The free event will take place Saturday, September 7th at Los Angeles Union Station
LOS ANGELES, Aug. 19, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- On September 7th, Metro Art will host the community for a special screening of the award-winning documentary, "The Last Repair Shop." The event will be free and open to the public via RSVP here.
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The evening will also include live orchestral performances of songs from the film and an enlightening conversation between featured instrument repair artists Dana Atkinson (Strings) and Duane Michaels (Woodwinds), student instrumentalist Ismerai Calcaneo (Saxophone) and editor of "The Last Repair Shop," Nick Garnham Wright (Executive Creative Director of Breakwater Studios).
Once commonplace in the United States, today Los Angeles is by far the largest and one of the last American cities to provide free and freely repaired musical instruments to its public schoolchildren, a continuous service since 1959.
From Academy Award®-winning directing duo Kris Bowers and Ben Proudfoot, "The Last Repair Shop" grants an all access pass to the nondescript downtown warehouse where a dwindling handful of devoted craftspeople keep over 80,000 student instruments in good repair.
Witness the profound life stories of four staff master craftspeople as well as the students whose lives have been transformed by their instrument. In the repair people's stories, music has been the continuous thread that has mended their hearts and brought them to where they are now — fixing broken instruments to get them back into the longing hands of Los Angeles' public school youth.
"As a former LAUSD student who found solace in the school's musical instruments, making this film is my heartfelt thank you to the unseen heroes who ensure students like me have that creative escape. Hearing the stories of these master craftspeople and the students they impact left Ben and me in awe of the power and importance of repair, and how music can heal the parts of us that feel broken," said Kris Bowers, co-director of "The Last Repair Shop."
"As a team of musicians, being able to support 'The Last Repair Shop' has been an incredibly fulfilling and inspiring journey. Our founder, Peter Rotter, is an LA native and started his musical journey within the LAUSD education system. To honor the pivotal role that LAUSD music programs have played in his own life, Peter supported this film as an executive producer and donated Encompass' services to support the film's beautiful score, written by Katya Richardson and Kris Bowers. We are so proud to have played a role in showing the world what Angelenos have to offer, and how accessible music education can uplift an entire community," said Aiman Khan, development strategist at Encompass Music.
"'The Last Repair Shop' is a phenomenal story about the culture, musical talents and craftsmanship of Angelenos. What better venue to continue to share this Academy Award-winning film than Los Angeles Union Station?" said Heidi Zeller, Senior Manager, Cultural Planning with Metro Art. "We look forward to hosting the community for a wonderful event."
The event is free and open to the public; those looking to attend can RSVP here. To learn more about Los Angeles Union Station, visit unionstationla.com. #Celebrating85Years #UnionStationLA.
About Los Angeles Union Station
Since its opening in 1939, Los Angeles Union Station has long been considered one of LA's architectural gems and a vital portal to the promise of the California Dream. The station was designed with an innovative blend of Spanish Colonial, Mission Revival and Art Deco architecture now commonly referred to as Mission Moderne. The bustling 52-acre transportation hub sits in the heart of Downtown Los Angeles offering essential connections to destinations throughout Southern California. An iconic landmark, the station serves as a vibrant symbol of Downtown connecting the historic fabric of the past to the present through arts, culture, transit and community. Conceived on a grand scale, Los Angeles Union Station is the largest railroad passenger terminal in the Western United States and is often regarded as "the last of the great train stations." For more information, visit unionstationla.com or follow @unionstationla on social media.
About Metro Art
Metro Art enhances the customer experience with innovative, award-winning visual and performing arts programming that encourages ridership and connects people, sites and neighborhoods throughout LA County. A diverse range of site-specific artworks are integrated into the growing Metro system, improving the quality of transit environments and creating a sense of place.
Click here for more information about Metro Art. Follow Metro Art on Instagram and #MetroArtLA.
Getting There
Go Metro! Los Angeles Union Station is accessible via Metro Rail, Metro Bus, Metro Bike Share, Metrolink, Amtrak and several municipal bus lines. Take the Metro A, B, D or J Line directly to Los Angeles Union Station. Plan your trip using the Transit app, the trip planner at metro.net or by calling 323.GO.METRO. Parking is available at Union Station for $8.
About Breakwater Studios
Breakwater Studios is a two-time Academy Award® winning filmmaking company dedicated to championing short documentaries and the works they inspire. Breakwater Studios' work has been recognized by the Sundance Film Festival, Telluride Film Festival, Tribeca Film Festival, SXSW, Critics Choice Documentary Awards, Emmy Awards, James Beard Foundation Awards, and the Peabody Awards, among many others.
About Encompass Music Partners
Encompass Music Partners is a music production team with over 1500 studio titles and live concerts to our name. We represent and uphold the tradition of the Hollywood standard in music for Film and TV by helping our clients cast, coordinate, budget, contract, produce and musically achieve anything their project needs, whether in pre-production, post-production, or live entertainment.
SOURCE Los Angeles Union Station
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