[NoHo Arts District, CA] – A NoHo Arts music interview with Linda Weirly of The Athena Foundation for the Arts.
The Athena Foundation for the Arts is a San Fernando Valley nonprofit whose sole intent is to bring the best world-class classical musicians to NoHo.
They are thrilled to create an intimate experience for the audience in a state-of-the-art community auditorium on Burbank Blvd. The auditorium seats up to 1,500 but they configure seating for an intimate gathering. How wonderful to be able to see such brilliant performers and experience this level of musical mastery up close. Beautiful imagery and lighting are projected on the screen above the performers for a magical immersive experience. And to top it all off, ample free parking next to the auditorium!
They have a full calendar of events coming up this year and to celebrate and help them get the word out, we thought we would ask the artistic director, Linda Wehrli all about the foundation.
Hi Linda, welcome to NoHo! What was the impetus for creating the foundation and why did you think NoHo would be a good location for the concerts?
Linda – The Athena Foundation for the Arts was founded in 2022 to address the dearth of affordable world class live classical music concerts in the Valley. Having our own Disney Hall to enrich our community was long overdue. The NoHo Arts District was a good fit, being close to the 170 and 101 freeways.
The challenge was finding a facility that met my uncompromising wish list of superb sound, a full stage that provided unobstructed views, a top-of-the-line grand piano, comfy seating, ADA-compliant egress and bathrooms, a well-appointed green room with dressing room fit for world-class musicians and ample free parking.
Back in 2021, a friend invited me to an Open Mic night at a community auditorium in NoHo. I was blown away by how many boxes the facility checked off my wish list, and more. Their stage hosted a ginormous screen with lighting capabilities plus a knowledgeable friendly sound and stage engineer. I envisioned classical music concerts complemented by imagery curated by the musicians themselves to add their artistic vision to their performance, making it an immersive experience. Classical music would be accessible to a wider audience regardless of their knowledge of the pieces and composers, and provide a new experience to seasoned aficionados.
The catch – I had to be a 501c3 nonprofit in order to reserve the auditorium. With the help of a former student-turned-attorney and family financial aid, I pulled the trigger and launched The Athena Foundation for the Arts.
How do you select performers and music for the program?
Linda – When news of my organization got out to my professional musician friends, they lined up in droves asking to be in our concert series! “If you build it, they will come,” resonated in my mind. High standards for performers were set by our board of directors from the start. Only world class award-winning professional musicians who agreed to curate imagery for each performance shared our vision for the community would be in the series. It’s an honor to produce these fantastic concerts by world renowned award winning artists.
How did you become involved with the foundation?
Linda – I’m the founder, chair and artistic director. Through a longtime former student who is now an attorney, I met Arthur Reiman of the Law Firm for Nonprofits. At our initial Zoom meeting, I knew I found the right firm that would champion our cause. Thanks to their expertise, The Athena Foundation for the Arts received its 501c3 from the IRS in record time. Grateful!
What are the goals of the program?
Linda – The Athena Foundation for the Arts sets the stage, providing affordable world-class performing arts programs to enrich and educate the community.
Our goals include but are not limited to:
• Partnering with local music teachers, schools, conservatories and university music departments to provide concerts that complement their curriculum.
• Working with senior centers to enhance the programs they offer their residents
Can you reflect on the success of the program in general and what plans you have for the future?
Linda – The quality of the performances coupled with the gorgeous curated imagery and lighting have brought tears of joy to our audience. Guests make a point of coming up to me and thanking me for making these concerts available to them. With each concert, I’m delighted to see returning audience members, some bringing their friends and family.
The musicians love being part of our concert series. They receive a blog interview about their concert on Athena’s website, their own concert webpage on Athena’s website, an Eventbrite page and Facebook Events page hosted by Athena, and lots of social media postings about their concert.
Students and their parents have expressed gratitude at being able to bring their children to such world-class concerts where it would have been otherwise too time and cost prohibitive to do so at other established venues in DTLA, West LA and others located far from the Valley.
For the future, we’d like to host music festivals, chamber orchestras and professional choral groups.
How has this personally affected you and the other program members?
Linda – Athena concerts are a labor of love. Learning the ropes of running a nonprofit is an ongoing process. It’s exciting and challenging personally and to the board members, but it’s our calling.
Do you have any advice for someone creating a nonprofit arts program in Los Angeles?
Linda – Yes. Have a clear vision of what you want to create, find board members who champion your vision, and hire a good nonprofit law firm and CPA firm to establish it on solid ground.
Linda and her wonderful team of devoted musicians and creatives are very excited to bring us a new season of incredible music. We hope you will take advantage of our own ‘Disney Hall’ in NoHo and enjoy some beautiful performances and divinely curated programs beginning with Faliks•Cani Piano & Violin Duo on January 21st.
Upcoming Concert Schedule:
Jason Stoll SoCal Piano Soloist on February 4.
Drs. Dmitry Rachmanov & John Salmon Piano Maestros on March 3.
The Belgian Violin & Piano Duo on April 7.
Russian Pianist Mikhail Korzhev on May 19
Argentinian Pianist Daniela Salinas on October 13.
A few more concerts are in the works. Stay tuned!!
What an incredible lineup! The performances are always on Sundays at 4pm, at the Community Auditorium, 11455 Burbank Blvd. Sunday afternoon is the perfect time to enjoy beautiful classical music!