The Week Ahead – Events for January 8-14, 2022

We’re only one week in, but I hope the new year is treating you well so far. And if your resolution was to get out more and do fun things, then you’re in luck, because there are plenty of stimulating happenings on the calendar this week and all month long. The Walt Disney Concert Hall, for example, is keeping it real this month with a fantastic lineup of concerts to delight the senses, while Chevalier’s Books has two more in-person book talks scheduled at the end of the week. There’s also a new pasta joint that just opened at The Farmers Market, along with a chance to donate much needed blood at a blood drive at The Market, and more!

[Please note: most venues and events require masks, proof of full vaccination or negative test results, and some may soon require proof of a booster shot as well.  Also, as the current COVID-19 surge continues, some in-person events may cancel or be re-scheduled.]

Arts and Culture

So many great concerts going on at the Walt Disney Concert Hall this week I can hardly stand it. Kicking things off is a continuation of Prokofiev and MTT, led by Conductor  Michael Tilson Thomas on Saturday, January 8 at 8 p.m. and Sunday, January 9 at 2 p.m. Tickets range from $63-$214. Then treat yourself to an evening of musical storytelling with Nathalie Joachim and Pamela Z on Tuesday, January 11 at 8 p.m. Grammy-nominated Haitian American vocalist, flutist, and composer Nathalie Joachim teams with American composer, performer, and media artist Pamela Z, premiering music they have written for each other to perform. Tickets range from $20-$63. And for the week’s encore, on Thursday and Friday, January 13 and 14, pianist Emanuel Ax brings his “power and poetry” to Brahms’ first piano concerto in Ax Plays Brahms.  Tickets range from $71-$229.

This Sunday, January 9, marks the glorious return of in-person outdoor CraftLab family workshops at the Craft Contemporary. Sign the whole crew up for this week’s workshop, Marvelous Moving Images, and explore the work of American-Iranian artist Pouya Afsharas as a family. Learn about the history of animation by creating moving image flipbooks and thaumatropes, an optical device popular in the 19th century. The class is in session from 1:30 – 3:30 p.m. and the cost is $10 for adults, $7 for kids, and free for members. Advanced RSVP is required.

Chevalier’s Books is also keeping it real this week with two more in-person events starting with an in-store Book Talk on Thursday, January 13 at 7 p.m. Stop in to hear Jim Miller discuss his book, Tinderbox with entrepreneur, entertainment lawyer, and former editorial director of The Hollywood Reporter, Matt Belloni. Tinderbox tells the “exclusive, explosive, uninhibited true story of HBO and how it burst onto the American scene and screen to detonate and transform our relationship with television forever.” Pre-order a signed copy of the book here. This event is free, but don’t forget to RSVP!  

Then, on Friday, January 14, head back to Chevalier’s for an in-store book signing and meet and greet with author Josh Senter at 5 p.m. Still the Night Call tells the story of Calem Honeycutt, a 32-year-old dairy farmer of few words. Through his eyes, the reader experiences the “quickly diminishing world of Midwestern farmers whose livelihoods have become fodder for politicians and trade wars while their traditional values have become the subject of scorn and culture wars.” Pre-order a copy of the book here. This event is free, but don’t forget to RSVP!

History, Community, and Food

Join the Holocaust Museum LA for a free webinar, Inside the (Acid-Free) Box: Surviving the Sobibor Death Camp, and learn about history from people who lived it, on Wednesday, January 12 at 4 p.m. In 1943, Thomas “Toivi” Blatt and his family were deported to the Sobibor Death Camp. Upon arrival, Thomas was randomly selected by an SS officer to be his shoe shiner and separated from his father, mother, and younger brother, who were immediately killed. Thomas joined the underground Jewish resistance in the camp, and on Oct 14, 1943, was a part of the Sobibor uprising and escape and among the few to survive. He has since made it his lifelong mission to tell the world what happened. Click here to register. 

January is National Blood Donor Month – who knew? – so make your way over to the Original Farmers Market next Thursday, January 13 – Saturday, January 15 to donate blood at the Cedars-Sinai bloodmobile. The blood drive will take place near the Clock Tower at the Market Plaza from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. Walk-ins are welcome, but if you’d like to make an appointment, click here and enter Farmers Market in the Donor Group Name box.

Then, after your selfless donation of blood, head on over to The Market’s latest edition, Pasta Corner and treat yourself to a delicious homemade pasta dish. This new eatery and grocery counter from the team at Michelina Artisan Boulangerie has fresh homemade pastas, sauces, oils, truffles and cheeses to tantalize the taste buds, so be sure to stop by Stall 510 before you go.

Local Government

The Mid City West Neighborhood Council has three virtual gatherings this week starting on Tuesday, January 11 for a General Board meeting at 6:30 p.m. Next up is Wednesday Walks on Wednesday, January 12 at 6:30 p.m. And lastly, the HRRRTs (Homelessness, Refugees, and Renters’ Rights) Committee meets on Thursday, January 13 at 7 p.m. Click here to view Mid City’s calendar for details. 

Lastly, the Greater Wilshire Neighborhood Council just has one meeting on the sched, the monthly General Board Meeting on Wednesday, January 12 at 6:30 p.m. Click here for details and supporting documents.