The Music Center Has Received Nearly $3 Million Dollars in New Contributions

The Music Center today announced the receipt of recent donations totaling $2.728 million dollars from private foundations and individual donors, earmarked for capital costs of the newly renovated Music Center Plaza along with free and low-cost programs covered by the organization's TMC Arts Fund. The new funds from the W.M. Keck Foundation and the S. Mark Taper Foundation will support the Plaza renovation while a gift from philanthropist Dr. Susan E. Kendall will benefit TMC Arts programming. Additionally, business leaders and philanthropists Terri and Jerry Kohl, founders of Brighton Collectibles, provided $889,000 in matching dollars to the TMC Arts Fund, which exceeds the Kohl's original $500,000 challenge grant to help advance transformative arts experiences for all Angelenos; Terri Kohl is the current president of The Blue Ribbon, The Music Center's premier women's support organization, and one of its largest donors. The TMC Arts Fund broadens access to the arts for all communities of Los Angeles through public programs, education and dance and supports free and low-cost arts and cultural programming on The Music Center Plaza and throughout The Music Center campus.

"With the comprehensive makeover of The Music Center Plaza, coupled with the launch of the TMC Arts Fund, which provides endless possibilities for programming that reflects and responds to the diversity of Los Angeles County, Angelenos now have a true town square-the 'Plaza for All,'" said Rachel S. Moore, president and CEO of The Music Center. "We are very grateful to all our donors and the community for their embrace of The Music Center's vision to deepen the cultural lives of all people in Los Angeles. With their continued support, The Music Center is well positioned to impact the lives of many more people."

The Music Center's three original structures-Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, Mark Taper Forum and Ahmanson Theatre-are united by an expansive outdoor Plaza. The Plaza's renovation created a larger, more accessible outdoor space from Grand Park to the east and the Department of Water and Power building to the west, now the largest open, landscaped area of any downtown in the United States. Civic and community leaders rededicated The Music Center Plaza on August 28, 2019, after a 20-month renovation. The Plaza is intended to serve as a principal public square for Los Angeles County, a place where people can not only dine and gather, but also connect with friends and colleagues. With the first renovation of the Plaza since The Music Center opened in 1964, the re-design doubled the occupancy of the space while effectively creating a fifth venue for The Music Center campus.

The Plaza empowers the performing arts center to provide free and low-cost programming in the space, including The Music Center's annual Very Special Arts Festival, The Blue Ribbon Children's Festival, Grand Avenue Arts All-Access, Grand Park + The Music Center's N.Y.E.L.A. and The Music Center's Dance DTLA, among other tentpole events presented by its TMC Arts programming engine. With TMC Arts, The Music Center is breaking new ground as an iconic cultural institution whose core curatorial approach centers around building inclusive, diverse and accessible programs for all.