Skirball’s free Sunset Concerts series returns in July; here’s the lineup for the 25th-anniversary season

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From left: Booker T. Jones, Mamak Khadem, Rocky Dawuni

Music with a global reach is on tap for the Skirball Cultural Center’s annual Sunset Concerts series, which returns in full bloom starting in July after two pandemic-affected years.

The Skirball today announced the lineup for its 25th-anniversary season — six Thursday nights of free concerts starting July 21.

Opening night features Iranian American singer Mamak Khadem, with a special pre-show presentation. That’s followed July 28 by Rocky Dawuni, the Ghanaian “Afro roots” artist, activist and ambassador who’s become a fixture In Los Angeles, Then, it’s klezmer bluegrass outfit Nefesh Mountain (Aug. 4), legendary R&B artist Booker T. Jones (Aug. 11) and South Korean folk band Ak Dan Gwang Chil (ADG7) (Aug. 18). Mexico City cumbia rockers Son Rompe Pera close out the series on Aug. 25. Find more background on the artists here.

“For our 25th-anniversary season, we wanted to bring an international lineup of artists, some of whom have graced our stages before and others who are making their Sunset Concerts debut,” says Jen Maxcy, the Skirball’s director of programs. “All of the performers for this landmark season are groundbreakers and community builders, representing our goal to gather diverse cultures through the power of music.”

Says Skirball president and CEO Jessie Kornberg: “The Sunset Concerts series typifies that inherent opportunity for connection by presenting diverse and distinct musical traditions. These nights give concertgoers a chance to live what we feel is a Jewish commitment to welcome the stranger, literally through the gathering of community, and more broadly through the sharing of these expressions of history and  identity.”

In addition, the institution announced the release dates for its series of concert films, Skirball Stages, highlighting the artists who performed at last year’s truncated season: Run River North (June 1); The Delirians (June 22); Extra Ancestral (July 13); and Quetzal (Aug. 3). Those films will be available on the Skirball’s YouTube channel.

Sunset Concerts shows are free, but RSVPs are required. Make reservations for individual shows here beginning June 9. Parking is $20 day of show, $15 with a reservation or $5 for members. Doors open at 6:30 each night, with the Skirball’s exhibition halls open.

The schedule:

JULY

21: Iranian American singer Mamak Khadem, with pre-show presentation featuring the singer, Rumi scholar-author Omid Arabian and celebrated Iranian filmmaker Sam Javadi.
28: Musician-activist Rocky Dawuni.

AUGUST

4: Bluegrass band Nefesh Mountain.
11: R&B legend Booker T. Jones.
18: South Korean ensemble Ak Dan Gwang Chil (ADG7), along with Skirball exhibiting artist Aram Han Sifuentes, who will perform with the Korean American drumming group Woori Sori in a program presented by the Korean Cultural Center Los Angeles.
25: Mexico City cumbia band Son Rompe Pera.