The Los Angeles Board of Airport Commissioners (BOAC) is to add an additional US$150,000 to the contract with Grand Performances for the development and production of cultural programming at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX).
Grand Performances collaborates with Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA) on the LAX Presents program, which features Los Angeles-based artists performing in the unique space of an international airport.
The 2018 LAX Presents line-up includes 18 performances across nine months, including six classical performances, a DJ with dancers and a percussionist, a marionette show, and a dance troupe influenced by the Indian subcontinent.
Gabriel Eshaghian, commissioner at BOAC, said, “One of the strategic goals of Los Angeles World Airports is to deliver facilities and experiences that are exceptional, and our partnership with Grand Performances helps us provide that unique experience for those who work at and travel through our airport. We are pleased to expand this program so that even more of our guests will be able to experience live performances at LAX.”
Now in its second year of a three-year contract, LAX Presents brings together artists from across Los Angeles to perform at various locations throughout the airport, both pre- and post-security. In December 2016, the BOAC approved funding for the three-year pilot program, in partnership with Grand Performances. Grand Performances is Los Angeles’s premier presenter of free, outdoor summer performing arts programs.
With the new funding, LAWA aims to double the number of performances from 18 performances across nine months to 36 across the same period. Approximately one-third of the performances will be classical music, and the rest will include international music or other types of performances. The additional funding also will allow LAWA and Grand Performances to produce two sing-along events, which will include live music and dancers.
Mari Riddle, executive director at Grand Performances, added, “Grand Performances is proud of our partnership with LAX and thanks the commission for augmenting this program. LAX Presents provides local artists the opportunity to reach a new audience in a unique setting. And while LAX travelers welcome these unexpected concerts, the other audience enjoying the music is the LAX employees.”
