Great music venues are dotted all over Los Angeles, and one that might surprise you is on Skid Row. That’s where the nonprofit Street Symphony is bringing its Re/Sound Festival on December 10: a free block party, music festival, and community resource fair at VOID Studios in Downtown LA, 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Social justice advocate and violinist Vijay Gupta founded Street Symphony while playing for the LA Philharmonic, aiming to bring live music to those living on Skid Row and in county jails and state prisons.
“I was drawn to Skid Row because of just the open wound of Skid Row. … It felt like a gut punch. … Just a mile away from where I was playing on stage at Walt Disney Concert Hall is the largest unhoused community in America. How could this still be our Los Angeles? ... They deserved joy as well, and Street Symphony is poised to provide that for all of us,” says Gupta.
The audience applauds at a Street Symphony performance. Credit: Kat Bawden.
He and the organizers behind the Re/Sound Festival created the event to highlight the artistry and community resilience in Skid Row. The music, hot food, water, and health services at the festival will be open to everyone, not just Skid Row residents.
“Everyone is welcome. There’s plenty of parking, there’s going to be plenty of food. But we’re also partnering with the Department of Public Health to provide vaccinations, Narcan training, [and] harm reduction. We’re also partnering with organizations that are providing hygiene kits and free haircuts and free physical therapy,” says Gupta.
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