A salon is an intimate, intellectually vibrant gathering where people come together to exchange bold ideas, challenge conventions, and revel in culture. Unlike formal lectures or academic panels, salons are conversational by nature — blending performance, discussion, and debate in an atmosphere that’s both stimulating and social. Born in the living rooms of infamous women, salons thrive on curiosity, wit, and the joy of shared discovery. Whether sparked by a piece of music, a provocative question, or a historical scandal, the heart of the salon is dialogue — and the freedom to follow wherever it leads.
From Forbidden Affairs to Fistfights in the Pit — The truth behind classical music. Only at Salon BRAVISSIMO!.
An early collectors of Matisse, Cezanne and Renoir paintings, Gertrude Stein's salons in the Stein home became an equally powerful a magnet for the most brilliant minds in literature. Deemed the ‘Mother of Modernism,’ the creators who passed through Gertrude’s salons defined the modernist movement in both literature and art in the early part of the 20th century.
During the Harlem Renaissance, Ruth Logan Roberts, Georgia Douglas Johnson, and Zora Neale Hurston hosted salons that brought together leading figures in African-American literature, and in the culture and politics of Harlem at the time. These salons arguably propelled the revival of African American culture referred to as the Harlem Renaissance.
Salons popped up again in Hollywood and New York City in the mid-20th century, but many became rightly or wrongly associated with Communism and were disbanded amidst the Red Scare under the scrutiny of the House Un-American Activities Committee. Most notably Salka Viertel’s salon of World War II exiles-turned-showbiz-folks (patroned by Charlie Chaplin, Greta Garbo and Albert Einstein!) in Santa Monica became the subject of FBI interest and disbanded in the mid-1950s century.
Salon BRAVISSIMO!, is dedicated to uncovering the untold, dramatic, and often outrageous stories behind classical music’s most iconic figures — bringing history to life through curiosity, conversation, and a touch of irreverence.
Tickets: Suggested donation $15
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