UC Merced and the City of Merced, through the Levitt Foundation, are hosting a virtual concert in August as part of the current Levitt AMP Virtual Music Series. The series was moved online in response to the postponement of national in-person events due to COVID-19.
Music fans across the country can now enjoy a lineup of hand-picked local and regional favorites by simply logging onto the Levitt AMP Virtual Music Series website . The concerts will last through the summer.
“Now more than ever, we need joy and art in our lives,” said Kim Garner, UC Merced’s executive director of the arts. “We are grateful to Levitt AMP for making the pivot to online concerts and helping us showcase local artists for everyone to enjoy — while also helping put Merced on the national music map.”
Merced’s local concert goes online Aug. 8 at 5 p.m. PST. The performance opens with the UC Merced faculty rock band G Street Revolution, followed by Valley Wolf, an up-and-coming Modesto band that uses swirling organs, heavy drums and guitar to underscore socio-political lyrics arising from modern Latinx culture.
The group’s performances were recorded at The Partisan pub in downtown Merced, which is closed due to the pandemic.
The Levitt Foundation, a nonprofit focused on strengthening the social fabric of communities, awards $25,000 matching grants to U.S.-based nonprofits serving small to mid-sized towns and cities. Through the Levitt AMP Music Series, 10 free concerts are produced to inject new life into public spaces. Online voting by the public determines the Top 25 finalists.
Aiming to amplify Merced’s cultural scene, Garner applied for the foundation’s 2020 grant and rallied university and community members to demonstrate their support by voting online. In December, Levitt AMP announced Merced as one of the locations for its free concerts, with a summer series initially scheduled for Applegate Park.
Merced will host in-person performances, as originally planned, during the Levitt AMP Music Series in the fall of 2021.
Mayor Mike Murphy praised the effort, saying it is “exactly the type of thing we are looking to bring to Merced.”
Visit the Levitt AMP site for the full 2020 music schedule and access to the concerts.
