2020, Jerry and Tina Moss provided The Music Center with $25 million, the largest single contribution for programming in the organization’s history. The monies are designed to support The Music Center’s work to increase the breadth and depth of its public presentations with a particular focus on quality, affordable arts programming that is relevant to and reflective of Los Angeles’ diverse communities. The free Live at The Music Center series is open to all and held annually outdoors on Jerry Moss Plaza. GRAMMY® and Latin GRAMMY®-winning band Ozomatli headlined the first Live at The Music Center concert in 2022. The following year, GRAMMY®-winning artists La Marisoul and Eliades Ochoa performed a beautiful medley of Latin, bolero and big-band jazz music. The iconic GRAMMY®-nominated family vocal group Sister Sledge, plus additional members of the Sledge dynasty known as Sledgendary®, turned up the summer heat in 2024 by performing some of their biggest dance and disco hits.
No outside alcohol will be allowed at Live at The Music Center. Beverages and food will be available for purchase on-site. Guests may pack a picnic and bring their own outdoor chairs that are no higher than 18 inches off the ground. For a list of prohibited items on Jerry Moss Plaza, visit musiccenter.org/prohibited.
Self-parking will be available at The Music Center Main Campus Garage (135 N. Grand Avenue, Los Angeles 90012) and at The Music Center’s Walt Disney Concert Hall Garage (111 S. Grand Avenue, Los Angeles 90012) at a flat rate of $10 per vehicle. The Music Center Main Campus Garage is cash-only; The Walt Disney Concert Hall Garage accepts both cash and credits cards. Valet parking will be available for $23 at The Music Center’s Hope Street entrance adjacent to Jerry Moss Plaza and at the Hope Street entrance to Walt Disney Concert Hall, beginning two hours before the concert’s start time.
Guests are highly encouraged to take public transportation to the free concert. The Music Center is located across the street from Gloria Molina Grand Park, which is home to the Civic Center/Grand Park station along the Metro B Line (Red) and Metro D Line (Purple). Additionally, Jerry Moss Plaza is easily accessible by taking Metro’s Regional Connector to the Grand Av Arts/Bunker Hill station along the Metro A Line (Blue) and E Line (Expo).
The Music Center welcomes all visitors and is committed to making its programs, services and venues accessible to everyone, including service animals. For those in need of vision, aural or mobility assistance, please contact Guest Services at general@musiccenter.org
CALENDAR LISTING
WHAT:
Live at The Music Center with esperanza spalding
Free public outdoor concert on Jerry Moss Plaza at The Music Center in Downtown L.A., showcasing the smooth sounds of the multi GRAMMY®-winning jazz music artist.
WHEN:
Saturday, August 2, 2025
8:00 p.m.
WHERE:
Jerry Moss Plaza at The Music Center
135 N. Grand Avenue
Los Angeles 90012
TRANSPORTATION:
Self-parking will be available at The Music Center Main Campus Garage (135 N. Grand Avenue, Los Angeles 90012) and at The Music Center’s Walt Disney Concert Hall Garage (111 S. Grand Avenue, Los Angeles 90012) at a flat rate of $10 per vehicle. The Music Center Garage is cash-only; The Walt Disney Concert Hall Garage accepts both cash and credits cards. Valet parking will be available for $23 at The Music Center’s Hope Street entrance adjacent to Jerry Moss Plaza and at the Hope Street entrance to Walt Disney Concert Hall, beginning two hours before the concert’s start time.
Given the large number of guests expected at the concert, the public is highly encouraged to take public transportation. The Music Center is located across the street from Gloria Molina Grand Park, which is home to the Civic Center/Grand Park station along the Metro B Line (Red) and Metro D Line (Purple). Additionally, Jerry Moss Plaza is easily accessible by taking Metro’s Regional Connector to the Grand Av Arts/Bunker Hill station along the Metro A Line (Blue) and E Line (Expo).
ADMISSION:
Tickets are not required for this free concert. However, concertgoers are highly encouraged to let The Music Center know they are attending. To RSVP, visit musiccenter.org/live.
Please note there will be limited seating for the concert. Guests may bring their own outdoor chairs that are no higher than 18 inches off the ground.
No outside alcohol will be allowed at Live at The Music Center. Beverages and food will be available for purchase on-site; guests may pack a picnic.
For a list of prohibited items on Jerry Moss Plaza, visit musiccenter.org/prohibited.
ABOUT THE MUSIC CENTER
As L.A.’s performing arts 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 and follow The Music Center on social media @MusicCenterLA.
# # #