Free admission · No reservations

Parking: $5 · Carpooling encouraged!

Limited seating available on a first-come, first-served basis

General information: (310) 440-4500 or www.skirball.org

LOS ANGELES—The Skirball Cultural Center announces the thirteenth season of its popular Sunset Concerts series, showcasing celebrated musicians from around the globe. Presenting five outdoor concerts free of charge on Thursday nights from July 16 through August 13, the Sunset Concerts series remains integral to the Skirball’s ongoing mission to explore world arts and culture in the context of Jewish heritage, immigration, and the American experience.

The Sunset Concerts take place outdoors, in the Skirball’s Mark Taper Foundation Courtyard, nestled against the Santa Monica Mountains. During Sunset Concerts, the Skirball’s museum galleries, except Noah’s Ark at the Skirball, are free and open until 10:00 p.m. The Skirball’s Zeidler’s Café offers a fixed-price, pre-concert buffet dinner; reservations for the buffet are required: (310) 440-4575. Concertgoers may also purchase grab-and-go light fare from Zeidler’s Cart.

SUNSET CONCERTS 2009

ISSA BAGAYOGO

Thursday, July 16, 8:00 p.m.

Player of the n’goni—a West African three-stringed lute believed to be the direct ancestor of the banjo—Issa Bagayogo of Mali infuses the acoustic traditions of his region with elements of rock, funk, dub, and electronica.

MIKE MARSHALL, DAROL ANGER, AND VÄSEN

Thursday, July 23, 8:00 p.m.

L.A. premiere! Two of America’s finest acoustic musicians, Mike Marshall on mandolin and Darol Anger on fiddle, perform  with the Swedish ensemble Väsen, featuring Olov Johansson on  nyckelharpa (traditional Swedish string instrument), Mikael Marin on viola, and Roger Tallroth on twelve-string guitar. Together the quintet creates a new landscape of traditional sounds that closes the gap between fiddle and dance tunes of Appalachia and the nyckelharpa and polskas of Sweden.

GADJI-GADJO

Thursday, July 30, 8:00 p.m.

L.A. premiere! Performing on violin, mandolin, clarinet and bass clarinet, accordion, guitar, double-bass, and percussion, this Quebec-based band reinvigorates the Roma and klezmer traditions of Eastern Europe with diverse world influences.

THE WILD MAGNOLIAS

Thursday, August 6, 8:00 p.m.

Among the participants in New Orleans’ famed Mardi Gras festivities, there is perhaps no more elaborate or fascinating a group than the secret society of African Americans known as the Mardi Gras Indians. Through its artistry, the renowned ensemble known as the Wild Magnolias carries on the hundred-year-old Mardi Gras Indian tradition of paying homage to the Native Americans who befriended and assisted runaway slaves during the slave trade days of New Orleans. Thrilling audiences with its irresistible folk-rooted music and stunning, ornate costumes, the Wild Magnolias epitomize New Orleans’s flamboyant aesthetic and showcases the affinity between African and Native American minorities that is central to Mardi Gras Indian culture.

OMAR FARUK TEKBILEK ENSEMBLE

Thursday, August 13, 8:00 p.m.

Honored as a peacemaker and musical virtuoso, Omar Faruk Tekbilek is one of the most sought-after Turkish/Middle Eastern musicians living in the United States. Relentless worldwide touring and welcoming openness to music from all cultures position him as a rare artist who transcends political obstacles while maintaining traditional sensibilities.

SUNSET CONCERTS 2009 ARE MADE POSSIBLE IN PART BY HOTEL ANGELENO, LOS ANGELES COUNTY ARTS COMMISSION, RHINO ENTERTAINMENT.

Visiting the Skirball

The Skirball Cultural Center is located at 2701 N. Sepulveda Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90049 (exit Skirball Ctr Dr off the 405). Parking for Sunset Concerts: $5. The Skirball is also accessible by Metro Rapid Bus 761. Museum hours: Tuesday–Friday, 12:00–5:00 p.m.; Saturday–Sunday 10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.; closed Mondays. Museum admission: $10 General; $7 Seniors, Full-Time Students, and Children over 12; $5 Children 2–12. All exhibitions are free to Skirball Members and Children under 2. Exhibitions are free to the public on Thursdays. The Skirball is also home to Zeidler’s Café, which serves innovative California cuisine in an elegant setting and Audrey’s Museum Store, which sells books, contemporary art, music and more. For general information, the public may call (310) 440-4500 or visit www.skirball.org.

About the Skirball

The Skirball Cultural Center is dedicated to exploring the connections between 4,000 years of Jewish heritage and the vitality of American democratic ideals. It welcomes and seeks to inspire people of every ethnic and cultural identity. Guided by our respective memories and experiences, together we aspire to build a society in which all of us can feel at home. The Skirball Cultural Center achieves its mission through educational programs that explore literary, visual, and performing arts from around the world; through the display and interpretation of its permanent collections and changing exhibitions; through an interactive family destination inspired by the Noah’s Ark story; and through outreach to the community.

Additional Info
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Skirball Cultural Center presents SUNSET CONCERTS 2009 Thursdays, ...

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