arts and health week summit
Hosted by LA Opera in collaboration with LA County Supervisor Hilda L. Solis, First District; Los Angeles County Department of Arts and Culture; and Healing Arts—an initiative of the Jameel Arts & Health Lab—and the World Health Organization, this unique summit offers conversations and participatory experiences, and promotes creative ways to approach wellness.
Thought leaders including arts practitioners, medical experts and administrators, policymakers and researchers will gather at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion for discussions and presentations exploring how the arts can increasingly, and equitably, support health and wellbeing. The event features Special Projects Advisor for LA Opera, WHO Goodwill Ambassador for Arts and Health and acclaimed soprano Renée Fleming, among other notable advocates for the arts in healthcare.
This year's Summit will feature:
- Renée Fleming – LA Opera Advisor for Special Projects and World Health Organization Goodwill Ambassador for Arts and Health
- Christopher Koelsch – President and CEO, LA Opera
- The Honorable Hilda L. Solis – Los Angeles County Supervisor, First District
- Dr. Jill Sonke – Director of Research Initiatives, University of Florida Center for Arts in Medicine
- Kristin Sakoda – Director, LA County Department of Arts and Culture
Including presentations from and conversations with:
Dr. Robert M. Bilder • Dr. Barbara Ferrer • Dr. Julie Gerberding • Dr. Helena Hansen • Dr. Daniel J. Levitin • Rachel Moore • Jorge Orozco • Josephine Ramirez • Dr. Nisha Sajnani • Dr. Patricia Moore Shaffer • Dr. Indre Viskontas • Eric Whitacre • Stacie Aamon Yeldell
Arts and Health Week around Los Angeles County
Throughout the week, engage with organizations at the intersection of arts and health, including Lineage Performing Arts Center, the Ebell of Los Angeles, Able ARTS Work and many others. Read More below to view a calendar of local events.
SUNDAY, JUNE 9
- 1:00PM - 3:30PM
Torrance Beach Drum Circle – Come and Drum for Joy!
300 Paseo de la Playa, Redondo Beach, CA 90277
Free, family-friendly rhythm jam/drum circle every 2nd Sunday of each month. We meet between Miramar Park and the Lifeguard Headquarters on Torrance Beach. We have many drums and instruments to share; come co-create music and joy. ALL ages and skill levels are welcome!
MONDAY, JUNE 10
- 11:30AM-1:30PM
Devising for Theater with Farah
Lineage Performing Arts Center – 920 E. Mountain St., Pasadena, CA 91104
Explore the stage with poetry, plays, and improvisation while mitigating symptoms of neurodegenerative diseases! This class is for all experience and skill levels, and uses popular theater techniques specially tailored for persons with Parkinson’s, MS, TBI and stroke.
Wellness through the Arts at Lineage PAC is a specialized program for adults with Parkinson’s Disease, Stroke, TBI, MS and other neurological differences. The program is designed to promote mind-body connectivity and socialization through the arts through weekly Act for Joy classes-all free of charge! - 2:00PM-3:00PM
Dance for Joy (in person and virtual)
Lineage Performing Arts Center – 920 E. Mountain St., Pasadena, CA 91104
This specialized free dance class is designed to focus on your mind and body to move with purpose, creativity, musicality & grace. Classes provide a joyous experience that enhances one's balance and develops control and freedom of the participant's movement.
Wellness through the Arts at Lineage PAC is a specialized program for adults with Parkinson’s Disease, Stroke, TBI, MS and other neurological differences. The program is designed to promote mind-body connectivity and socialization through the arts through weekly Dance for Joy, Sing for Joy and Act for Joy classes-all free of charge! - 6:30PM-8:30PM
Mental Health Mondays with Dr. Mikayla Moore
Sole Folks Art Lab – Leimert Park, 4425 Crenshaw Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90043
Mental Health Mondays with Dr. Makeda Moore is a collaboration with Sole Folks, bringing mental wellness to Leimert Park through a weekly seminar to reduce stress through open dialogue and meditation. Each free session will include grounding exercises to promote a sense of peace, safe space to process life’s stressors in a constructive manner, practical tips to nurture mental health, as well as guided meditation with sound bowl healing. We welcome you to a higher level of peace, self-awareness, health, & happiness.
TUESDAY, JUNE 11
- 11:00AM-12:00PM
Ebell Cares: Music to Remember (virtual)
Tailored for those facing memory loss and their caregivers, the class fosters a caring, supportive community and helps those with Dementia, Alzheimer’s, and more by creating opportunities to reconnect with themselves and their loved ones through music.
Music Heals Minds provides free engagement-centered programs for Memory Care communities. In each program, a professional singer leads an interactive sing-along with piano or guitar accompaniment. They encourage residents to join in the singing, clapping, dancing, and conversation centered around the musical selections and the memories they kindle. - 7:00PM-8:30PM
Yoga on the Steps
Culver Steps – 9300 Culver Boulevard, Culver City, CA 90232
Grab your yoga mats and join us! Free CorePower Yoga every Tuesday from 7:00 PM to 8:30 PM at the top of The Steps—we flow while the sun sets!
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 12
- 1:00-2:00PM
Voice Classes with Shauna – Singing for Joy (in person and virtual)
Lineage Performing Arts Center – 920 E. Mountain St., Pasadena, CA 91104
Breathe, Talk, and then Sing! This class focuses on the fundamentals of each while improving pulmonary function, projection, and articulation.
Wellness through the Arts at Lineage PAC is a specialized program for adults with Parkinson’s Disease, Stroke, TBI, MS and other neurological differences. The program is designed to promote mind-body connectivity and socialization through the arts through weekly Dance for Joy, Sing for Joy and Act for Joy classes - all free of charge! - 2:00PM-3:00PM
Dance for Joy (in person and virtual)
Lineage Performing Arts Center – 920 E. Mountain St., Pasadena, CA 91104
This specialized free dance class is designed to focus on your mind and body to move with purpose, creativity, musicality & grace. Classes provide a joyous experience that enhances one's balance and develops control and freedom of the participant's movement.
Wellness through the Arts at Lineage PAC is a specialized program for adults with Parkinson’s Disease, Stroke, TBI, MS and other neurological differences. The program is designed to promote mind-body connectivity and socialization through the arts through weekly Dance for Joy, Sing for Joy and Act for Joy classes-all free of charge! - 4:00PM-5:30PM
Acting Classes BTAP Jr. Born to Act Players - Junior Class
El Redentor Church – 14445 Terra Bella St., Panorama City, CA 91402
Students will sing, dance, and act! They will develop better speech, communication skills, and self-confidence. For ages 5-17. Send an email to Mary Rings at BTAP@earthlink.net or call 818-776-9670. Cost is $15 per session. - 4:00PM-6:00PM
KDrama: KYCC Clinical Services
680 S. Wilton Pl., Los Angeles, CA 90005
KYCC Clinical Services is leading a 16-week group called Drama Watch & Chat for high school students who identify as female. The group will watch True Beauty and discuss topics like healthy relationships, self-development, cultural expectations, and more.
THURSDAY, JUNE 13
- 1:00PM-3:00PM
Creative Club at Able ARTS Work Gallery
EXPO Arts Center, 4321 Atlantic Ave, Long Beach, CA 90807
Creative Club offers free and accessible studio space for all ages, abilities and backgrounds. Once a month, our Hawthorne space will be available for anyone to create art instructed by one of our very own art coordinators. Come stop by and create something great for yourself! The primary mission of Able ARTS Work is to provide lifelong learning, community service and vocational opportunities through the creative arts for people of all abilities and all ages in an environment of warmth, encouragement and inclusion.
FRIDAY, JUNE 14
- 12:00PM-12:45PM
Gloria Molina Grand Park’s Wellness Break
Gloria Molina Grand Park, 200 N Grand Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90012
Join us for a revitalizing break in the heart of DTLA! Take this opportunity to reset and reconnect with yourself through a collection of rejuvenating classes. - 5:00-6:00PM
Feel the Rhythm of The Music Center’s Dance DTLA
Jerry Moss Plaza, 135 N Grand Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90012Get a taste of L.A.’s favorite Friday night dance party! Join us to learn samba moves with all Queens drum ensemble Bloco Obini and experience the power of dancing with your friends and colleagues. See you on the Jerry Moss Plaza as the Summit continues!
ONGOING OFFERINGS
- JUNE 9-15
To Paint is to Live: Art and Resistance in Theresienstadt
Holocaust Museum LA, 100 The Grove Drive, Los Angeles, CA 90036
Highlighting the untold stories of endurance through remarkable art works of those who survived and perished, this exhibition challenges us to contemplate the transformative power of art when faced with extreme adversity and reflect on the capacity for maintaining human dignity. - Dancing Through Parkinson's (various virtual class times plus resources for home sessions anytime)
Invertigo Dance’s Dancing Through Parkinson’s (DTP) provides dance classes to persons living with Parkinson’s Disease and other neurodegenerative, mobility and age-related conditions. Through movement and storytelling, the program promotes physical health, mental health, and joyful community interaction, and class atendees report improvements in their physical stability, balance, creativity, mental clarity, and overall well-being! A testament to Invertigo’s commitment to accessibility, DTP classes, which are offered free of charge, emerge as a sanctuary of movement that reignites balance, amplifies flexibility, and ignites a sense of empowerment.
Generous support for these programs provided by
The Music Man Foundation
and through a Civic Practice Grant from OPERA America’s Opera Fund
LA Opera Connects is generously supported by
Emanuel Treitel Trust
The Green Foundation
The Music Man Foundation
