by Noella Noelophile®
(Graphic courtesy of Leeav Sofer/Urban Voices Project, and used with permission.)
Happy Anniversary, Urban Voices Project!
On Saturday, May 24th, nonprofit Urban Voices celebrates their decade of transforming lives through music. And you’re invited!
Urban Voices Project, a Skid Row-based community music wellness outreach, will host their 10-Year Anniversary Celebration at The Colburn School, in downtown Los Angeles.
The program starts at 5:00 that afternoon, with a free 90-minute pre-concert celebration on the school’s South Plaza. A curated open-mic and community sing-along will begin the festivities. Visitors will get to explore interactive storytelling exhibits about Urban Voices Project’s ten-year journey. And food trucks will be on hand, to tempt everyone’s appetite.
(Photo courtesy of Leeav Sofer/Urban Voices Project, and used wiht permission.)
The main event
Then, at 7:00 pm, the concert begins.
This is a ticketed event, in Zipper Hall, featuring soloists, alumni artists and soul-stirring performances by the Urban Voices Project Choir. And storytelling will be a central element.
According to a press release from Urban Voices Project, the program will include both reflections on their past, and their vision for the future.
Here’s the link for tickets. While general admission is $35, there are a limited number of free tickets available for Skid Row artists, and those in need.
And if you’re in a position to buy a “Champion” ticket, for $100, and support UVP’s mission of restoring dignity, belonging and healing through music, you’d be donating to a fantastic cause.
(Photo courtesy of Leeav Sofer/Urban Voices Project, and used with permission.)
The work of UVP
Urban Voices Project uses music to restore dignity, hope and a sense of belonging to the residents of Skid Row. And as Urban Voices Founder and Artistic Director Leeav Sofer explained in our 2024 interview, their programs start from a very different place than services generally offered to Skid Row residents.
The latter, Leeav explains, tend to view the person as somehow “broken”.
By contrast, Urban Voices Project focuses on members’ talents and invites them to contribute to their community through artistic expression.
Accordingly, UVP offers programs including their weekly “Music Education Lab”, led by professionals. Their weekly “Neighborhood Sing” immersive music workshop builds community and social connections. Their weekly interactive “Family Sing” involves young children in play-based activities that allow them to create music in a nurturing environment.
(Photo courtesy of Leeav Sofer/Urban Voices Project, and used with permission.)
There’s also their core program: UVP’s non-audition Performance Choir. Performing on national platforms. which have includedPBS and The Venetian, in Las Vegas, the choir shares the healing power of music as they raise awareness about the realities of homelessness.
And as Urban Voices Project embarks on their second decade of transforming lives, they invite you to “walk with them”. (Warning: this song will stick in your head!)