'The Music Center's 33rd Annual Spotlight Grand Finale' Presented by 'SOUTHLAND SESSIONS' Premieres September 8 on KCET With Guest Host Josh Groban
Press Contact
Allison Gray
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747.201.5298
pbssocal.org/SouthlandSessions
Los Angeles, Calif. – August 10, 2021 – PBS SoCal and KCET, Southern California’s flagship PBS stations as well as the home for award-winning, original local content, announced the airing of SOUTHLAND SESSIONS special "The Music Center’s 33rd Spotlight Grand Finale." Experience performances by some of Southern California’s most talented high school artists in dance, music and more. Celebrate with them as they culminate a year-long journey through The Music Center’sSpotlight artistic development program. Hosted by award-winning singer/songwriter and Spotlight alum Josh Groban, SOUTHLAND SESSIONS: "The Music Center’s 33rd Spotlight Grand Finale" premieres on KCET on Wed., Sept. 8 at 8 p.m. and Sat. Sept. 11 at 7 p.m. on PBS SoCal.
For the second year in a row, "The Music Center’s Spotlight Grand Finale" took place as a virtual event, with the goal to be entirely COVID safe. In addition to showcasing individual performances, the Grand Finale puts the “spotlight” on the talented teens with an inside look at each finalist's Spotlight experience, including how they persevered through multiple rounds of virtual auditions, improved their technical skills based on detailed feedback by industry experts and learned about their craft by attending classes with world-renowned experts in their discipline. The 14 Spotlight Grand Prize winners include two finalists in each of seven categories: acting, ballet, dance, classical voice, non-classical voice, classical instrumental and jazz instrumental. In addition to performing in the finale event, each student received a $5,000 scholarship. This year, nearly 1,500 teens auditioned for the prestigious program, representing more than 275 schools, 194 cities and eight counties.
The special is part of a continuation of the SOUTHLAND SESSIONS series spotlighting prominent artistic voices and cultures around Southern California. SOUTHLAND SESSIONS debuted last summer to allow the Los Angeles community to experience their regional arts and cultural institutions, when attending in-person, cultural events was not an option. As regional artists adapted to an uncertain future due to the pandemic and the influence of social uprisings across the country, the new broadcast and digital initiative drew together prominent voices from around Southern California for up-close, virtual "sessions." Through SOUTHLAND SESSIONS, viewers witnessed artists inspire audiences with a front-row seat to the creative process, guided by the community’s arts leaders.
Southland Sessions was originally supported in part by the City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs, the Los Angeles County Department of Arts and Culture, the Ralph M. Parsons Foundation and other institutional funders who prefer to remain anonymous.
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About PBS SoCal and KCET
PBS SoCal and KCET are both part of the donor-supported community institution, the Public Media Group of Southern California. PBS SoCal is the flagship PBS station for diverse people across California and delivers content and experiences that inspire, inform and educate. PBS SoCal offers the full slate of beloved PBS programs including MASTERPIECE, NOVA, PBS NewsHour, FRONTLINE, and a broad library of documentary films with works from Ken Burns; as well as educational content including PBS KIDS programs like DANIEL TIGER’S NEIGHBORHOOD and CURIOUS GEORGE. KCET showcases the best of PBS and is a leading source for arts, culture, and news in Southern California. Through innovative storytelling, KCET explores and expresses our dynamic local communities helping residents understand and connect with the region's diverse communities and ideas. For additional information about both KCET and PBS SoCal productions, web-exclusive content, programming schedules and community events, please visit kcet.org and pbssocal.org KCET Originals and PBS programming are available to stream on the FREE PBS App on iOS and Android devices, Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Android TV, Samsung Smart TV, and Chromecast. KCET is also available to watch live on YouTube TV.
About the Music Center
The Music Center convenes artists, communities and ideas with the goal of deepening the cultural lives of every resident in Los Angeles County. The non-profit performing arts organization has two divisions: TMC Arts and TMC Ops. TMC Arts, The Music Center’s programming engine, provides year-round programming inside The Music Center’s four theatres, on Jerry Moss Plaza, outside at Grand Park — a 12-acre adjacent green space — in schools and other locations all over Los Angeles County and on a digital platform called The Music Center Offstage. TMC Arts presents world-class dance with Glorya Kaufman Presents Dance at The Music Center, free and low-cost public concerts and events, as well as K–12 arts education programs along with workshops, performances, interactive experiences and special events on The Music Center Offstage. TMC Ops manages the theatres, the Plaza and Grand Park on behalf of the County of Los Angeles. The Music Center is also home to four renowned resident companies—Center Theatre Group, Los Angeles Master Chorale, LA Opera and LA Phil. For more information, visit musiccenter.org. Follow The Music Center on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter @MusicCenterLA