Soprano Renée Fleming will host the June 13 summit at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion

(Los Angeles) April 2, 2025 — With world-renowned soprano Renée Fleming serving in a triple capacity as advisor, advocate and host, LA Opera is collaborating with Los Angeles County Supervisor Hilda L. Solis, First District; the Los Angeles County Department of Arts and Culture; and Healing Arts—an initiative of the Jameel Arts & Health Lab and the World Health Organization, to present the fourth annual Los Angeles County Arts and Health Week Summit, taking place on Friday, June 13, at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion.

Ms. Fleming will introduce the daylong summit, joining local community leaders and organizations to showcase the ways in which the arts support well-being, and how they enrich our lives at all ages. This year’s summit will highlight how the arts can uplift LA's most vulnerable communities. Through a series of conversations and participatory experiences, participants will explore how vital the arts are to individual and collective healing and well-being.

The summit is presented through LA Opera Connects, dedicated to community and learning. Participating organizations will include the USC Brain and Creativity Institute, Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health, Urban Voices Project, Music Mends Minds, Alzheimer’s Los Angeles, Able ARTS Work, and Arts & Healing Initiative, with more to be announced.

Learn more and register at LAOpera.org/Summit.

“I can’t imagine a better moment to gather in Los Angeles and explore the powerful impact of the arts on health and well-being,” said Renée Fleming, who serves as LA Opera's Special Projects Advisor and is a World Health Organization Goodwill Ambassador for Arts and Health. “In the wake of the devastating fires that began the year, I’m especially looking forward to discussing the remarkable ways that music, creative arts and all aesthetic experiences can address trauma and promote healing. And in the fourth year of this initiative, it is so inspiring to see the ongoing work of community groups, cultural institutions, health care providers and the state and local government. We will look for practical ways to support this crucial work and to continue expanding awareness of the robust arts and health programs across LA County.”

“Now in its fourth year, Arts and Health Week serves as a vital reminder of the powerful connection between the arts and the well-being of ourselves and our communities,” said Hilda L. Solis, Los Angeles County Chair Pro Tem and Supervisor for the First District. “This summit brings together experts and community leaders to explore innovative ways the arts can support healing, strengthen communities and improve quality of life. As we continue to expand this initiative, I’m proud to focus on fostering a future where the arts are a central part of our approach to public health and community resilience."

The 2025 LA County Arts and Health Week Summit is made possible in part through major support from The Music Man Foundation. LA Opera was a 2024 recipient of the Foundation's Meredith Willson Award, which provides general operating funds that support Connects community and education programs across Los Angeles County and supports the company's work to permanently change the way music is embedded in our schools, health care system and community.

"LA Opera and Renée Fleming are having an immense impact with their commitments to amplifying the message about arts and health," said Sarah Lyding, Executive Director of The Music Man Foundation. “Further, LA County has so many admirable interdepartmental efforts taking place to elevate the important role arts play in our individual and collective well-being. We are proud to support this collaboration, and we can’t wait to see the work showcased at the Summit.”

"We are proud to be a partner in the Arts and Health Week Summit because it exemplifies our commitment to uplifting the power of the arts for the benefit of all communities," said Kristin Sakoda, Director of the LA County Department of Arts and Culture. “Research continues to show that the arts positively impact health, well-being and recovery, reinforcing the arts’ essential role in our civic lives at every age. By working together across disciplines, we can find new ways to integrate arts interventions into policies, programs, resources and services, to benefit health and ensure the people of Los Angeles County have access to the arts.”

About LA Opera
Los Angeles is a city of enormous diversity and creativity, and LA Opera is dedicated to reflecting that vibrancy by redefining what opera can be. Through imaginative new productions, world premiere commissions, and inventive performances that preserve foundational works while making them feel fresh and compelling, LA Opera has become one of America’s most exciting and ambitious opera companies.

In addition to its mainstage performances at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, the company explores unusual repertoire each season through the LA Opera Off Grand initiative, featuring performances in a variety of venues throughout Los Angeles.

The Arts and Health Week Summit is presented through LA Opera's Connects, the company's community engagement and educational wing, which is as integral to the company's artistic identity as its mainstage productions and Off Grand performances. LA Opera Connects currently offers 29 different programs experienced by more than 135,000 people each season. These broad-based engagement programs reflect the vibrancy and diversity of Los Angeles, reaching people throughout every corner of Los Angeles County.

Generously supported by Emanuel Treitel Trust, The Green Foundation and The Music Man Foundation, among other key supporters, LA Opera Connects offers a robust variety of educational programming and community engagement offerings that reaches people of all ages throughout every corner of Los Angeles County. Learn more at LAOpera.org.

LA Opera Media Contact
Marlene Meraz
Director of Communications
mmeraz@laopera.org
213.972.7554

Generous support for the LA County Arts and Health Week Summit provided by
The Music Man Foundation
LA County Supervisor Hilda L. Solis, First District
Health Net
Kaiser Permanente
L.A. Care Health Plan

LA Opera Connects is generously supported by
The Emanuel Treitel Senior Citizen Fund
The Green Foundation
The Music Man Foundation
LA County Department of Arts and Culture as part of Creative Recovery LA, an initiative funded by the American Rescue Plan

LA Opera is a nonprofit organization dedicated to serving the greater Los Angeles community.