“Can Grand Avenue become an idea, or an attitude, as well as a place?” writes Mark Swed in Tuesday’s (6/2) Los Angeles Times. “The Music Center at 50 is a mature performing arts center. Its newest venue, Frank Gehry’s celebrated Walt Disney Concert Hall—already an L.A. icon—turns 12 in the fall. Next year, the Museum of Contemporary Art’s Arata Isozaki building reaches its third decade. The Broad museum is almost finished. All this can be found concentrated within three blocks, clearly positioning Grand Avenue as one of the country’s most important arts destinations.” With this month’s Next on Grand festival, the Los Angeles Philharmonic is “proposing a grander vision of Grand Avenue as a shelter for new work and ideas. The centerpiece of the festival, which is focused on contemporary American music … was a series of four programs by the L.A. Phil last week led by Gustavo Dudamel” including music by Philip Glass, Steven Mackey, and Bryce Dessner. The festival, which continues for two more weekends, “has reverberated off Grand” with performances by other music ensembles. “May Next on Grand serve as another kind of example of the current Grand Avenue attitude fostered by the L.A. Phil.”
Posted June 3, 2015
