Street Symphony brings world-class live music to shelters, jails, and recovery programs throughout Los Angeles County. Our work is not charity—it’s connection. We build long-term relationships between professional musicians and people living in Skid Row, incarceration, or recovery. The point isn’t to “perform for the less fortunate,” but to create spaces of dignity, beauty, and shared presence. We return month after month because consistency builds trust, and trust allows music to transform lives. Street Symphony exists to prove that excellence and empathy belong together—that artistry and care are the same discipline.

We are an arts organization that partners deeply with social-service agencies. Our collaborators include The Midnight Mission, the Downtown Women’s Center, and the Department of State Hospitals. Street Symphony doesn’t provide case management, housing, or therapy. We bring our expertise—live performance, composition, and creative mentorship—into settings where community and recovery are already underway. Music is our way of saying: you are seen, and you are worth showing up for.

Street Symphony is a professional ensemble. Every performing artist is paid fairly, many at or above union scale. Volunteers support logistics, event hospitality, and production—but not performance. We are not a networking hub or a “jam session.” Musicians are invited through audition, referral, or partnership and trained in trauma-informed engagement. If you wish to help, come volunteer at one of our public programs, attend a concert, or contribute financially—but know that our music-making is a professional discipline, not an open mic.

Start by listening. Attend a public event like the Messiah Project, the RE/Sound Festival, or a monthly concert at The Midnight Mission. Observe, ask questions, and volunteer if moved to do so. What we ask of everyone—artists, donors, and volunteers alike—is humility. Street Symphony’s spaces are not networking opportunities or personal growth laboratories; they are living communities built on trust. The people we serve are not props for “service experiences.” Come ready to help quietly and consistently. Listening is the first act of service.

We don’t only bring classical music—we bring jazz, reggae, mariachi, son jarocho, gospel, and West African drumming. Our artists include members of the LA Philharmonic and the Master Chorale alongside mariachi players, jazz musicians, and neighborhood drummers. More importantly, we make music with the people of Skid Row, not just for them. Residents become composers, lyricists, and songwriters whose work we perform and record. The music we share isn’t imported—it’s co-created. What’s elitist isn’t classical music; it’s the idea that beauty belongs to some people and not others.

No. Street Symphony is a secular and non-political nonprofit arts organization. We sometimes perform in churches or missions because they’re community spaces, and our repertoire includes sacred works like Handel’s Messiah or gospel music because those traditions speak to hope and renewal. But our intent is artistic, not doctrinal. We also maintain complete political neutrality: we do not endorse candidates, movements, or policy positions. Our focus is simple—connection through music. Everyone, regardless of belief or background, is welcome to join us in that space of listening and respect.

Consistency, excellence, and depth. Most “arts outreach” projects are one-off concerts. We return every month, often for years, to the same places: shelters, recovery centers, and correctional facilities. That consistency builds real relationships. We also hold our artists to the highest professional standards. The same repertoire that fills major concert halls is played in Skid Row. That parity of excellence communicates respect—because people deserve the best, regardless of where they live.

Many are—especially the Messiah Project, RE/Sound Festival, and monthly Midnight Mission concerts. These are free and open to all. Some programs, like our work in jails or state hospitals, are restricted for safety and privacy reasons. When attending a public event, we ask guests to come as listeners, not observers. Please refrain from photographing participants without consent and treat all attendees—artists and residents alike—with the same respect you’d bring to a concert hall.

Yes. Participants in programs like Women’s Voices, Midnight Strings, and Music for Change receive professional mentorship, stipends, and performance opportunities. Some become featured songwriters or soloists in Street Symphony concerts. Others gain foundational training in composition, ensemble work, and recording. We don’t offer charity—we offer partnership. Our goal is to honor creative ownership and foster long-term growth for participants who want to continue developing as artists.

We’re supported by individual donors, foundations, government arts grants, and community partnerships. We don’t sell tickets or charge admission; every performance is free. Transparency is one of our values—our financials and annual reports are publicly available through Candid (GuideStar). When you donate to Street Symphony, your gift supports artist compensation, community collaboration, and year-round programming that brings beauty and belonging into spaces that rarely experience either.

Occasionally—and always with care. Skid Row is a sensitive filming zone, and press must receive prior approval before covering any Street Symphony event. When permitted, media may only film brief segments from behind a designated press cordon. We obtain written consent from participants before photographing or recording them. Documentation serves education and storytelling purposes only, never exploitation or publicity. The goal is to preserve dignity and safety for everyone present.

Almost never. Street Symphony isn’t a performing contractor or a “hireable” ensemble for private events. Our work happens inside shelters, jails, and clinics—places where our presence has long-term purpose. We occasionally collaborate with aligned nonprofits or civic partners whose missions directly intersect with ours, but we don’t perform at galas, weddings, or fundraisers as background entertainment. Our energy stays focused on the communities we serve, not on event stages.

You can’t—and that’s intentional. Street Symphony as an organization is not for hire. However, many of our roster musicians are acclaimed professionals who can be hired individually for concerts, recordings, or educational work. We’re proud to connect you to those artists through proper professional channels. Supporting their careers directly helps sustain the broader ecosystem of musicians who make Street Symphony’s mission possible.

We measure impact through both quantitative and qualitative data. Attendance, participation, and program retention are tracked year over year. But the real evidence lives in relationships—trust built between musicians, residents, and community partners. We evaluate programs through surveys, partner feedback, and artistic outcomes: original songs written, performances co-created, and long-term engagement maintained. Independent researchers and arts evaluators have studied Street Symphony as a model for “relationship-based music engagement.” The simplest metric: people keep showing up, listening, and making music together.

Food, housing, and healthcare are essential—but so are connection, meaning, and joy. Street Symphony complements vital services by tending to the human spirit. A meal sustains the body; music sustains belonging. We don’t claim to fix homelessness or addiction. We create moments of recognition that remind people life is still worth living. When a resident in Skid Row sings a song they helped write with a professional orchestra, it restores something intangible yet essential: hope. Supporting Street Symphony isn’t indulgence—it’s an investment in the shared humanity that keeps communities alive.

Skid Row sits in the heart of downtown Los Angeles, a community stretching roughly fifty blocks east of Main Street between Third and Seventh. It’s one of the most densely concentrated areas of unhoused life in the United States—yet it’s also a neighborhood of extraordinary resilience, artistry, and care. Street Symphony’s work here isn’t about entering a place of despair; it’s about recognizing a neighborhood rich with culture and connection that most of the city never sees.

Skid Row is both a geographic district and a living community. Thousands of residents, service providers, and artists call it home. Decades of systemic inequality have concentrated poverty here, but what also thrives is mutual aid, creativity, and resistance. For us, Skid Row is not a project—it’s a partnership. Every performance, rehearsal, and song we share is part of an ongoing relationship built on respect and reciprocity.

Safety on Skid Row is grounded in awareness, respect, and humility. Thousands of volunteers, social workers, and musicians walk these streets every week. When you join us, we ask that you move with care: stay with the group, avoid photographing residents, and follow the guidance of staff and community leaders. Trust that you are entering someone’s neighborhood, not an “experience.” Safety begins with respect.

We collaborate deeply with:

• The Midnight Mission, providing meals, shelter, and recovery programs.
• Downtown Women’s Center, serving women through housing and employment.
• Parsons Foundation and California Arts Council, sustaining our artistic programming.

These partnerships are the backbone of our work; they ensure that music arrives where care already lives.

Most Street Symphony events take place near our longtime partners, The Midnight Mission (601 S. San Pedro St.) and the Downtown Women’s Center (442 S. San Pedro St.).
Paid parking lots are available along San Pedro and Crocker Streets, and several Metro lines stop nearby. We’ll include exact directions and parking suggestions in your volunteer confirmation email. Please arrive early—punctuality honors both the community and your fellow volunteers.

Come as a guest, not a savior. Dress simply, listen more than you speak, and follow directions from on-site partners. Our community members have spent years building networks of trust—your respect strengthens that fabric. Remember that the most powerful thing you can offer is presence, not performance.

• A government-issued ID and your volunteer confirmation
• Comfortable, closed-toe shoes and modest clothing
• A refillable water bottle and small snack
• An open heart and steady attention

• Cameras or recording devices without permission
• Large bags, valuables, or cash gifts
• Alcohol, controlled substances, or strong perfumes
• Expectations of “fixing” anything—come to listen, not to rescue