Ford Theater Announces Three Amazing Evenings of Entertainment

The Music Center On Location and the Ford Theatres today announced the line-up of a co-presentation featuring groundbreaking music and dance artists for three performances at the recently renovated Ford Theatres. The program includes a dance performance of Awáa by acclaimed choreographer Aszure Barton on Friday, August 18, 2017; a double bill of contemporary dance by the innovative Jacob Jonas The Company and experimental electronic music from Tim Hecker with Kara-Lis Coverdale on Saturday, August 19, 2017; and a one-of-a-kind concert under the stars by singer, songwriter and composer Rufus Wainwright on Sunday, August 20, 2017. The three-night engagement at the outdoor amphitheatre is part of the IGNITE @ the FORD! Series.

With The Music Center On Location, The Music Center curates and presents distinctive artistic content in locations outside its 22-acre campus, making it possible for an even wider audience to engage with its innovative, creative approach to the arts. In its partnership with the Ford Theatres, The Music Center will showcase pioneering music and dance artists in an intimate, outdoor venue that provides audiences with a distinctive experience unlike any other in Los Angeles.

"Presenting these incredible artists at the Ford Theatres is an important step toward realizing our vision of providing even greater access across Los Angeles to the finest quality arts experiences," said Rachel Moore, president and CEO of The Music Center. "The beauty and rich history of the Ford creates an ideal setting for the artistry of Aszure Barton, Jacob Jonas The Company, Tim Hecker and Kara-Lis Coverdale, and the incomparable Rufus Wainwright. The Music Center On Location expands our ability to convene artists, communities and ideas to create common unity," Moore explained.

"It is an honor to partner with The Music Center as part of the Ignite @ the Ford! Series," said Olga Garay-English, interim director of the Ford Theatres. "Working together, we are able to present internationally recognized artists from varying backgrounds and disciplines and showcase their work in an incomparable setting," she added.

The first performance of The Music Center On Location's engagement at the Ford features the work of critically acclaimed choreographer Aszure Barton with Awáa. A powerful journey through music and sound, Awáa is a tribute to motherhood featuring seven male dancers and one extraordinary woman. As Barton's first engagement in Los Angeles since relocating from New York, Awáa is visually stunning, celebrating sexuality and humanity through movement. Called "brilliant" by the San Francisco Chronicle and "audacious" by The New York Times, Barton explores the experience of humanity in what The Boston Globe called "a rare accomplishment in the world of contemporary dance." Barton has made a considerable mark on the dance world. She has collaborated with celebrated artists and companies including Mikhail Baryshnikov, Cyndi Lauper, Alan Cumming, Jessica Chastain, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, English National Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, Nederlands Dans Theater, National Ballet of Canada, Sydney Dance Company, and Houston Ballet, among many others.

The second night includes a double bill featuring Jacob Jonas The Company + Tim Hecker with Kara-Lis Coverdale. Creating original work based on real-life situations, Jacob Jonas The Company premieres a new piece commissioned by The Music Center On Location and set to music by Tim Hecker. In On Me, Jonas blends contemporary ballet with breakdance and acrobatics, and explores the idiom "to carry the weight of the world on one's shoulders." With a reputation for its honest storytelling, visceral performances and visual content creation, Jacob Jonas The Company was named the "Best New Force in L.A. Dance in 2016" by LA Weekly. Jonas' works has been performed at The Kennedy Center, the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts, Jacob's Pillow Inside/Out and the Ailey Citigroup Theater in New York.

Following Jacob Jonas The Company, Tim Hecker will present a special concert featuring a mix of past and new material in an entirely new configuration designed for the unique outdoor location of the Ford Theatres. Hecker's varied and celebrated works are visual and sonic happenings that can be experienced as choreography without dancers. A Juno Award-winning Canadian composer and sound artist who recently moved to Los Angeles, Hecker has spent the last decade inhabiting a unique intersection between noise, dissonance and melody. He is described as "one of Canada's most celebrated sound artists imbuing electro-magnetic b-rolls with humanity and grace," by Pitchforkmedia.com.

Kara-Lis Coverdale, a frequent collaborator with Hecker and fiercely independent voice in new music, will complement Hecker's work. Coverdale's colorful and dense arrangements blur the line between the human and the data with a unique penchant for long-form melody, harmony and sonic detail. A Montreal-based organist and New Music composer, she has been named "one of the most interesting composers in North America" by The Guardian.

The third and final evening features Grammy-nominated singer, songwriter and composer Rufus Wainwright who will give his first performance in Los Angeles in three years and his only U.S. performance of Northern Stars this year. In honor of Canada's 150th anniversary, Wainwright will perform a special evening of curated songs by music icons Joni Mitchell, Neil Young and Leonard Cohen, among others. The concert includes the work of Canadian musicians beloved across generations, selected and sung by Wainwright with his own distinct interpretation, outdoors under the Northern Stars at the Ford. Wainwright has established himself as one of the great male vocalists and songwriters of his time and has been praised by The New York Times for his "genuine originality." Guests who choose the VIP Package have the rare opportunity to meet Wainwright after the concert in a special post-performance reception on the Ford's new terrace; the package also includes valet parking, a gourmet boxed dinner and a limited edition giveaway.

About the Ford Theatres
At 1,200 seats, the Ford Theatres creates an intimate concert experience that is a favorite among Angelenos. Each summer, the Ford hosts a diverse roster of events representing music and dance styles reflective of the communities that comprise Los Angeles County. Ford summer season events are presented in partnership with Los Angeles County arts organizations and producers. The 2017 summer season is complemented by the inaugural "IGNITE @ the FORD!" series. The Ford also presents a Saturday morning family series that is free for kids called Big World Fun and the free participatory arts series JAM Sessions. Located in a County regional park in the Hollywood Hills, the Ford is owned by the County of Los Angeles and operated in partnership with the Department of Parks and Recreation and the Ford Theatre Foundation.

About The Music Center
As L.A.'s performing arts destination, The Music Center is L.A.'s home to the world's greatest artistic programs and events. With four iconic theaters and four renowned resident companies - Center Theatre Group, the LA Master Chorale, the LA Opera and the LA Philharmonic - and recognized for its illustrious dance programming, Glorya Kaufman Presents Dance at The Music Center, The Music Center is a destination where audiences find inspiration in the very best of live performance, as well as nationally recognized arts education and free and low-cost arts engagement experiences. With The Music Center On Location, the non-profit performing arts organization brings events and activities to locations outside of its Downtown Los Angeles campus. The Music Center also programs and manages Grand Park, a 12-acre adjacent greenspace, with year-round free programming. For more information, visit musiccenter.org Follow The Music Center on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat (@MusicCenterLA).