Pulsations L.A., celebrated Make Music Day with a free outdoor concert event that featured artists identified as Cultural Treasures.
If you were passing through Leimert Park on Friday, June 21, then you were greeted with the sound of music and celebration. Pulsations L.A., celebrating Make Music Day, was a free outdoor concert event that featured artists identified as Cultural Treasures by the Cultural Treasures of South LA.
The community-based cultural event was a collaborative event brought together with the City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs, L.A. Commons, South Los Angeles Transit Empowerment Zone, Community Coalition and USC’s Neighborhood Data for Social Change initiative.
“We’re so excited today to be celebrating Pulsations Make Music Los Angeles, an opportunity for us to be able to celebrate the South Los Angeles cultural treasures and also to link arms across the world using, music through, the Paris Cultural Olympiad,” said Daniel Tarica, general manager of the city of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs.
“We’ve been celebrating it here in LA for the last 12 years and this year because of the Olympics in Paris,” said Dorsay Dujon, founder and chief executive officer of Make Music Los Angeles.
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“Today is the national holiday in Paris, it’s called the Fête de la Musique, we are a pattern of that and so Pulsations, which is traveling all over the world, they decided to come to Los Angeles because we’re going to have the Olympics in 2028.”
Make Music Day was livestreamed globally from Leimert Park, in front of the Vision Theatre, as part of the Paris 2024 Cultural Olympiad. Under the creative direction of French/Lebanese trumpeter Ibrahim Maalouf, Pulsations united artists in 24 countries around the world including Brazil, Canada, China, Cyprus, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Ghana, Greece, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Kenya, Mexico, New Zealand, Nigeria, Portugal/Afghanistan, South Africa, South Korea, Türkiye, Ukraine, United Kingdom, and the United States. It was also celebrated with a series of free concerts at venues across the city including San Pedro, at Figueroa Plaza, the Lankershim Arts Center, and the Taxco Theatre in Canoga Park.
“It’s so exciting and what’s really exciting is we have a project called Cultural Treasures,” said Karen Mack, executive director/founder of L.A. Commons.
“We are featuring our cultural treasures of South Los Angeles which we know, South L.A. is one of the most dynamic artistic and cultural hotspots in the country and we get to showcase that to the world.
“It’s so exciting.”
“I come to Leimert Park all the time but I am beyond excited to see Leimert Park and the Vision Theatre be highlighted as part of an Olympic related event,” said Jacqueline Hamilton, deputy mayor for neighborhood services with Mayor Karen Bass’s office.
“In four years, we’re going to welcome the whole wide world and this feels like a wonderful kickoff to this year’s Olympics and our legacy moving forward.”
“It’s such an honor, so iconic to represent not only Leimert Park, the city of Los Angeles, the United States, all around the world,” said Yvonne Farrow, arts manager with the Department of Cultural Affairs City of Los Angeles and the project manager overseeing the Vision Theatre.
“To have the Vision Theatre a part of that is just beyond words, to be a part of that Cultural Olympiad.”
“On behalf of Councilwoman Heather Hutt unfortunately she couldn’t make it this morning but she does send her regards,” said Kimani Black, chief of staff for Heather Hutt’s office.
“In regards to the music festival, the Pulsations and having a wonderful time here in Leimert Park and once again, thank everybody that came out to the 10th district, coming out and enjoying the first day of summer here in Leimert Park.”
Performances included a live concert with Kinnara Taiko, jazz/poetry by artivist S. Pearl Sharp and The Fernando Pullum Community Arts Center Jazz Ensemble featuring vocalist Dwight Trible and vocalist Sha’Leah Nikole. Actress and Amazing Grace Conservatory director, Wendy Raquel Robinson hosted Make Music Day in Leimert Park and shared what being there was like for her.
“It felt like I was home, being born and raised right here in South LA and to bring it here,” said Robinson. “My Mom is right around the corner and it just felt like it needed to be here, this is the pulse of L.A. and the community that needs to be celebrated and needs to be seen because there are so many unsung heroes that are right here in Leimert Park and being able to celebrate that, the city and the music, it just made sense.
“I’m grateful and I’m humbled.”
Fernando Pullum, board member and executive director of the Fernando Pullum Community Arts Center spoke about the jazz ensemble playing at Make Music Day and its importance on the world stage.
“It is a surreal and unreal experience,” said Pullum. “I’m just thrilled that they included Leimert Park in it and specifically that they had my students in it.”
Pullum continued, “It’s an honor to represent our city in a positive way, there’s so many negative images about us going around the world, for them to see who we really are, is really important.”
The activities and live performances were free for everyone. Musicians of all ages, cultures, genres, and skill levels are encouraged to create a public outdoor concert to play and share music with family, friends, and neighbors.
For more information about Make Music Los Angeles, visit www.makemusicla.org.
