Two Pasadena nonprofits are teaming up to bring a free outdoor concert to Washington Park on Thursday, August 6, with a specific mission: giving residents still recovering from the Eaton Fire a place to gather and heal through music.
Singer-songwriter Brighton Thomas and guitarist Louis Cheong will perform from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the park, 700 E. Washington Blvd. The event, titled "Serenade Under the Sycamores," is open to the public with chair seating provided on the lawn.
No tickets are required.
The concert is organized by Jim Hendrick through Pasadena Village and Clazzical Notes, and the wildfire recovery programming is funded in part through a grant from the American Red Cross, according to Colorado Boulevard. Organizers describe the concert as a gathering space for residents affected by the Eaton Fire.
Pasadena Village, a membership organization for adults over 55 founded in 2012, has been deeply involved in Eaton Fire recovery since the blaze struck on January 8, 2025. According to the organization's recovery page, the nonprofit has provided support to more than 1,000 individuals in the Altadena and Pasadena area, distributing $140,000 in direct aid in 2025 and $450,000 to 61 older adults in early 2026. Twenty-two older adults in its network lost their homes.
Thomas, an LA-based vocalist originally from Burbank, blends soul, jazz, and classic rock into her original music. She was named Youth Ambassador at Michael Feinstein's Great American Songbook Academy in 2016 and was a Grand Prize Finalist in the Music Center Spotlight Program in 2017. Her performances have drawn audiences of more than 6,000. Cheong, also Los Angeles-based, works across jazz, R&B, pop, and indie music and brings audio engineering experience to live productions.
The concert adds to a growing slate of free outdoor music in Pasadena this summer framed around community recovery. Pasadena City Councilmember Justin Jones captured the mood around the city's recovery programming when he spoke about the separate Levitt VIBE concert series at Memorial Park in a July 9 Pasadena Now article: "A concert doesn't fix a foundation or replace a roof, but it gives us a safe, common space to just breathe together, look at the person next to you, and recognize our shared resilience."
Attendees can register online and request transportation if needed. Pasadena Village Program Manager Pablo Ortiz-Morales coordinates complimentary rides to recovery-related events for those displaced by the fire; residents can email [email protected] to arrange one. Limited parking is available in the park lot, with street parking nearby.
For more information, contact Pasadena Village at [email protected] or (626) 765-1040.
Upcoming community events in Pasadena:
- Thursday, August 6 — "Serenade Under the Sycamores" free concert, Washington Park, 700 E. Washington Blvd., 6–7 p.m.
- Saturday, August 8 — Head in the Clouds festival, Brookside at the Rose Bowl
