Grand Performances

Grand Performance Overview

Grand Performances (GP) is Southern California's largest presenter of free performing arts programs and a landmark nonprofit arts institution established with a primary focus on bringing together the diverse peoples of Los Angeles, in unique settings, for concerts celebrating the cultural contributions of our community's peoples.

Over the last 20 years it has developed an unmatched history of working with artists of importance to Los Angeles' many communities in order to share their work with all the people of the region. Music, dance, theatre and even film have been presented to audiences that have numbered as high as 6,500 people. Grand Performances is proud that the program has been called "too good to be free" and "the urban experiment that works." It is also proud to have been told that it has the most diverse audience in the country.

Based at California Plaza in Downtown Los Angeles' new financial district, Grand Performances was created as part of an initiative developed by the City's Community Redevelopment Agency to insure that artists and other citizens of Los Angeles who had not been able to participate fully in the cultural life of the community would have access to a "world class" venue and program. The City wanted this program centered in the one part of Los Angeles that belongs to all communities and that is the recognized center of government, business and culture.

Beginning in 1986 with a few lunch hour concerts, the current program has grown to include an evening and weekend series, festivals, commissioned choreographies and extended theatrical runs each year from late June through the end of October. All 40-plus summer events are presented free to the public.