The Music Center's Very Special Arts Festival Returns For Two Days Of In Person Events

The Music Center's 43rd Annual Very Special Arts Festival returns to an in-person celebration and opens to the public for the very first time, continuing the performing arts center's long-standing tradition of providing opportunities for young people of all abilities to express their creativity.

Taking place over the course of two days, the Festival welcomes school groups on Friday, April 29, 2022, from 9:30 a.m.-1:00 p.m.; the festival opens to the public for a community day on Saturday, April 30, 2022, from 9:30 a.m.-1:00 p.m. Both days will feature performances, art and dance workshops, magic shows and an art exhibition of student works inspired by the festival theme, "The Arts Heal L.A." Registration for the school day on April 29 is now open and available here. The public is encouraged to RSVP to the community day here.

The program will include an ASL interpreter and will be transcribed for people with visual impairment. This free, annual inclusive event, the only student festival of its kind in the county, celebrates the students' artistic achievements and encourages active participation in the arts and connection with one another as a community.

"The Music Center's Very Special Arts Festival has been a beloved and inclusive event for the past 43 years, but it is particularly meaningful this year as we are finally able return to an in-person celebration, and, for the first time, invite the public to experience the inspiring creative talents of children of all abilities," said Rachel S. Moore, president and CEO of The Music Center. "This year's theme-the Arts Heal L.A.-could not be more fitting as we come together to celebrate the transformative and healing power of the arts for all."

"Our partner schools look forward to the Very Special Arts Festival each year, and we're very excited to return to an in-person event where young people and people of all ages and abilities can once again experience the communal and uplifting experience of participating in the arts and engaging in opportunities to express themselves creatively, which is vital to everyone's overall well-being." said Keith Wyffels, associate vice president of education, TMC Arts.

Hosted by Suzanna Guzman and David Prather, The Music Center's 43rd Annual Very Special Arts Festival will feature two days of performances, workshops, dance, music, magic and visual art.

School groups only:

Friday, April 29, 2022, from 9:30 a.m.-1:00 p.m.

Event includes:

• Opening remarks by Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger and Los Angeles County Board of Education Superintendent Dr. Debra Duardo
• 15 school performances
• 10 art workshops including instrument making, chalk art, sand paintings, pop-up cards, nature collages, decorating heart puzzles and puppet making
• Dance workshop led by Straight Up Abilities, which provides professional performance art training to students of all abilities
• Magic show with Allen Oshiro
• Mime Theater by The Chameleons
• Virtual student art exhibition inspired by the Festival theme "The Arts Heal L.A."

Community day, open to the public:

Saturday, April 30, 2022, from 9:30 a.m.-1:00 p.m.

Event includes performances by:

• Straight Up Abilities
• Pas d'ASL Dance Company
• Ballet Folclorico do Brasil
• Magic show with Allen Oshiro
• Kizuna Taiko Group, under Los Angeles Taiko Ichiza, an all-abilities Taiko performance group
• Virtual student art exhibition inspired by the Festival theme, "The Arts Heal L.A."

The Music Center's Very Special Arts Festival is produced in partnership with the Los Angeles Unified School District and the Los Angeles County Office of Education. Through the generosity of Terri and Jerry Kohl, the Festival is expanding to a two-day celebration for the first time and will continue as a two-day event for the next five years through the support of Mimi Song. Additional donors include Tina and Jerry Moss/Moss Foundation; Ring-Miscikowski Foundation/The Ring Foundation; LSMK Investments; The Robert T. Nelson Foundation; The Kenneth T. and Eileen L. Norris Foundation; and the Department of Cultural Affairs, City of Los Angeles. The Festival is part of The Music Center's longstanding, multi-faceted arts education program that serves over 150,000 students and educators annually throughout Los Angeles County. For more information visit musiccenter.org/vsaf.

Calendar Listings

The Music Center's Very Special Arts Festival

When:

School day:
Friday, April 29, 2022, from 9:30 a.m.-1:00 p.m.

Community day, open to the public:
Saturday, April 30, 2022, from 9:30 a.m.-1:00 p.m.

Jerry Moss Plaza at The Music Center

135 N. Grand Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90212

*Artists and programs subject to change

The Music Center convenes artists, communities and ideas with the goal of deepening the cultural lives of every resident in Los Angeles County. The $70 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 Grand Park-a 12-acre adjacent green space-in schools and other locations all over Los Angeles County and on a digital platform called The Music Center Offstage. TMC Arts presents world-class dance with Glorya Kaufman Presents Dance at The Music Center, free and low-cost public concerts and events, as well as live and digital K-12 arts education programs, workshops, performances, interactive experiences and special events. TMC Ops manages the theatres, the Plaza and Grand Park, which comprise $2 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.

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