Programs

Centered in practices of relationship, renewal, re-entry, and recovery, Street Symphony presents musical programs in Skid Row built on sustained relationships and partnerships with Skid Row organizations and community individuals.

MUSIC FOR THE SOUL

For many women experiencing homelessness and seeking community, Skid Row can be a particularly hostile environment, and Downtown Women’s Center is the only provider organization focused on serving women in Skid Row. Every fourth Friday of the month, Street Symphony musicians and Downtown Women’s Center residents share meditative musical offerings to convene vulnerable spaces of community and conversation.

MUSIC WITH A MISSION

Monthly Performance event dedicated to The Midnight Mission (TMM) participants occurring every 4th Thursday of the month after lunch services. Performances are also open to the public, and all participants receive opportunities to connect with TMM programming and resources. Events range from classical music performances by members of the LA Philharmonic and LA Master Chorale, LA based jazz, mariachi, rock, reggae ensembles, and events highlighting collaborations with Skid Row community artists.

DRUMMING IN THE PARKS

Drumming events build community connections. Cultural exchange drives individuals to feel a sense of belonging and a connection with themselves. Public, accessible events like these Rhythm at the Refresh are the roots for building relationships, establishing comrade that flourishes with community growth. Vibrations are the catalyst which brings people together.

The rhythms of the drum are the heartbeat and universal language we speak to become one.

– Raymond Lewis, Ase Ashe Drummers

California Institution for Women (CIW)

Street Symphony presents a series of performances and workshops in various spaces of incarceration, including LA County Jails and the California Institution for Women (CIW), as well as in reentry centers in Skid Row. CIW events are facilitated by “Women of Wisdom,” a restorative justice group dedicated to leading programs in prisons. Each performance and workshop includes dialogue between the audience and Street Symphony musicians, creating a generative space of inquiry and participation.

California Institution for Women (CIW) California Institution for Women is a women’s state prison located in the city of Chino, San Bernardino County, California, east of Los Angeles, although the mailing address states “Corona,” which is in Riverside County, California.

MiDNIGHT STRINGS WORKSHOP

This program will involve weekly gatherings with a committed group of program residents, staff, and teaching artists and musicians from Street Symphony. During the residency, a Street Symphony teaching artist will lead participants in group guitar lessons for the cohort of participants. The workshop will explore different genres and styles of guitar playing, and will feature local guest guitars. The residency will conclude with a concert performed by The Midnight Mission participants and Street Symphony musicians and will include a co-created artistic project created by the teaching artist and participants.

The Midnight Mission: Homeless services in Los Angeles, CA. Founded in 1914, The Midnight Mission has been offering a path to self-sufficiency to men, women, and children experiencing homelessness. For more information please visit The Midnight Mission.

Women’s Voices WORKSHOP

Women’s Voices is a 12-week songwriting workshop at Downtown Women’s Center with a committed group of DWC residents, staff, and SS teaching artists and musicians. During the residency, SS teaching artists lead participants in lyric and melody writing to create an original song written by the residents of DWC. Additionally, participants discuss what inspires them and curate a concert of music based on themes of their choice. After six weeks of songwriting workshops and two weeks of combined rehearsals, an all-female musical ensemble from Street Symphony presents a cumulative concert, focusing on music by women composers, and the performance will be capped by the songwriters at DWC performing their original song.

Downtown Women’s Center: Also known as DWC was founded in 1978, is the only organization in Los Angeles focused exclusively on serving and empowering women experiencing homelessness and formerly homeless women. For more information visit Downtown Women’s Center.

CROSSROADS CONCERT

We are delighted to announce our public concert series: the Crossroads Concerts! Meeting at the intersection of community storytelling and world-class artistic performances, these experiences aim to nourish, transform, and create a new world through music. Please join us for our upcoming events!

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The Messiah Project

Since 2015, Street Symphony has partnered with The Midnight Mission to host its annual “Messiah Project,” a celebration of the resilience and stories of the Skid Row community. Centered around Handel’s beloved Messiah, The Messiah Project reflects and honors the history of the Messiah as a work of resilience. Handel’s Messiah was written in 1741, and performances during the composer’s life were dedicated to social causes, such as providing relief for incarcerated debtors and orphaned children. Using Handel’s work as the frame for a 90-minute concert event, Street Symphony’s Messiah Project is a modern adaptation of the classic work: presented in the gymnasium of TMM, Messiah Project features professional musicians from the LA Philharmonic and Master Chorale, students from the Colburn School and University of Southern California, and community musicians from Skid Row ensembles.