Street Symphony’s festival hopes to bring joy and music to Skid Row – and they need volunteers

The second-ever RE/Sound Festival will bring together volunteers, service providers, and some of Los Angeles’s top classical musicians in Skid Row for a day of music and service.

It’s part of a daylong festival organized by the L.A.-based organization Street Symphony. The nonprofit is partnering with the service provider Midnight Mission to bring a day of music to Skid Row – including performances by the area’s own residents.

The day's events will build on last year’s inaugural festival — and by the way, that's "RE/Sound" as in the lyrics "repeat the sounding joy” from the carol "Joy to the World." Street Symphony co-founder Vijay Gupta told LAist that joy is a central part of the day’s events.

Vijay Gupta, Founder and Artistic Director of Street Symphony.

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Becca Murray

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LAist

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"Skid Row is a place to serve, but it's also a place where joy lives," Gupta said. “It's a place where people rewrite their stories. So for us at Street Symphony, we are accompanists of a community that is finding and has found a new way of being.”

The day of events

In order to put on the festival, Street Symphony is asking for volunteers to help for the duration of the festival, from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. Options include serving meals, making and distributing hygiene kits, and getting the word out to Skid Row residents.

The organizers are also partnering with the L.A. Department of Public Health to provide vaccinations, naloxone training, barbering, and lunch.

For the outreach teams, volunteers will be paired with a musician from the Street Symphony. And that invitation will look – and sound – a little different than most.

"We're going to be actually performing music in the streets of Skid Row as part of our invitation," Gupta said. "So you will be not only safe, but you'll be in a place of joy and celebration.”

The festival will also coincide with the Street Symphony ensemble’s annual performance of Handel’s Messiah at the Midnight Mission’s building on 6th Street and San Pedro Street. Gupta said selections from Handel’s work will be played alongside selections from contemporary artists like Leonard Cohen, L.A. composer Reena Esmail, and even new works from people who live in Skid Row.

“The members of the Skid Row community are front and center as soloists,” Gupta said. “They are the VIPs of this event and we're so thrilled. We're so proud to be able to join their creative and expressive voices in the work that we do.”

Also on the day’s lineup are ensembles like La Marisoul y Son California, Las Chorizeras and the drumming ensemble Ase Ashe Drummers.

How to help

You can find more information and sign up to volunteer on Street Symphony’s website – or if you’re not able to attend in person, you can still visit the livestream with a suggested donation. Gupta told LAist that about 100 volunteers are needed, and he anticipates that they’ll serve about 2,000 meals as part of the festival.

“We want to share with Los Angeles County that Skid Row is a place where you can go, it's a place where you can serve,” Gupta said. “In fact, we're all called to serve in Skid Row as a part of belonging to this amazing city.”