REICH90: Kuniko Kato at Zipper Concert Hall

Steve Reich turns 90 this year, and Japanese percussionist Kuniko Kato is taking the birthday on the road. Her REICH90 tour stops at Zipper Concert Hall in downtown LA on Friday, October 16. If you follow concerts in los angeles beyond the arena circuit, this one's worth a spot on the calendar. It's a night built around the composer who made repetition sound like it was moving.

Who's playing

Kato records and tours under the single name KUNIKO. She has spent years inside Reich's catalog, and the tour listing says it plainly: "Trusted by Steve Reich." For this run she's bringing a group of young Japanese musicians with her, and the organizers describe the tour as having already drawn strong crowds on earlier stops.

That matters with Reich. His music looks simple on paper: short patterns, repeated, slowly shifting out of phase. In a room it's a different thing. Tiny timing changes stack up until the whole texture seems to rotate, and a player who knows the pieces well can make those shifts land like a key change.

The room

Zipper Concert Hall sits on the Colburn School campus at 200 South Grand Avenue, a short walk from Walt Disney Concert Hall. It's a mid-size hall with a clean, close sound, which suits mallet percussion. You'll hear the attack of each mallet, not a wash of reverb. Seating is reserved by section, so pick your spot when you buy rather than planning to grab one at the door.

The event runs on Friday, October 16. The organizer is NPO ARTSWORKS.

Practical info

Tickets are on Eventbrite, with prices listed from $28.52 to $81.88 depending on section. For live music los angeles fans who usually pay arena prices, that's a friendly range for a downtown hall. Digital tickets through the Eventbrite app or a PDF barcode on your phone both work, so there's no need to print anything.

The event's own FAQ points drivers to the Walt Disney Concert Hall parking lot, which is the easy move since it's close by on Grand. If you'd rather skip the car, the Metro A and E lines stop at Grand Av Arts/Bunker Hill station, a short walk up the hill. The dress code is casual.

Want more on the schedule nearby? Browse the rest of our concerts coverage, or see what else is on in Downtown LA. Grand Avenue has plenty going on before a 90th-birthday show, and a quiet drink after a long Reich piece tends to feel earned.