Acclaimed composer, bandleader, and saxophonist Kamasi Washington will bring unprecedented performances to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art’s (LACMA) new David Geffen Galleries on June 26, 27, and 28. With an ensemble of 100 musicians, Washington will perform his celebrated work Harmony of Difference in the museum’s striking new building designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Peter Zumthor.
Washington will lead the musicians in a series of performances that will never be repeated as the first public program in the new space.
Harmony of Difference is a six-movement suite by Washington that explores the beauty of contrast and unity through the musical concept of counterpoint: diverging melodies that ultimately unite into a harmonious whole. The June performances at LACMA will mark the first time this musical score is performed.
LACMA is also pleased to announce that East West Bank has partnered with the museum to support the opening series of events for the David Geffen Galleries, beginning with Kamasi Washington Live.
“This sonic preview will be an unforgettable experience,” said Michael Govan, LACMA CEO and Wallis Annenberg Director. “An Angeleno born and raised, Kamasi will breathe life into the David Geffen Galleries with music, offering visitors a unique opportunity to explore the building through sound waves. This performance marks the beginning of our countdown to the grand opening of the new building in 2026. We are incredibly grateful to Dominic Ng and East West Bank for their ongoing support of this special preview and the opening celebrations.”
Washington said, “I wrote Harmony of Difference in 2017 to celebrate the beauty of humanity’s diversity through music. In music, the combination of different notes, chords, and rhythms creates beautiful songs. The same is true in life; most of humanity’s greatest achievements came from the combined efforts of people of different backgrounds with different knowledge and abilities. As we come together to learn and work with each other, humanity advances and grows. This June at LACMA will be the first time I will be performing the entire Harmony of Difference suite in front of a live audience, and to do it in L.A., a true haven of diversity and my hometown, is special.”
Tickets for Kamasi Washington Live at LACMA’s David Geffen Galleries go on sale on three dates, with the first on May 2, 2025, at 10 am PT. A limited number of tickets will be available on each release date.
• May 2 at 10 am PT ($60 for the general pub-
lic, $48 for LACMA members).
• May 22 at 10 am PT ($75 for the general pub-
lic, $60 for LACMA members)
• June 12 at 10 am PT ($100 for the general
public, $80 for LACMA members)
