Silver Lake Conservatory of Music Hosts Banging Benefit and Art Auction with Anderson .Paak, Randy Newman, And Red Hot Chili Peppers

by Flaunt Intern

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On Saturday (September 9th), the non-profit Silver Lake Conservatory of Music hosted its Annual Benefit and Art Auction (along with a celebration of Flea's birthday!) at its new campus on Hollywood Blvd. While charity auctions can sometimes be stuffy affairs, this one was anything but. Attendees were treated to raucously funny MC-ing by Marc Maron, sets by superstars Red Hot Chili Peppers, (joined by youngsters enrolled in the music conservatory—seeing a group of kids sing choir for Kiedis on "Under the Bridge' made for an unforgettable moment), Randy Newman, and Anderson .Paak, all in service of the organization's mission to provide youth in the community with the opportunity to learn about more about music and perfect their skills with a variety of orchestral and band instruments. Under the Silver Lake Conservatory of Music, youth have the opportunity to receive scholarships, take free lessons, and access instruments. 

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Art by a slew of local luminaries was available for purchase, with pieces by Shepard Fairey, Raymond Pettibon, John Baldessari, and Petra Cortright among others, fetching princely figures for the noble goal of bringing music to the community. Of course, it makes it easy to be generous when you get so much in return—in this case a lovely dinner, drinks, coffee by local game-changers Go Get 'Em Tiger, and loads of good music.

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It was inspiring to see some of our community's leading creatives take it upon themselves to share their gifts with the next generation. Flea sent the message home with a touching, tearful message of gratitude. “I cannot express the depth of gratitude I have to everyone coming together to support the Conservatory. Your sentiment, your energy and your support is what created me and for the kids much more so.” Reflecting on the origins of the school, he said, “Starting the music school was a no brainer,” continuing, “We’ve never been about anything than just teaching kids to play music, picking up an instrument and playing it, and getting lost in the process.”


All Photos by Gary Leonard, Courtesy of Silverlake Conservatory of Music

Written by Sid Feddema