“Share the Stage” Initiative Continues For A Second Year At The Levitt
Published on July 19, 2022
By Levitt Pavilion
"Share the Stage,” a Levitt Pavilion initiative supporting North Texas musicians, is continuing strong through a second concert season, thanks in large part to a $50,000 grant from the Arlington Tomorrow Foundation awarded to Levitt earlier this summer.
Conceived as a means of providing paid gigs and exposure for local artists in the wake of the pandemic, Share the Stage seeks to showcase both emerging and established North Texas musicians, primarily through bookings as opening acts for the Levitt’s signature free concert series, which runs May-October.
Letatia Teykl, the venue’s executive director, said that Share the Stage has paid more than 100 local artists contracts to date for North Texas singer-songwriters and bands, many of which are emerging music artists, women, and artists of color.
“As a member of the North Texas arts community, we feel strongly about the need to create paid performance opportunities for local musicians,” said Teykl. “We created this initiative to give access to the Levitt stage, to our in-person and livestreaming fans, and our professional production crew. It’s a really cool giveback to the North Texas music industry ecosystem.”
“Also, we know that Share The Stage benefits the Levitt's economic picture as well, by helping us attract prospective new supporters who are fans of new-to-us artists, and by attracting the support of funding partners like the Arlington Tomorrow Foundation,” she added.
Local artists who have appeared or are scheduled to appear at the Levitt this season as part of Share the Stage include: Abbey Brown & The Sound (Americana), AdamMarie (alt folk), Buddy Whittington (blues/R&B), Carlos Ramos (Latin), Cash Byers (country), Conjunto Baraja de Oro (Tejano/Conjunto), Grupo Pression (Latin), Igimèjí (funk/soul), Jackie Minton (folk), and Larry Ladale (pop/R&B).
Another noteworthy Share The Stage artist (for both the inaugural and 2022 seasons) is LanceBattalion, an up-and-coming band of retro rockers out of Mansfield. The teenage artists opened for the Levitt’s summer ticketed fundraiser concert headlined by Tommy DeCarlo, the lead vocalist for the legendary classic rock band Boston. Learn more about the Levitt season.
“Since its first season in 2008 to today, the Levitt Pavilion is the musical centerpiece of our community,” said Carolyn Mentesana, executive director of the Arlington Tomorrow Foundation. “From those early days, all of us at the Foundation have been delighted to have come alongside the Friends of the Levitt with funding to support their vibrant mission to bring free music under the stars. Our underwriting of the Share the Stage program helps ensure local artists have an opportunity to showcase their talents, inspire, and entertain us all.”