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CAC - DISCUSSION: 1) Receive Staff update regarding pilot concert to relaunch live music performances in Mike Balkman Council Chambers currently scheduled for September 7, 2025 at 3 PM 2) Provide program feedback and recommendations as desired
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Meeting Date: June 17, 2025
Contact Person/Dept: Sally Unsworth / City Manager - Economic and Cultural Development
Phone Number: (310) 253-6003
Fiscal Impact: Yes [] No [X] General Fund: Yes [] No [X]
Public Hearing: [] Action Item: [] Attachments: []
Public Notification: (E-Mail) Meetings and Agendas - Cultural Affairs Commission (06/12/25)
Department Approval: Jesse Mays, Assistant City Manager (06/10/25)
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RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends that the Cultural Affairs Commission (CAC) 1) receive staff update regarding plans for a classical music concert in the Mike Balkman Council Chambers planned for Sunday, September 7, 2025 at 3 PM 2) provide program feedback and recommendations as desired.
BACKGROUND
For over a decade, Culver City ran a program known as Music in the Chambers. This initiative was designed to bring outstanding concerts for small ensembles to the heart of downtown Culver City, welcoming diverse audiences to free performances through a unique and creative approach to programming. As described in a draft grant letter of interest from August 10, 2010, the program allowed performers to select their works with the understanding that "the first half of each concert will include a classical work and the second half can include any works that resonate with the classical piece. Musicians responded enthusiastically to this structure, and performances included an eclectic mix of jazz, standards, new music, and original compositions.”
During its active years, the program established a significant partnership with the Los Angeles Philharmonic Association (LA Phil). While the LA Phil did not provide financial support, their collaboration enabled Music in the Chambers to recruit talented LA Phil Musicians. Concerts were typically held three times a year, often in January, February, and/or March, within the Mike Balkman Council Chambers at Culver City City Hall. The Chambers' acoustics and a 200-person seating capacity greatly enhanced the program, with performances described as "typically full". To accommodate the demand, overflow audiences were seated in an adjoining room, and the concerts were broadcast on local cable Channel 35 and through the Culver City website, potentially reaching tens of thousands of viewers.
Promotion for Music in the Chambers was comprehensive, utilizing press releases to local and regional outlets, e-mail "blasts" to individuals in and outside Culver City, advertisements in local papers, and flyers distributed in local restaurants and cafés. The Philharmonic also supported promotion through its website. The program's annual budget was $20,000, covering musician fees, production staff, and marketing. The series was last held in 2012.
Several Cultural Affairs Commissioners have expressed an interest in re-launching a live music series in Council Chambers. Following the recommendation of the Performing Arts subcommittee, Cultural Affairs staff reached out to SAKURA, a distinguished cello quintet, to perform a pilot concert. This performance will serve as a crucial assessment of the viability of re-launching a regular music program in the Chambers. The SAKURA pilot concert is scheduled for Sunday, September 7, 2025, at 3 PM, in the Mike Balkman Council Chambers. This 90-minute concert will be free of cost to the public. A reservation system will be implemented utilizing Eventbrite, with day-of on-site tickets also available. It is anticipated that the concert will cost between $9,000 - $11,000 including artist fees, sound and lighting tech, City hall staffing assistance, décor, and marketing. Cultural Affairs staff plan to seek outside funding for the program, beginning with sending a funding request for $5000 to the Culver City Arts Foundation.
About SAKURA (from their website)
A unique and versatile cello quintet, hailed as “brilliant” and “superb” by Mark Swed in the Los Angeles Times, the SAKURA Cello Quintet is built on the artistry and virtuosity of its members: Stella Cho, Michael Kaufman, Yoshika Masuda, Zachary Mowitz and Peter Myers. Drawing from the rich heritage of a repertoire that spans eight centuries, inventive programs are constructed around conceptual threads, with a commitment to opening new vistas of beauty and expression by showcasing the great warmth and scope of five cellos.
SAKURA explores great music of the past through dazzling arrangements that offer fresh perspectives on familiar notes, and continually expands the five-cello repertoire into the future by commissioning new works. In the tradition of the great chamber ensembles, the quintet distills its interpretations through time, reveling in the pure sonic pleasure of a unified and colorful sound. Its name honors the great mentor and artist Ralph Kirshbaum, with whom all five members studied: sakura (桜) (Japanese) and Kirschbaum (German) have the same meaning: “cherry tree”, an organism whose flowers have five petals.
More information about SAKURA can be found at https://www.sakuracellos.com/
DISCUSSION
Staff is requesting that the Cultural Affairs Commission discuss the plans for the September 7th program as well as provide feedback and recommendations for the event as well as the possibility of re-launching the program again to include 3-4 concerts a year.
Key considerations for the discussion include:
Program Scope: Should the program remain specific to classical music, or should we consider expanding to include additional genres, echoing the original Music in the Chambers eclectic approach?
Cost to Public: Should all future concerts continue to be free of cost to the public?
Program Expansion and Funding: If the Commission desires to expand the program beyond this pilot concert in September, what is our comprehensive plan for seeking outside funding support for additional concerts? Furthermore, what percentage of the Cultural Trust Performing Arts budget should be allocated for this program? Given that our municipal code specifies a specific amount the Cultural Trust that can be utilized for performing arts expenditures each year, how would this program affect with the Performing Arts Grant Program?
Branding and Location: Should the program adopt a new name, or should we continue with the familiar Music in the Chambers? Is there a desire to hold live music programs in other locations throughout the city, and if so, how would such a multi-venue program be structured?
Partnerships: Does the Cultural Affairs Commission wish to develop another partnership such as the previous partnership with LA Phil? Are there specific partners who might effectively support the program or raise its profile, thereby increasing the potential for outside funding support?
FISCAL ANALYSIS
The anticipated cost for the SAKURA pilot concert is between $9,000 and $11,000. This estimate includes artist fees, sound and lighting technician services, City Hall staffing assistance, décor, and marketing. The funding for this program will be drawn from the Cultural Trust Fund (413) from the CIP Account 41380000.730100.PZ614 (Performing Arts). As per municipal code 15.06.160, up to 25% of annual deposits into the Cultural Trust Fund can be utilized for performing arts, including City-produced events. To support the program, Cultural Affairs staff plans to seek outside funding, beginning with a funding request for $5,000 to the Culver City Arts Foundation.
ATTACHMENTS
25-06-17_ATT 1_ 2011 Music in the Chamber flyer draft
MOTION
That the Cultural Affairs Commission:
Discuss and provide recommendations to the Staff regarding planned September 7, 2025 concert as well as possible future live music programming in the Council Chambers.