The Music Never Stops. How One Group Is Helping Artists Replace Instruments Lost In The L.a. Fires

When I deliberation of nan solidarity of musicians, I callback an iconic segment from nan movie “Titanic.”

It’s nan 1 wherever a quartet plays “Nearer, My God, to Thee” arsenic nan great, “unsinkable” vessel sinks into nan North Atlantic Ocean.

They attempted to connection calm amid a oversea of panic arsenic passengers and unit feverishly boarded lifeboats. The events were based connected a existent communicative and historians statement that nan assemblage of nan Titanic set leader Wallace Hartley was recovered floating successful nan ocean “with his euphony lawsuit strapped to it.”

Even successful tragedy, we activity euphony to bring america solace.

Much person to home, musicians from Pacific Palisades, Altadena and different affected areas person been challenged to support nan euphony going aft losing instruments, workplace instrumentality and business on pinch their homes successful nan January 2025 fires that claimed nan lives of 31 people.

One organization, Altadena Musicians, launched nan app Instrumental Giving to link donors who tin spare an aged soft aliases a mildly utilized cello pinch those who mislaid akin instruments.

KC Mancebo, an Altadena Musicians advisor, said pinch The Times astir nan group’s ngo and success.

The campaign’s genesis

It started pinch composers Brandon Jay and his wife, Gwendolyn Sanford, who saw their Altadena home, euphony workplace and respective instruments destroyed by nan Eaton fire.

Shortly aft nan fire, Jay posted astir nan mislaid instrumentality and what each portion meant to his family.

He said nan consequence from that station — hundreds of group offering their instruments and different types of assistance — near him “overwhelmed and gobsmacked.”

He called friends and helpers from passim nan euphony industry, including Mancebo, main executive of nan arena accumulation and talent booking agency Clamorhouse, hoping to connection to others nan aforesaid thief he received.

Mancebo had been helping homeowners navigate occurrence security paperwork and processes.

“Brandon Jay asked, ‘Why don’t we commencement gathering instruments for our friends,” Mancebo said. “We had 25 friends successful nan Palisades and 15 friends successful nan Eaton occurrence that mislaid everything, truthful we and others sewage involved.”

How’s it going truthful far?

The statement has passed retired astir 3,500 instruments to 1,200 families since nan first donations successful precocious January 2025, Mancebo said.

The donations scope from ukuleles to Steinway & Sons pianos.

“We’re providing instruments to anyone from children who mislaid their first instruments to group who mislaid their full studio,” she said. “The request is great.”

The gifts person travel from individual donors and firm benefactors specified arsenic JBL, which has provided speakers and equipment, arsenic good arsenic guitar makers Fender and Gibson, among others.

Rebuilding from nan ashes

Mancebo mislaid her Westside location 8 years agone because of a defective dryer that caught fire, she said.

“I went done nan full process of insurance, permitting and rebuilding and we didn’t person FEMA aliases anyone to help,” she said. “I want to supply that thief to those successful a akin situation.”

Mancebo said it took 8 years to retrieve and rebuild her home.

“No 1 is good aft nan first year,” she said. “Everyone needs help.”

Brentwood resident Amy Engelhardt, a singer/songwriter, composer, lyricist and playwright, donated her Kawai Upright Piano to nan Altadena Musicians statement connected March 10, 2026.

(Courtesy of Amy Engelhardt)

One person’s goodbye is another’s hello

Brentwood resident Amy Engelhardt, a singer/songwriter, composer, lyricist and playwright, loved her Kawai upright soft she purchased done a PennySaver advertisement successful 2000.

“It was a woody for nan starving artist,” she said. “I paid truthful small and I ever considered it a gift.”

Since then, Engelhardt said she has written each of her euphony connected that piano. She didn’t, however, play it while signaling her Grammy-nominated vocal group, nan Bobs.

Still, she donated her soft this week to a female who mislaid her home. The instrumentality would not beryllium making nan imperishable move pinch Engelhardt backmost to New York, wherever her playwriting services are successful demand.

“I did get affectional astir it, but it’s OK,” Engelhardt said. “It’s comforting knowing that personification other will emotion it and create their ain memories.”

Those willing successful donating tin cheque retired https://altadenamusicians.org.

The week’s biggest stories

(Hiro Komae / Associated Press)

War pinch Iran

• Six U.S. airmen die successful a clang successful Iraq.
• War pinch Iran delivers different shock to nan world economy.
• New Iranian leader Khamenei vows ‘never ending’ revenge successful first nationalist statement.
• The spike successful gas prices is jolting California’s elephantine economy.
• ‘Doomsday plane’ performs exercises successful Fresno, stoking fears arsenic warfare escalates.

Oscars connected Sunday

• Security for nan Oscars will beryllium tighter than ever due to nan Iran war.
• Palestinian prima of Oscars contender ‘The Voice of Hind Rajab’ to miss ceremonial owed to recreation ban.
• An exclusive look behind nan scenes arsenic Dolby Theatre transforms for nan Oscars.
• Opinion: Anyone who says nan Oscars person gotten ‘too political’ hasn’t watched nan Oscars.

Television and intermezo news

• Hegseth says he’s eager for Ellison to return complete CNN.
• ‘Access Hollywood’ is canceled arsenic NBCUniversal exits first-run syndication business.
• Grace Lilly of ‘Southern Hospitality’ arrested connected suspicion of supplier possession successful South Carolina.
• Alexa Ray says dad Billy Joel is ‘a fighter’ and ‘doing great’ since encephalon upset diagnosis.

Dangerous situations

• Rattlesnake wound decease successful Orange County highlights SoCal trails’ hidden danger.
• An 8-year-old’s terrifying autumn from skis assistance reignites an aged debate.
• Convicted murderer successful Orange County assemblage rearrested aft cutting GPS.
  

What other is going on

• Luxury outdoor promenade Victoria Gardens sold for much than $500 million.
• Hundreds of people successful L.A. are strapping cameras to do chores.
• Sony is producing a $100,000 electrical vehicle that is portion gadget, portion gamble.
• Federal EPA moves to rotation backmost caller limits connected carcinogen ethyene oxide.
• U.S. Postal Service honors lowrider community successful caller everlastingly stamp collection.

Must reads

Other meaty reads

• Newport Beach has California’s richest existent estate. Why it hit retired Silicon Valley gold.
• If nan elephantine sequoia is dying out, why are location tens of thousands of seedlings and saplings?
• Jaylen Brown video sparks furor complete really Beverly Hills constabulary dainty Black people.
• A young man raged astir RV dwellers surviving outside his L.A. home. D.A. says it led to murder.
• Opinion: Noma’s $1,500 meal is nan antithesis of L.A. and nan measurement we eat.
  

For your downtime

(Duke’s Malibu)

Going out

• Welcome back: Iconic Malibu edifice Duke’s reopens 14 months aft Palisades fire.
• New basking spot: L.A.’s adjacent must-try sushi bar? Pared-down excellence successful storied digs.
• Chic outing: Street style astatine nan Hollywood Farmers Market feels for illustration a magic Saturday evening.
• Fashion forward: The L.A. java shop is for wearing Dries Van Noten caput to toe.

Staying in

• Worth a watch: How 2 Big Bear eagles became societal media’s hottest emotion story.
• From gridiron to print: Marshawn Lynch gets into immoderate ‘real [expletive]’ arsenic ‘Beast Mode,’ [longer expletive] crime-fighter
• 🥗 Here’s a look for nan champion turkey chili ever.
• ✏️ Get our free regular crossword puzzle, sudoku, connection hunt and jigsaw games.
  

L.A. Timeless

A action of nan very champion sounds from The Times’ 143-year archive.

Have a awesome day, from nan Essential California team

Jim Rainey, unit reporter
Hugo Martín, adjunct editor, accelerated break desk
Kevinisha Walker, multiplatform editor
Andrew J. Campa, play writer
Karim Doumar, caput of newsletters

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