A live show? Yes! And we’re talking classy …
In an event billed as “the first live concert in California since quarantine,” a claim that sounds incredible but might not be 100 percent provable, pianist Lara Downes will play three 40-minute sets on Friday, July 10, at the Warehouse Artist Lofts courtyard in downtown Sacramento.
Downes will perform music from her new album, “Some of These Days,” described as “a meditation on spirituals and freedom songs.” She will give separate admission performances, at 7, 8 and 9 p.m. Tickets are $75 to $200, with proceeds going to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). A maximum of 20 people will be admitted for each set, they will be seated 10 feet apart and they must wear masks.
Downes, a Northern California native, in late May appeared in a “Tiny Desk Concert,” a series offered during the Covid-19 pandemic by National Public Radio.
A formidable social advocate, Downes has established a fund to raise money from Feeding America, an organization that strives to end hunger in the United States. Anyone who donates at least $40 to the fund can receive a complimentary copy of “Some of These Days.”
The nationwide podcast “From the Top” describes Downes as “among the foremost American pianists of her generation, an iconoclast dedicated to expanding the resonance and relevance of American music for diverse audiences. A trailblazer on and off-stage, she follows a musical roadmap that seeks inspiration from the legacies of history, family, and collective memory.”
For more information about Friday’s sets and to acquire tickets, visit this Eventbrite page. Warehouse Artists Lofts is at 1108 R St. Find out more about Downes at her website.
