Why the Latino behind Grand Performances believes music and culture are ‘a must have’

This year, the nonprofit organization Grand Performances is celebrating 40 years of free performances in Downtown Los Angeles, presenting all forms of art, including music, dance and theater from around the world.

The cultural institution was founded in 1986 and it’s considered the longest-running presenter of free outdoor concerts in the region. Their motto is that the arts are essential to joy and public infrastructure. 

President and CEO Rafael Gonzalez said these artistic performances are a value proposition. This means that every show they put at California Plaza in Downtown Los Angeles is free. 

“We believe that music should be free; that it is a right, and it shouldn't stop folks from the different economic levels from enjoying being part of a show that could potentially change their lives,” he said. “When I see people coming to Grand Performances and they see representation on our stage, and I see that smile that is emitting from that person, it just makes me so happy.” 

The outdoor presentations are especially important now during these challenging times that have been affecting many communities. He said, however, that a smile and joy can also be a form of resistance. 

From early activism to  leadership

Gonzalez learned early in life that music and culture are sources of identity, belonging and truth-telling in communities that too often go unheard. González was raised in a working poor Mexican family in the Pico-Union/ MacArthur Park area, and found confidence and belonging through music, community organizing and social change.

“Music was my salvation. It was my guide. I was in my school choir. I wrote poetry. I strummed the guitar. I was in rock and roll bands because I wanted to mimic my rock and roll heroes,” he said. 

This experience gave him discipline, confidence and self-expression that helped him succeed later in life. 

However, growing up in the 70s in an immigrant neighborhood made him witness injustice, racism and the deportation of several family members. Instead of defeating him, this experience taught him more about leadership, compelling him to be of service for those who needed it. 

“We were working poor people, but we always found a way to give to others, whether it was food or clothing or advice on how to navigate the system, and, you know, what schools to go to,” he said. “This is one thing that I really appreciated about my parents; it's the values of justice, of being a service to others.”

He made these values part of his life. In college he joined social justice movements along with other Chicanos, Latinos, African Americans and Asian Americans who were connected to the same issues. That’s where he learned about organizing, representing justice and student activism. 

He eventually worked at the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO), the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF), and with the City of Los Angeles. While doing all of this, he was still involved with musicals. He wrote poetry, short stories and produced a film about a Mexican wrestler who took on City Hall corruption. 

“These were issues on gentrification that I was touching on back in the early 90s,” he said. 

Closing a full circle

Gonzalez said for years he attended Grand Performances as an aficionado and now he’s the CEO and president. 

He said his organizational skills and relationships with funders, community leaders and elected officials have transferred over into his work at Grand Performances.

“And I've always seen the arts intersect with everyday life, right? It is connected to education, to health, to economic development, to housing, to the environment,” he said. “My story and purpose is really about making a meaningful difference in the lives of people, in the lives of families and communities and I get to utilize the arts and my personal experience and aspirations to continue evolving this organization.”

Decades of experience in different fields have made Gonzalez realize that culture intersects with all types of work. 

“I'm reinforcing that because it's critical that people don't view the arts as a nice-to-have. It is a must-have,” he said. “The arts preserve memory and it does fight that erasure. I like to say that our music, our dance, our theater and poetry and storytelling, they carry our stories that are often absent from traditional institutions and they help our communities tell their own stories and ensure that those stories are remembered.”

Gonzalez said Grand Performances has two more shows to go before closing the summer series of 2026. This includes a tribute to Ritchie Valens and the presentation of the cumbia ensemble Son Rompe Pera. 

For more information visit: https://www.grandperformances.org/