The Music Center's Mark Taper Forum

It’s been a half a century since Hamlet was produced at the Taper and next season Tony Award® nominated visionary, Robert O’Hara, who directed the landmark box office hit Slave Play, returns to stage one of the most famous tales ever told.

The story of East Harlem is the story of how American music is made.

It's where mambo, salsa, and boogaloo converged to give rise to iconic hits like “I Like It Like That,” "Oye Cómo Va," and "Boogaloo Blues.” It’s where cultures came together and artists who challenged the musical status quo found pride, passion, and possibility on every block.

When Puerto Rican and Cuban immigrants arrived in New York City in the mid-20th century, they ushered in a new era of cultural renaissance in the neighborhood that became popularly known as “Spanish Harlem,” but is also known to many simply as “El Barrio”—the neighborhood.

Through the centuries, concertos have been the platform for virtuosos to thrill audiences. In the first two installments of this series, Alan Chapman traced the development and structure of the concerto from its beginnings through the late 19th century. Now, he resumes this chronological journey with many musical examples and vibrant visuals. Whether you’re continuing the series or joining for the first time, all are welcome to come and learn!

Join us for Breakthru, a free daily movement and breathing-based microbreak on Jerry Moss Plaza at The Music Center. Every day at NOON and 6:00 p.m., Angelenos come together to move, breathe and reset—right in the heart of Downtown L.A.

Guided by a series of two-minute breathing and movement sequences, shift your mood by choosing joyful, energized, centered and confident. This ever-evolving, crowd-curated experience gives us all permission to pause, reflect and recharge.

Angelenos are invited to experience outdoor movement, restoration and reinvigoration—in under an hour. This free series is set to redefine midday breaks. Every Wednesday and Friday, amid the lush greenery of the park, participants can immerse themselves in their yoga flow. In addition to the regular weekly yoga classes, everyone is encouraged to mark their calendars for every third or fourth Saturday for the park’s “Wild Card” series, adding excitement and variety to the Wellness Breaks. These sessions are located on the scenic performance lawn between Grand Ave and Hill St.

Join us for Breakthru, a free daily movement and breathing-based microbreak on Jerry Moss Plaza at The Music Center. Every day at NOON and 6:00 p.m., Angelenos come together to move, breathe and reset—right in the heart of Downtown L.A.

Guided by a series of two-minute breathing and movement sequences, shift your mood by choosing joyful, energized, centered and confident. This ever-evolving, crowd-curated experience gives us all permission to pause, reflect and recharge.

Get ready for a day of fun, creativity and play at The Music Center’s Very Special Arts Festival Family Day! This free, one-day outdoor festival invites children of all abilities and their families to enjoy an exciting lineup of live performances, interactive art-making activities and a student art gallery, all in a vibrant, inclusive atmosphere. Join us on Jerry Moss Plaza at The Music Center for a memorable Saturday exploring the arts and celebrating the artist in all of us!

Let us know you're coming!

Margarita Xirgu has spent half her acting career in exile, mourning Federico García Lorca, the dear friend whom she couldn’t convince to flee Franco’s reign of terror. Lorca was once on the verge of writing his way into a new Golden Age in Spain. But dictators have no use for poets.

Resident Conductor Lina González-Granados leads this major company premiere. Grammy winner Osvaldo Golijov’s dramatic, flamenco-inspired score meets a poignant libretto by David Henry Hwang in what the LA Times calls “one of the most moving and meaningful operas of our time.” Ana María Martínez takes center stage as Lorca’s muse Margarita Xirgu, recounting the poet’s life and his last days in the Spanish Civil War. Daniela Mack steps into the role of Federico García Lorca, the man whose pen proved just as dangerous as any pistol.

Join us for Breakthru, a free daily movement and breathing-based microbreak on Jerry Moss Plaza at The Music Center. Every day at NOON and 6:00 p.m., Angelenos come together to move, breathe and reset—right in the heart of Downtown L.A.

Guided by a series of two-minute breathing and movement sequences, shift your mood by choosing joyful, energized, centered and confident. This ever-evolving, crowd-curated experience gives us all permission to pause, reflect and recharge.

For well over two hundred years, the “Eroica” Symphony has been celebrated as one Beethoven’s greatest works and one of the most revolutionary masterpieces in classical music. Esa-Pekka Salonen leads the LA Phil in this powerful piece of defiance, contrasting it with Debussy’s dreamy and fluid Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun. Pekka Kuusisto, a fellow Finn and one of Salonen’s favorite collaborators, joins the orchestra for Bryce Dessner’s Violin Concerto, which Kuusisto describes as “super energetic, and athletic, active—but it’s the big changes of scenery that really make it magic.”

Join us for Breakthru, a free daily movement and breathing-based microbreak on Jerry Moss Plaza at The Music Center. Every day at NOON and 6:00 p.m., Angelenos come together to move, breathe and reset—right in the heart of Downtown L.A.

Guided by a series of two-minute breathing and movement sequences, shift your mood by choosing joyful, energized, centered and confident. This ever-evolving, crowd-curated experience gives us all permission to pause, reflect and recharge.

For well over two hundred years, the “Eroica” Symphony has been celebrated as one Beethoven’s greatest works and one of the most revolutionary masterpieces in classical music. Esa-Pekka Salonen leads the LA Phil in this powerful piece of defiance, contrasting it with Debussy’s dreamy and fluid Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun. Pekka Kuusisto, a fellow Finn and one of Salonen’s favorite collaborators, joins the orchestra for Bryce Dessner’s Violin Concerto, which Kuusisto describes as “super energetic, and athletic, active—but it’s the big changes of scenery that really make it magic.”

Join us for Breakthru, a free daily movement and breathing-based microbreak on Jerry Moss Plaza at The Music Center. Every day at NOON and 6:00 p.m., Angelenos come together to move, breathe and reset—right in the heart of Downtown L.A.

Guided by a series of two-minute breathing and movement sequences, shift your mood by choosing joyful, energized, centered and confident. This ever-evolving, crowd-curated experience gives us all permission to pause, reflect and recharge.

The Los Angeles Master Chorale presents the highly anticipated U.S. premiere of Rufus Wainwright's Dream Requiem. Dream Requiem merges two long standing creative visions—Wainwright’s fascination with Byron's poem Darkness, depicting global upheaval after the 1815 Mount Tambora eruption, and his lifelong admiration for the great Requiems of Verdi, Berlioz and Britten. This powerful and evocative modern-day requiem, with sublime harmonies and emotive storytelling, is an opulent composition that seamlessly weaves together Wainwright’s distinctive musical voice with the timeless liturgy of the Latin Requiem Mass.

Join us for Breakthru, a free daily movement and breathing-based microbreak on Jerry Moss Plaza at The Music Center. Every day at NOON and 6:00 p.m., Angelenos come together to move, breathe and reset—right in the heart of Downtown L.A.

Guided by a series of two-minute breathing and movement sequences, shift your mood by choosing joyful, energized, centered and confident. This ever-evolving, crowd-curated experience gives us all permission to pause, reflect and recharge.

Founded in 1975 by brothers Artistic Director Paulo Pederneiras and choreographer Rodrigo Pederneiras, the Brazilian dance company Grupo Corpo (meaning “Body Group” in Portuguese) is renowned for its unparalleled blend of popular Brazilian culture, African rhythms and classical technique. The program opens with Pederneiras' 1992 work 21, a ballet divided into three movements that weaves rhythmic and timbral combinations around the number 21. Audiences will be captivated by the musical score’s unique sounds, emanating from composer Marco Antonio Guimarães’ unusual instrumental creations. For Gira, Pederneiras immersed himself in the history and practices of Brazil’s Afro-Brazilian religions, particularly Umbanda, transforming the rituals into a universal expression of humanity and emphasizing the trance-like turning and movement that characterize these ceremonies. “It is the sheer physical virtuosity of the company that is so impressive—the sinuous, athletic bodies seemingly inexhaustible.” —The Guardian, London