Los Angeles Downtown News 07-18-22

July 18, 2022 I VOL. 51 I #29

HOLLYWOOD NIGHTS Club Babalu brings golden age glamour to DTLA

‘Brightside’ The Lumineers to perform new album at Crypto.com Arena

+ The Wall

Las Memorias

THE VOICE OF DOWNTOWN LA SINCE 1972

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Covered California will help BUSINESS

List: PIH Health in the top 15 in the nation

By LA Downtown News Staff IH Health has been named to the Fortune/Merative 15 Top Health Systems List.

This is the second time PIH Health has been recognized with this honor. In the annual list published by Fortune, PIH Health is listed as one of the top five medium-sized health care systems in the nation and the only health provider in Los Angeles County to be included.

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Among its medical centers is PIH Health Good Samaritan Hospital.

M e r a t i ve ( fo r m e r l y I B M Wa t s o n Health), a data, analytics and technology partner for the health industry, has identified the top health systems from a rigorous evaluation of 349 health systems and 3,206 hospitals that are members of health systems.

The annual list recognizes excellence in clinical outcomes, operational effi-

ciency and patient experience. Merative tems, the organizations included on the established the list to help identify top Fortune/Merative 15 Top Health Systems EDITOR:that Christina performanceEXECUTIVE benchmarks mayFuoco-Karasinski help list had better results on performance STAFF WRITERS: Andrew Checchia, Andres De Ocampo, Julia Shapero other healthcare organizations achieve indicators intended to measure clinical CONTRIBUTING WRITERS: Sara Edwards, Kamala Kirk consistent, ART balanced and sustainable outcomes, operational efficiency and DIRECTORS: Arman Olivares, Stephanie Torres high performance. patient experience. These include lowSTAFF PHOTOGRAPHER: Luis Chavez CONTRIBUTING Myriamer Santos Recognition as one PHOTOGRAPHERS: of the Fortune/ inpatient mortality rates and fewer EXECUTIVES: Catherine Holloway, Michael Lamb Merative 15 ACCOUNT Top Health Systems demon- patient complications, considering paFOUNDER EMERITUS: Sue Laris strates PIH Health’s ongoing commit- tient severity; care that resulted in fewment to prioritize patient-centered care. er health care associated infections; and As compared to their peer health sys- lower 30-day readmission rates.

EXECUTIVE EDITOR: Christina Fuoco-Karasinski DEPUTY EDITOR: Luke Netzley

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CONTRIBUTING WRITER: Dave Gil de Rubio STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER: Chris Mortenson

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ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES: Catherine Holloway (213) 308-2261 Michael Lamb (213) 453-3548

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EXECUTIVE EDITOR: Christina Fuoco-Karasinski DEPUTY EDITOR: Luke Netzley STAFF WRITER: Scianna Garcia CONTRIBUTING WRITERS: Emilee Miranda, Ellen Snortland, Bridgette M. Redman, Xavier Omar Otero STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER: Chris Mortenson CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS: Katarina Benzova, Martin Shaw, Simon Fowler, Eric McNatt, Reece Andrews, Ed Anderson, Wonho Frank Lee, Leroy Hamilton, Jon SooHoo ART DIRECTORS: Arman Olivares, Stephanie Torres ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES: Catherine Holloway (213) 308-2261 Michael Lamb (213) 453-3548 FOUNDER EMERITUS: Sue Laris

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DTLA’s Good Samaritan hospital joined the PIH Health network in 2019.

PIH Health/Submitted

In addition, PIH Health Whittier Hospital has been included on the Fortune/ Merative 100 Top Hospitals list for the seventh time, placing among the 25 top teaching hospitals. From small commu-

nity hospitals to major teaching hospitals, organizations on this list demonstrate a commitment to high value, patient-centered care and innovation.

According to Merative, as compared

to similar hospitals, the hospitals included on the Fortune/Merative 100 Top Hospitals list had better results on key clinical and operational performance indicators.

These include survival rates, patient complications, health care associated infections, 30-day mortality and 30-day hospitalwide readmission rates, length of stay, throughput in emergency departments, inpatient expenses, profitability and ratings from patients.

The 100 Top Hospitals list also incorporates a community health measure into its ranking process in which hospitals were surveyed on contributions as a provider of critical services for community health and preventive care; contributions to community health as a community partner teaming up with local organizations to implement critical programs; and promotion of community health through their practices as anchor institutions supporting local economic and social progress.

“PIH Health is honored to receive these prestigious recognitions once again,” said James R. West, PIH Health president and chief executive officer.

“These awards exemplify our continuous commitment to our patients and communities, and are a testament to our exceptional employees and medical staff who uphold standards for high-quality care every day. We applaud their consistent efforts and unwavering dedication to outstanding care for all we serve.”

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Covered California will help BUSINESS

Siljander named CHMC’s chief medical officer

By LA Downtown News Staff alifornia Hospital Medical Center appointed Dr. Debi Siljander as chief medical officer.

She joins the CHMC leadership team with more than 15 years of clinical experience and nearly 10 years in health care senior leadership. “ With ex tensive experience as a healthcare leader and a strong understanding of quality assurance, we are so excited to add Dr. Siljander to our hospital leadership team,” stated Alina Moran, CHMC president and chief executive officer.

“Her expertise and knowledge will help us ensure our patients continue to receive high quality, compassionate care in an environment predicated by safety.”

In her most recent role, Siljander served as chief clinical transformation officer at Natividad Medical Center; director of musculoskeletal medicine and faculty at the Family Medicine Residency

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affiliated with the University of California, San Francisco; and chief medical officer at Mee Memorial Hospital.

“It is an honor to join California Hospital Medical Center, which has a long history of providing vital care to the Los Angeles community,” Siljander said.

“I am looking forward to working together with the talented CHMC team to deliver high-quality, patient centric, efficient, cost effective care to all, while focusing on respect and dignity of patients and the entire care delivery team.

As a southern California native, it’s great to be back home.”

Among her numerous achievements, she has worked with senior leadership teams on patient experience, clinical integration of quality management systems and strategic planning initiatives, which have led to positive financial performance and increased hospital volumes.

Dr. Debi Siljander is now chief medical officer of California Hospital Medical Center.

California Hospital Medical Center/Submitted

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BRANCH’S OPINION

Hey you! Speak up!

Downtown News wants to hear from people in the community. If you like or dislike a story, let us know, or weigh in on something you feel is important to the community.

Participation is easy. Go to downtownnews.com, scroll to the bottom of the page and click the “Letter to the Editor” link. For guest opinion proposals, please email christina@timespublications.com.

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Covered California will help FEATURE

The Wall Las Memorias team works to bring health care, education and support to underserved communities throughout LA. The Wall Las Memorias/Submitted

The Wall Las Memorias brings health, wellness to underserved communities

By Luke Netzley LA Downtown News Deputy Editor n the northern edge of Lincoln Park lies a collection of painted walls whose panels depict six murals with more than 360 names etched into the stone. They are the names of individuals who have died from AIDS. In 2004, the Las Memorias AIDS Mon-

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ument became the first publicly funded AIDS monument in the country.

While the walls stand as memorials to those who have lost their lives to AIDS throughout the years, the organization behind the monument continues to help members of LA’s underserved communities today.

The Wall Las Memorias was founded in 1993 by Richard Zaldivar to provide

health and wellness programs and services to Latino, LGBTQ and other populations that are often overlooked regarding health care. The nonprofit offers HIV prevention and testing as well as substance abuse prevention services, using education and advocacy to inform DTLA’s next generations.

“Our community has elected political leaders, and then we have people

who lead us in what’s called civil society,” Councilman Gil Cedillo said. “Richard is one of those leaders. He operates at the highest level of professionalism and competency.”

Cedillo recalled that, back in 1993 when he was a leader at the health care union SEIU Local 660, he received a letter about the concept of The Wall Las Memorias and called Zaldivar.

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“Richard answered the phone and we proceeded into this conversation about social justice, creating monuments and memorials about the devastation in the ’80s, and its impact on our community and about the need for Latinos to have this space.

“All the things that we’re talking about today were heresy, were controversial, were unheard of. And Richard led us that way. … Come The Wall and the controversy to building it and our need to broaden our coalition, to think about our Latino community, to respect the cultural values that come but also to understand that we have to step forward and lean into these challenges.

“I’m so proud of the monument today.

When people come from other countries, and I host people frequently, I take them there. It’s a place of respite, a place of dignity, a place of respect and a place where our families can be proud.”

While Cedillo finds pride in what the monument represents, California state Senator María Elena Durazo added that its construction was no simple feat, as it was heavily opposed by many members of the community who vocalized their hatred toward the idea outside of a city council meeting in Lincoln Heights.

“The folks who were opposed to The Wall, they weren’t just homophobes.

They were violent. They were threatening,” Durazo said. “It was quite an experience to go through that in the ’90s in LA when you think about those stories being way back, like in the ’50s or ’40s in the south, but that’s what was going on here. I think what they were afraid of is the power of this community … but it was hard work to go and talk to people one by one, to organize and bring that consciousness because we know that taking something on like HIV requires our entire community.”

The core of The Wall Las Memorias’ mission is to provide access to health care, whether it’s testing, counseling or support, to every member of their communities across LA, from their office in Boyle Heights to their Downtown hub.

“We’re fighting for health care for everybody,” Durazo said. “It doesn’t matter who you love. It doesn’t matter what your immigration status is or your gender. What matters is you’re a human being and you deserve the right to health care, period.

“We’re going to end the HIV epidemic. We’re going to end it, and we’re going to give health care access to everybody.

We’ve come a long way … and we’ve got to keep doing this work.”

Amid a reported increase in meth use and addiction across LA county, The Wall

Las Memorias recently began providing crystal meth prevention services on July 1 and recently concluded the Act Now Against Meth coalition, which gathered over 20 community organizations to work together for two years to help reduce meth addiction and overdose.

The coalition’s community engagement model was even recognized by the National Academy of Medicine as one of the best practices for community engagement.

“The work of The Wall now is not only a model in terms of policy, but it’s also moral leadership and the type of leadership that’s essential for us to engage in,” Cedillo said. “So when somebody talks about bodily autonomy and everybody should be able to do drugs, that’s irresponsible because they don’t think that there’s going to be a baby born in the hospital tomorrow likely to be abandoned because of the impact of drugs on people’s rationality and the impact

on their brain and their ability to make rational decisions, that there will be Latino babies born tomorrow left and abandoned with meth in their system.

“This fight against meth is a fight for today, but it’s a fight for the future. It’s a fight for our children. It’s a fight for our community.”

By serving low-income and hard-toreach communities across LA and raising awareness about HIV and AIDS, substance-abuse prevention, mental health stigma, and transgender and nonbinary health and wellness, The Wall Las Memorias has served as both a safe place where people of all backgrounds can seek support and education as well as an organization fighting for social change.

“The fight for justice is one that transcends borders, one that is ongoing and perpetual,” Cedillo said. “And we will be there for you.”

The Wall Las Memorias WHERE: 800 W. Sixth Street, Suite 750, Los Angeles HOURS: 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday INFO: thewalllasmemorias.org

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Club Babalu is ‘daring’ and ‘provocative’

By Christina Fuoco-Karasinski LA Downtown News Executive Editor he immersive variety show Club Babalu has been called “daring” and “provocative.”

But to Billy Bell and Devin Compton Guzmán — creative and narrative directors, respectively — it’s all in a day’s work.

An Arts District gem, Club Babalu blends Golden Age Hollywood glamour and the passion of Havana Nights. Featuring classic Hollywood vibes, hints of modern dance, specialty acts such as pole and aerial, as well as cheeky slapstick comedy, the show has deep roots in Cuban culture through the infusion of ballroom, Latin beats, and nods to the Orishas of Santeria.

It’s set in a “show-within-a-show,” transporting guests to a hit 1957 TV show, as if they were extras in it. They move from set to set, including a 1950s-style kitchen, where they’ll have drinks.

On the set, they’re met with a mélange of performances and acts set to 1950s’ classics and modern pop hits. Meanwhile, guests sip on craft cocktails. The three-hour Club Babalu will encamp at Lot 613 at 613 Imperial Street through October.

With a nod to “I Love Lucy,” Club Babalu showcases glamorous old Hollywood costumes, vibrant decor, a ’50s-era soundscape and live performers ranging from comedy to burlesque acts to aerialists, dancers to jugglers.

Club Babalu’s trailer is available at youtu. be/d6bMUTK9hm4.

“We’re calling it an immersive burlesque variety show,” Guzmán said.

“Our actors guide them through the

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Billy Bell and Devin Compton Guzmán are creative and narrative partners.

Mario Gorman/Submitted

(event) and give them a brief orientation on why they are to be hired as part of the show,” she said.

“Collectively, we’ve been creating immersive work for about eight years now,” Bell continued. “We had ideas brewing, but the revitalization of this supper club is something I’ve wanted to do for quite a while.

This particular production is really special.”

The three-hour experience includes a preshow cocktail and time to explore the space and find their seat.

“We have an open-faced dressing room where all the performers are getting ready,” he said. “They’re getting ready with them and preparing for the show, and seeing the frenzy of the preshow energy.”

Bell said the goal was to revive the lost art of a supper club.

“I’m an ‘I Love Lucy’ fan and I think her comedy and style of storytelling is timeless,” he added.

“It just kind of clicked one day. It was very kismet. I thought, ‘What is more appropriate coming out of COVID than celebrating this healing with a gathering? We could come together, have fun, laugh and have a drink.

It’s a love note to gathering.”

Guzmán and Bell have produced shows in New York too. While those were immersive as well, they made the 21-and-older Club Babalu a little sexier, a little fancier and infused it with a lot of joy.

“What you’re feeling is joy,” she said. “Our last show in New York was zany and quirky, but you’re feeling joy. We feel the consumers need to escape and feel joy, as opposed to thrilled or scared. We want them to get lost for a couple of hours.”

Club Babalu WHEN: Various times through Oct. 2 WHERE: Lot 613, 613 Imperial Street, Los Angeles COST: Tickets start at $65; 21 and older INFO: clubbabaludtla.com

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Club Babalu is bringing Golden Age Hollywood glamor to the Arts District.

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Mario Gorman/Submitted

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Covered ARTS & California CULTUREwill help

The Lumineers say their new album is timeless

By Dave Gil de Rubio LA Downtown News Contributing Writer hatever you do, don’t call “Brightside,” the Lumineers’ fourth and newest studio effort, a COVID-19 album, even though the band started tracking its nine songs in March 2021.

While founding member Wesley Schultz acknowledges the pair of two-and-a-half week sessions occurred during the pandemic time frame while the 39-year-old New Jersey native was hunkering down with his family in Denver, he feels this latest outing is its own thing.

“We kept saying it was like the postCOVID-19 record,” Schultz explains.

“To me, it was not consciously trying to float above that while still observing that.

In a lot of ways, we were trying to make a record that we’d want to hear in 10 years and it would still make sense. I started to realize that a lot of the artists who I really love from the late ’60s to mid-’70s — they were pushing off of a lot of social unrest like Vietnam. There are a lot of things

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that I don’t know personally, but that I felt through the music. Instead of being isolated to a few countries, this is the whole world now. It’s a very strange, relatable thing. Part of the goal of the record, at least subconsciously, is to try to write an album that describes the pain without getting so caught in the weeds in using the words quarantine or pandemic. It was bigger than that.”

Like many-a-music act, when touring was paused in March 2020, the Lumineers’ time on the road came to an abrupt halt.

Schultz went through what he felt like was a quasi-grieving process.

“You go through your confusion, anger and then acceptance,” he says. “I felt pretty stifled and down. I was out of my element for a while there. I think the writing helped dig me out of the hole and find a purpose again and maybe channel some of the stuff I was really feeling in a healthier way versus drinking every day or doing something that was going to distract me.”

And adding a baby girl to a brood already including his toddler son helped

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Jeremiah Fraites and and Wesley Schultz are members of the Lumineers.

The Lumineers/Submitted

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give him perspective during this unprecedented time.

“The way touring goes, you say yes to a hell of a lot more things than you say no, so I was forced to be grounded and to see my son and spend real time with him,” Schultz says.

“You’re like a workaholic in some ways because you’re hustling for so many years that it was a gift to be told that you have to stay still for a little while. Even though that was painful. I felt like ‘What do I do with myself now?’ I felt useless. You crawl out of that and get a lot of beautiful time out of it. I feel way, way closer to my son than I probably would have had we been on the road.”

For the past decade, the duo of Schultz and Jeremiah Fraites have been the constants in The Lumineers (cellist and vocalist Neyla Pekarek was in the band from 2010-18), carving out a niche as one of the premier folk-rock/Americana acts through what is now the group’s fourth album.

The band’s breakthrough single was the 2012 Top 5 hit “Ho Hey,” which gained enough traction to be used in a Bing commercial and pop up in a number of television series including “Bones,” “Nashville” and “The Vampire Diaries.”

Its simplicity taps into an organic vibe that has come to define much of the Lum-

Denver-based folk rock band the Lumineers will perform at Crypto.com Arena on Friday, July 29.

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The Lumineers/Submitted

caption.

Los primeros años de la vida de un niño son críticos para su desarrollo. Los niños en riesgo de un atraso en el desarrollo, o que muestran signos de atraso, pueden calificar para la intervención y los servicios a través del programa Early Start de California.

En todo el estado de California, el programa Early Start es coordinado por los 21 centros regionales. Con la guía de los coordinadores de servicios, un plan individualizado de servicios y apoyos puede marcar la diferencia en el desarrollo de un niño.

Para las personas mayores de 3 años, los centros regionales también brindan servicios y apoyos de por vida desde la edad escolar hasta la edad adulta, incluida la coordinación de servicios, la planificación de servicios individuales, educación relacionadas con la defensa y capacitación.

En asociación con los Centros de Recursos Familiares, los padres y los miembros de la familia pueden recibir apoyo, orientación, información y referencias a recursos comunitarios.

Debido a la disminución de las referencias durante el estado de emergencia de COVID-19, es importante saber que su centro regional local permanece abierto y está aceptando referencias. Aunque algunos miembros del personal del centro regional pueden estar trabajando de forma remota, continúan trabajando arduamente para garantizar que su hijo reciba los servicios que necesita.

Para averiguar exactamente qué centro regional serviría a su familia, visite dds.ca.gov/services or dds.ca.gov/listings

The first few years of a child’s life are critical for their development. Children at risk of a developmental delay, or showing any signs of delay, may qualify for intervention and services through the Early Start program of California.

Across the state of California, the Early Start program is coordinated by all 21 regional centers. With the guidance of service coordinators, an individualized plan for services and supports can make a difference in a child’s development.

For individuals over the age of 3, the regional centers also provide lifelong services and supports from the school age years through adulthood, including service coordination, individual service planning, education related advocacy and training In partnership with the Family Resource Centers, parents and family members may receive parent-to-parent support, guidance, information and referrals to community resources.

Due to the decline in referrals during the COVID-19 State of Emergency, it is important to know that your local regional center remains open and is accepting referrals. Although some regional center staff may be working remotely, they continue to work hard to ensure your child is receiving the services they need.

To find out exactly which regional center would serve your family, please visit dds.ca.gov/services or dds.ca.gov/listings

Frank D. Lanterman Regional Center 3303 Wilshire Blvd. Suite 700, Los Angeles, CA 90010 (213) 383-1300 or (213) 252-5600 kyrc@lanterman.org | www.lanterman.org

Frank D. Lanterman Regional Center 3303 Wilshire Blvd. Suite 700, Los Angeles, CA 90010 (213) 383-1300 or (213) 252-5600 kyrc@lanterman.org | www.lanterman.org

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Covered ARTS & California CULTUREwill help THE LUMINEERS SAY THEIR NEW ALBUM IS TIMELESS,13 ineers’ work that Schultz has found to be lacking in a lot of pop music.

“Even though I didn’t think that song was going to resonate the way it does. I just thought it was interesting to my ear,” he recalls.

“It had to come from some place other than trying to please someone. I’ve been to BMI Awards where people collect awards for these songs and half the time, you never heard of the song and there are 12 or 15 writers that go up and collect trophies because I guess they generated money. Half the time, those guys don’t even like what they wrote. They just know that it’s catchy. Isn’t it better to just write stuff that you care about? So for me, there’s this element of people asking about the tenth anniversary of our first record and how that feels and what does that mean. And most of it is that we got to make stuff the way we liked it on our own terms.

“One of the things that I learned the more that I make music is to get out of your own way and to hold on to some lev-

el of your own innocence,” Schultz says.

“You’re not just creating new instruments and making up new chords. You’re finding yourself not quite sure of what you’re doing. It’s funny to even evaluate things when they come out because in a lot of ways, my favorite record is something it took me a while (to come around to). All of a sudden, it’s on heavy rotation the rest of my life. The transcendence of all this is a really funny thing. It’s like a mystical thing. That word alchemy comes to mind.”

That straightforward simplicity comes across in spades on “Brightside,” whether it’s the opening title track that uses a cadence reminiscent of Tom Petty’s “Don’t Come Around Here No More” while Schultz implores that, “I’ll be your brightside, baby, tonight,” or providing reassurances during uncertain times amid bare bones piano accompaniment and just a hint of strings amid the optimistic vibe of “Where We Are.” Both songs have provided a degree of comfort to the band’s fan base, who have shared their feelings on social

media.

“Ironically, a lot of parents, whether it’s people I don’t know that are posting it or parents that I know personally, so many have sent me images of their kids singing ‘Where We Are’ or ‘Brightside,’” Schultz says. “But particularly ‘Where We Are’ and they’re singing, ‘Where we are / I don’t know where we are,’ and it’s these little kids, most of whom don’t even know words yet and they’re mouthing these words. That for me is very exciting to see.

It’s like tapping into some kind of universal power.”

Suffice it to say that the creative restlessness that defined so much of how “Brightside” came out will be a driving force of what the Lumineers will bring to

the stage on this summer’s tour.

“We have four albums out and we have to cut songs now and that’s a good feeling,” Schultz says.

“We can actually put on a show that has no fat. As a band, we’re most excited to play. Not pulling a rabbit out of our hat, but having, from start to finish, moments (fans) won’t want to leave, grab a beer or take a leak. You want to just be there. I got to see Tom Petty during his “Wildflowers” tour and I forgot how many songs he wrote. I would never compare us to him, but in that feeling, I want people to leave hopefully saying, ‘I forgot how many songs they wrote,’ even just four albums in.”

The Lumineers w/Gregory Alan Isakov and Daniel Rodriguez WHEN: 7 p.m. Friday, July 29 WHERE: Crypto.com Arena, 1111 S. Figueroa Street, DTLA COST: Tickets start at $39 INFO: cryptoarena.com

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a Advertising is Keep Great Way to rs Your Custome Informed The Los Angeles Downtown News publishes a wide array of special sections and quarterlies throughout the year on topics like Health, Education, Nightlife and Residential Living.

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Wesley Schultz, center, wants to give crowds a reason to stay in their seats, “having, from start to finish, moments (fans) won’t want to leave.”

The Lumineers/Submitted

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Covered ARTS & California CULTUREwill help

Chorale hosting outdoor public singalong event

By Christina Fuoco-Karasinski LA Downtown News Executive Editor s a self-proclaimed proud Angeleno, Grant Gershon just wants to bring joy to his hometown.

He’s doing so with the Los Angeles Master Chorale’s singalong event, “Big Sing 2022: With A Little Help from Our Friends” at 6 p.m. Saturday, July 23, at The Music Center’s Grand Park.

Free and open to the public, Angelenos are invited sing with master chorale members, led by Gershon, the Kiki & David Gindler artistic director, and Jenny Wong, associate conductor.

Guest conductors include Alexander Blake, founder and director of Tonality, and Los Angeles Master Chorale members David Castillo, Charlie Kim, Sharmila G. Lash and Kristen Toedtman.

Repertoire will include The Beatles’ “With a Little Help from My Friends,” Ben E. King’s “Stand by Me,” Quirino Mendoza y Cortés’ “Cielito Lindo,” John Rosamond John-

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Grant Gershon is the Los Angeles Master Chorale’s Kiki & David Gindler artistic director.

Los Angeles Master Chorale/Submitted

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son’s “Lift Every Voice and Sing” and Alan Menken’s “A Whole New World.”

As a prelude to the musical activities, guests are encouraged to come early to enjoy food trucks and lunch on the lawn. Food will be available for purchase and complimentary water will be provided to participants. A commemorative song booklet will be available for free on the day of the event.

“I’m always wanting to find ways to connect all the different parts of Los Angeles together,” Gershon said.

“It sounds like a cliché, but we’re finding our shared humanity. We all have different histories, different backgrounds. We all come from different places. The one thing we all have is our voices. This event is a way for us to celebrate that thing that brings us together that we all have in common, that links us as a giant family.”

He admitted it’s “idealistic,” but in “ridiculous times that we find ourselves in right now,” fun events are needed.

The Big Sing event is in its fourth year, the first since pre-COVID-19 2019.

“As musicians, who really love and live to make music together, it’s been a really challenging year,” he said.

“This season has felt like the great thaw. Everything is emerging from being frozen. The last part of that was really coming back together as a big community of singers. We’ll be outside in Grand Park. We still have the ability for people to feel comfortable and safe, but at the same time having the opportunity to harmonize together.”

Gershon has led more than 200 chorale performances at Walt Disney Concert Hall in programs encompassing a wide range of choral music, from the early pillars of the repertoire to contemporary compositions.

He has led world premiere performances of major works by such composers as Michael Abels, John Adams, Louis Andriessen, Jeff Beal, Eve Beglarian, Billy Childs, Reena Esmail, Gabriela Lena Frank, Ricky Ian Gordon, Shawn Kirchner, David Lang, Morten Lauridsen, Steve Reich, Ellen Reid, Christopher Rouse, Esa-Pekka Salonen and Chinary Ung.

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His discography includes the Grammy-nominated recordings of “Sweeney Todd” (New York Philharmonic Special Editions) and “Ligeti’s Grand Macabre” (Sony Classical); commercial CDs with the chorale, including “Glass-Salonen” (RCM), “You Are” (Variations) (Nonesuch), “Daniel Variations” (Nonesuch), “A Good Understanding” (Decca), “Miserere” (Decca); and the national anthems (Cantaloupe Music).

He has two live-performance albums, the chorale’s 50th Season Celebration recording and Festival of Carols. He has also led the chorale in performances for several major motion pictures soundtracks, including, at the request of John Williams, “Star Wars: The Last Jedi” and “The Rise of Skywalker.”

He called “Big Sing 2022: With A Little Help from Our Friends” a “big party” with an eclectic mix of songs.

“There’s something for everybody and we have a fantastic band, led by Russell Ferrante, a legendary jazz pianist, and Sidney Hopson on drums and percussion.

It starts with Chicago’s ‘Saturday in the Park,’ which is perfect because that’s what we are. It’s everything from that to music from West Africa, Mexico and India; things like ‘A Change is Gonna Come,’ ‘Seasons of Love’ from ‘Rent,’ and, as the name of the event would suggest, some Beatles. It’s something for everybody.”

He said rehearsals are not needed.

“We have great song leaders who are super charismatic and make the whole experience fun,” he said. “It’s like karaoke with 500 of your closest friends.”

“Big Sing 2022: With A Little Help from Our Friends” WHEN: 6 p.m. Saturday, July 23 WHERE: The Music Center’s Grand Park, 135 N. Grand Avenue, Los Angeles COST: Free INFO: lamasterchorale.org

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ARTS & CULTURE

With 27 prize-winning musicians from 18 countries across five continents, the iPalpiti Festival of International Laureates has been described as the “the United Nations of classical music.”

Dana Ross/Submitted

iPalpiti Festival to showcase ‘On Wings of Peace’ grand finale

By Luke Netzley LA Downtown News Deputy Editor hen Laura Schmeider was 5 years old, she asked her mother to learn piano, then violin. Growing up in the Soviet Union, nearly every child around her studied music, but her musical talent would take her on a journey from the Moscow Conservatory across the world to the United States where she and her husband, Eduard, founded Young Artists International in 1997, which became iPalpiti Artists International in 2008.

What began as a six-artist festival in 1998 has since turned into a showcase of performers from around the world bringing classical music performances to audiences across Southern California. On Saturday, July 23, the 25th annual iPalpiti Festival of International Laureates’ classical musicians will take the stage at Downtown’s Walt Disney Concert Hall for their “On Wings of Peace” grand finale.

Under Maestro Eduard’s baton, 27 prize-winning musicians will represent 18 countries across 5 continents. For the “On Wings of Peace” program, they’ll perform “Furia” by Avison, “Quiet Music” by Ukrainian composer Valentin Silvestrov, Paul Hindemith’s military parody “Minimax,” Anton Webern’s “Song of Love” and George Enescu’s “Rhapsody N1,” which has been arranged for a string orchestra and violin solo by famed Czech violinist Pavel Sporcl.

“They’re so talented, and it’s such a high level of professionalism,” Schmeider said. “The mutual respect is unique, I would say. The atmosphere is noncompetitive and of beautiful camaraderie and human relationship.”

Schmeider’s reverence and adoration for classical performance has breathed life into the festival each year, even when it was forced online in

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2020. Though COVID-19 restrictions had begun to ease and the iPalpiti team returned to their stages in 2021, they still faced myriad difficulties, as several musicians from overseas were held in customs or even turned away from the United States.

“Two people were deported,” Schmeider explained. “Our Turkish violist, it was his 11th year. … He started with us as a young professional, and he’s a principal in the Istanbul Symphony. He was turned away from San Francisco.

They sent him back for no reason.

“Our cellist from Moscow was held for seven hours. An Italian violin was held for nine hours with the most strange restrictions: no phone and no use of the bathroom. And nobody can explain it.”

Despite the numerous setbacks, the festival persevered in 2021 and every musician was able to return to the United States for 2022. After touring through Encinitas, La Jolla and Beverly Hills, this year’s grand finale in Downtown Los Angeles will share a message of unity and peace in the wake of a turbulent two years.

“Maestro always writes a letter to the audience, and there are certain aspects he repeats about what ideas he wants to impart through iPalpiti and the musical vision. Our belief at the end is that kindness will always overcome evil,” Schmeider said. “It’s not really what we see today. It’s a very difficult, harsh world, but we believe that eventually the kindness in humanity will overcome the evil.

“I would say through the music, (Eduard) selects the kind of program that elevates the soul and that emotionally makes such an impact on people. We try to do that even when it doesn’t mean that we try to play only short, happy pieces. You can play very difficult and sometimes long pieces and compositions that are full of meaning, and people get that. If it’s real music performed with real feelings, anyone can get that.”

The name iPalpiti means “heartbeat” in Italian and serves as a symbol of the emotions that classical music can evoke and a love that permeates through every level of the production. Schmeider hopes that these emotions will be able to reach a wide and diverse audience of classical enthusiasts and newcomers alike.

“We don’t care how much money we will make from the tickets we sell,” Schmeider explained. “What’s important is that as many people will come to hear the music, so we work with other nonprofits where we give tickets to schools, shelters, seniors and young organizations.”

Providing opportunities for younger audiences to enjoy classical music lies at the core of iPalpiti’s founding mission, along with the belief that providing these gateways is crucial to the arts’ survival. Schmeider insisted the iPalpiti Festival can show a side of the art that both invigorates and excites.

“Our goal is to introduce the young generations to classical music,” Schmeider said. “If you give the opportunity to different people to come and hear this, they’ll say, ‘Oh, I didn’t know that (classical music) can be loud,’ because a lot of young people say, ‘We don’t want to go because you have to sit quiet … and you have to dress up.’”

Schmeider explained it is difficult to foresee the future of classical music, as she has watched its popularity shrink over the years. However, she finds hope in the work her team and her alumni have done to break down barriers and allow musicians of younger generations to flourish in the classical world.

“What we do know is how many people we bring together,” Schmeider said.

“We know that our alumnus go into the world and they’re very dedicated.

Many of them create their own festivals, and we give grants to support that.

That’s our goal, too. … We will not be here forever, so our goal is to give a good start to anyone who learns and who wants to carry this into the future.”

25th annual iPalpiti Festival of International Laureates WHERE: Walt Disney Concert Hall, 111 S. Grand Avenue, Los Angeles WHEN: 8 p.m. Saturday, July 23 COST: Tickets range from $10 to $180 INFO: ipalpiti.org

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Covered ARTS & California CULTUREwill help

LA Mission, Maverick City Music hosting free concert

By Luke Netzley LA Downtown News Deputy Editor s a community in Downtown Los Angeles, Skid Row is not often seen as a collection of people. Instead, its stretch of tent-laden streets is marked with statistics about overdose and crime. It’s an image Los Angeles Mission CEO Troy Vaughn has dedicated his life to changing for the better.

On Monday, July 25, LA Mission will host a “Summer Day of Service” with a free concert from Grammy Award-winning gospel group Maverick City Music to mark the start of the Skid Row Revitalization Project, whose mission is to uplift those living on Skid Row. “We really wanted to do something in our community to reestablish it as a community from the optic of how people view Skid Row, not some blight that needs to be looked over but to understand that there’re real people that live and work in this community,” Vaughn said.

“If we can really begin to hone our collective energy to focus on it, wouldn’t it be great if we can restore it back to what it could be? A service hub center, a place where people can live with low income, mixed housing, a real community that we can make available to low-income residents within our neighborhood but also that needs to thrive in harmony with local businesses.”

Through the Skid Row Revitalization Project, Vaughn hopes to bring together community members, advocates, organizations and government partners from across DTLA and create a space where people can feel protected and find opportunities to create a better life for themselves and their families.

“I wanted to create an environment where we just came out and be neighbors, and to start there in that place and then build from that a conversation about what

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it looks like to be a community and to maintain community together,” Vaughn explained.

“So, I thought, wouldn’t it be great if we created a fair-like environment and then made it a benefit concert? Then we would raise resources and awareness and open up those resources to people that would be utilizing it. A lot of times those people don’t get an opportunity to go to concerts and appreciate that kind of a space because they can’t afford to, so what if we brought it to them?”

In addition to the live performance by Maverick City Music, which will perform to a sold-out audience at the Crypto.com Arena the night before, LA Mission will provide food and essential supplies to Skid Row residents.

When off the stage, Maverick City Music plans to spend the day personally giving back to the community. Nearly 2,000 attendees are expected to gather for the gated street festival, which will offer an outdoor fellowship, prayer requests, free on-site showers, hygiene kits, giveaways, raffles and bikes donated by Metro.

“We have companies like Amazon, Home Depot and Hilton coming in to offer jobs on the spot,” Vaughn said. “We’re going to have haircuts, a beauty salon and showers for people so they can feel like they’re ready to talk to a person about a job opportunity. We’re going to have housing vouchers that we can give to people right there on the spot if they want to come off the streets. … You name it. We’ve got to have it all.

“It’s just a time for us to appreciate the fact of being a part of the human race and being a part of the community. So people are free to come on out and be a part of that and let your light above shine so freely that we can see the greater work in humanity.”

Vaughn also expressed that the importance of this event to each individual mem-

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ber of the Skid Row community could not be overstated as their community becomes more interwoven in the fabric of DTLA. “It’s going to mean the world to them because, finally, everybody that is in the community sees them as a part of the community, and I think that the biggest win ever is for them to know that somebody sees them,” Vaughn said.

To contribute resources or time as a volunteer with LA Mission or the Skid Row Revitalization Project, visit losangelesmission.org.

“I believe over time, the momentum that’s based on our consistency will continue to get more and more people involved in the process of community transformation,” Vaughn said. “I really hope that it will set a blaze of other efforts throughout not just the city but the county and the state for these opportunities to come together as a community and take control of our own futures.”

The Skid Row Revitalization Project’s Summer Day of Service WHERE: Los Angeles Mission, 303 E. 5th Street, Los Angeles WHEN: Monday, July 25, from 12 to 5 p.m.

COST: Free admission INFO: losangelesmission.org

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CLASSIFIEDS LIEN SALE AD

LIEN SALE AD

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NOTICE OF SALE NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the undersigned intends to sell the personal property described below to enforce a lien imposed on said property pursuant to Sections 21700-21716 of the Business & Professions Code, Section 2328 of the UCC, Section 535 of the Penal Code and provisions of the Civil Code.

The undersigned will sell on the 26th day of July 2022 at 11:00 A.M. on the premises where said property has been stored and which are located at Thriftee Storage Company LLC, 1717 N. Glendale Blvd. in the city of Los Angeles, County of Los Angeles, State of California, the following: Name of owner: Space number, Description of goods, Amount Jessica Murray L38 Personal effects $824.75 Christina Escalante E7 Personal effects $967.00 Feliberto Garcia L18 Personal effects $875.00 Philip Zuchelli B14 Personal effects $796.00 Brandon Tory D80 Personal effects $356.00 Karen Martinez H10 Personal effects $295.00 Purchases must be paid for at the time of purchase in cash only. All purchased storage units with the items contained herein are sold on an “as-is” basis and must be removed at the time of sale. Sale subject to cancellation in the event of settlement between Thriftee Storage Co. and obligated party.

Thriftee Storage Company LLC Dated at Los Angeles, CA by Felipe F. Islas / Manager July 12, 2022.

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