By Clare Kirwan, contributor
From cumbia to blues, and roots rock to Ukrainian urban folk, the 2025 Levitt AMP Harrisonburg Music Series kicks off on Wed., June 25, downtown.
Levitt AMP is a multi-year matching grant aimed at providing cities with populations under 250,000 with free, live music.
Harrisonburg was one of 31 communities awarded the 2023-2025 Levitt AMP grant. Harrisonburg Downtown Renaissance (HDR) must raise $30,000 every year, with the Levitt Foundation matching that amount to produce the concert series.
The Harrisonburg Music Series is in its third and final year, but HDR plans to apply for the 2026-2028 grant, said HDR Events Manager Jennifer Bayes.
This summer, the program will bring 10 free live concerts to Turner Pavilion between June and September. Lizzie No, an indie-folk singer-songwriter based in Brooklyn, New York, will headline the first show at 6:30p this evening.
No previously played at a Levitt Pavilion in Westport, Connecticut and said the experience was “a dream come true.” When approached by her agent to do the Harrisonburg Levitt Pavilion show, she was excited about the opportunity.
“[In Westport] I just remember looking out onto the lawn and seeing people with their families and all ages,” No said. “I was like, ‘this is the type of summer I remember growing up, and it’s something that we need to have thriving communities. We need to be together outdoors, enjoying music’.”
Brian Webb, an HDR volunteer heavily involved in organizing the Harrisonburg Music Series, said the group received 250 artist submission to choose from this year. Webb and a committee worked for months to craft a lineup of 10 artists that would attract people from different parts of the community, he said.
From the Sept. 10 show featuring Kommuna Lux, an urban Ukrainian folk band, to the Latin Jazz band ¡Tumbao!, which will perform songs in Spanish on Aug. 6, HDR is excited about the diversity of this year’s lineup Webb said.
“This is an extremely diverse community, and we want to make sure that everyone knows that that is realized and appreciated,” Bayes said. “We value them and want them to come out and enjoy what we’re providing.”
Each concert brings anywhere from 500 to 1200 attendees depending on the artist and weather, Bayes said.
Local food and drink vendors and informative tables from local nonprofits will also be found at the concerts.
Webb said HDR is looking to expand their outreach even further by engaging the community through opening acts. Opening acts in the works include a partnership with Red Wing Academy and Zydeco dance instruction, said Webb.
For the first show, locals can expect a four-piece band backing No’s original indie folk rock songs.
“The reason music is powerful is because we feel it in our bodies, especially in the live setting. As an artist, if you are sharing music with an audience, you have the power to influence the way they experience time for whatever length of time you have with them,” No said. “My goal is always to feel like people came to the show and they felt like they were part of something.”
No will perform Wednesday, Jun. 25 at 6:30 at the Turner Pavilion. The music series will hold a concert almost every Wednesday through Sept. 10. A full schedule is available here on the HDR website.
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