Fitz And The Tantrums, D Smoke, Anthony Anderson Join LACHSApalooza Lineup At Greek Theatre

The big party celebrating the 40^th anniversary of the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts (LACHSA) continues to grow, with more talent added to the bill. The LACHSA Foundation announced that indie pop band Fitz and The Tantrums will join LACHSApalooza, a music festival benefiting LACHSA, as well as hometown rapper D Smoke, who taught at Inglewood High School before signing a record deal.

LACHSApalooza takes place May 30 at the iconic Greek Theatre in L.A., and the master of ceremonies will be comedian, actor, writer and director Anthony Anderson.

Fitz and The Tantrums, Smoke D and Anderson were all former LACHSA students, as well as previously announced acts Ozomatli, Gerald Clayton, Jon B., Gretchen Parlato and entrepreneur April Showers. The event website promises that additional artists will be announced soon.

The charitable arts and music festival aims to raise $2.5 million to benefit the foundation’s mission of “advancing the exemplary arts education programs at LACHSA that impact 550 student artists each year.”

Tickets for the event are now available via Ticketmaster. Visit https://lachsafoundation.org/lachsapalooza/ for more information.

LACHSApalooza will also honor three esteemed teachers. The late Pat Bass, known as Ms. B, was a beloved mentor and led as director of LACHSA’s gospel choir. She led the vocal jazz ensemble to first-place finishes at the Monterey Jazz Festival High School competition in 2000, 2001, 2007, 2011 and 2015. She also had an impact on recording artists such as Alex Isley, Gretchen Parlato, Lewis Frazier and opera star Angel Blue.

Lois Hunter, a teacher at LACHSA for 33 years who served as theatre department chair, will also be recognized by the foundation, as well as L.A. County’s Teacher of the Year winner Jerry Freedman, a social studies teacher who was named “Most Inspirational Teacher” by the Board of Supervisors.

With only 50% of LACHSA’s arts education funded by the state, the LACHSA Foundation is essential in advancing the arts in public high schools. The event at the Greek Theatre could help the Foundation accomplish its mission of securing “the next 40 years of opportunity for the next generation of creative leaders.”