In Altadena, a group of musicians raise money for displaced artists after the January wildfires
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Partho Sarothy, left, and Altadena musician Paul Livingstone, right, react after performing an Indian Classical Music concert at the first night of summer concerts at The Folly Bowl, a garden amphitheater built by Susanna Dadd and James Griffith at their home in Altadena where musicians have been performing for over 20 years, nearly six months after the Altadena community was destroyed by the Eaton fire in Altadena on Saturday, June 14, 2025. James Griffith didn’t think it would be possible to put on the concerts this year, but he made the decision in April that he wanted to bring the community back together. All donations from the concert go toward the Altadena musician Paul Livingstone. Livingstone lost his home in the fire and was the first person to perform at The Folly Bowl. Livingstone, who lives in an RV for now, lost his home, including a meditation sanctuary he created for himself, in the fires. His musical instruments also combusted in flames. Tess Crowley, Deseret News
Gitanjali is a staff writer for the Deseret News where she writes about politics and culture.
ALTADENA, Calif. — Los Angeles is recovering from the devastating fires in January, slowly but surely.
More than 16,000 structures were claimed and more than 55,000 acres were consumed by the fires.
Rebuilding buildings is straightforward.
Faith leaders in Southern California, reeling from the loss of 14 churches, synagogues, mosques and temples after the fires, stepped up to the plate to take on a harder task: rebuilding communities, as the Deseret News reported.
Altadena’s artists also banded together to bring back life to their community after the wildfires.
Paul Livingstone performed Indian classical music alongside Partho Sarothy at The Folly Bowl, a garden amphitheater, created by Susanna Dadd and James Griffith, on June 14. The show was called “Heal Altadena.”
Brett Lyda, left, and others attend an Indian Classical Music concert at the first night of summer concerts at The Folly Bowl, a garden amphitheater built by Susanna Dadd and James Griffith at their home in Altadena where musicians have been performing for over 20 years, nearly six months after the Altadena community was destroyed by the Eaton fire in Altadena on Saturday, June 14, 2025. James Griffith didn’t think it would be possible to put on the concerts this year, but he made the decision in April that he wanted to bring the community back together. All donations from the concert go toward the Altadena musician Paul Livingstone. Livingstone lost his home in the fire and was the first person to perform at The Folly Bowl. Livingstone, who lives in an RV for now, lost his home, including a meditation sanctuary he created for himself, in the fires. His musical instruments also combusted in flames. | Tess Crowley, Deseret News
The next day, he performed with tabla player Neelamjit Dhillon at the Holy Nativity Episcopal Church for a concert, Thru the Fire, on June 15.
The concerts raised money for Altadena artists who were impacted by the fires.
Ruth Factor and husband Bjorn Reddington attended the outdoor show on Saturday evening.
Their home in Altadena burned down and they now live with their children and grandchildren in Pasadena.
“Art and music are our religion,” Factor said. “We are sitting here like nothing has changed but everything has changed. ... This is like a cathedral for us.”
A few weeks after the concert, Livingstone spoke to the Deseret News over the phone.
He explained the outdoor concert is more meditative.
The music usually begins with a 30- to 40-minute-long piece that is “meant to center you in a certain mood ... in a certain raga.”
It’s about developing the rhythm — “We don’t rush through it,” Livingstone said.
“When I say meditation, it is you just focusing on the sound for an extended period, which moves very slowly. ... We really focus on just letting go of all our thinking, developing our capacity to immerse.”
He has been playing Indian classical music, or raga music, for 40 years, and acquired his skills through nearly a dozen trips to India and other parts of South Asia.
His music holds deep roots in Hinduism, but that doesn’t guide his personal faith.
“I grew up Christian and I’ve studied many different paths since I was a kid when I first went to India, but I consider myself a follower of Jesus,” Livingstone said.
Altadena musician Paul Livingstone performs Indian Classical Music at a benefit concert for Altadena artists impacted by the fire at the Holy Nativity Episcopal Church in Los Angeles on Sunday, June 15, 2025, nearly six months after his home, a meditation sanctuary he created for himself, and all his instruments, were destroyed by the Eaton fire. | Tess Crowley, Deseret News
His music helps him retain a “sense of wonder, discovery and creation.”
The composer and multi-instrumentalist doesn’t like to offer concertgoers too many words or set intentions as he plays.
“St. Francis talked about (preaching) the gospel at all times. When necessary, use words,” he added.
“Words are concepts which can be compelling, but often it’s really the spirit that’s moving, that it’s changing people’s hearts,” he said.
Livingstone and his wife lost their home in Altadena during the devastating wildfires that hit Southern California. They now live in an RV.
Both of them raise money for Altadena’s artistic community, which they are a part of. They help artists replace their art supplies or pricey musical instruments.
“Every day has been different,” Livingstone said with a pause.
Being of service keeps him grounded through the tough times.
“I’m driving through it, several times a day, seeing hundreds and hundreds of homes, buildings gone,” the musician said.
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Livingstone plans to stay in Altadena and rebuild his home — despite the view of the destructive trail the wildfires left behind. He is also laser focused on “the renaissance in this community.”
Ruth Factor, right, hugs Derek Whitefield, left, after an Indian Classical Music concert at the first night of summer concerts at The Folly Bowl, a garden amphitheater built by Susanna Dadd and James Griffith at their home in Altadena where musicians have been performing for over 20 years, nearly six months after the Altadena community was destroyed by the Eaton fire, in Altadena on Saturday, June 14, 2025. James Griffith didn’t think it would be possible to put on the concerts this year, but he made the decision in April that he wanted to bring the community back together. All donations from the concert go toward the Altadena musician Paul Livingstone, who performed Saturday evening. Livingstone lost his home in the fire and was the first person to perform at The Folly Bowl. Factor and her husband’s home in Altadena was also destroyed by the fire. They currently live in Pasadena with their children and grandchildren. “Art and music are our religion. We are sitting here like nothing has changed but everything has changed. This is like a cathedral for us,” Factor said. | Tess Crowley, Deseret News
“There’s a lot of people of color and working class families that own homes here, and we really want to make sure that they can stay,” he added.
He is also set to release a new record, called “Immersion,” with Partho Sarothy in August.
Additional reporting by Tess Crowley.
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Partho Sarothy, left, and Altadena musician Paul Livingstone, right, perform an Indian Classical Music concert at the first night of summer concerts at The Folly Bowl, a garden amphitheater built by Susanna Dadd and James Griffith at their home in Altadena where musicians have been performing for over 20 years, nearly six months after the Altadena community was destroyed by the Eaton fire, in Altadena on Saturday, June 14, 2025. James Griffith didn’t think it would be possible to put on the concerts this year, but he made the decision in April that he wanted to bring the community back together. All donations from the concert go toward the Altadena musician Paul Livingstone, who performed Saturday evening. Livingstone lost his home in the fire and was the first person to perform at The Folly Bowl. While he lives in an RV for now, he lost his home, including a meditation sanctuary he created for himself, and his musical instruments in the fires. | Tess Crowley, Deseret News
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Ruth Factor, left, sits with husband Bjorn Reddington and others at an Indian Classical Music concert at the first night of summer concerts at The Folly Bowl, a garden amphitheater built by Susanna Dadd and James Griffith at their home in Altadena where musicians have been performing for over 20 years, nearly six months after the Altadena community was destroyed by the Eaton fire, in Altadena on Saturday, June 14, 2025. James Griffith didn’t think it would be possible to put on the concerts this year, but he made the decision in April that he wanted to bring the community back together. All donations from the concert go toward the Altadena musician Paul Livingstone, who performed Saturday evening. Livingstone lost his home in the fire and was the first person to perform at The Folly Bowl. Factor and Reddington’s home in Altadena was also destroyed by the fire. They currently live in Pasadena with their children and grandchildren. “Art and music are our religion. We are sitting here like nothing has changed but everything has changed. This is like a cathedral for us,” Factor said. | Tess Crowley, Deseret News
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Artist James Griffith vacuums dust off the door to his art studio, which survived the Eaton fire, in between buildings that were destroyed and across the street from where the Altadena Community Church once stood on Altadena Drive nearly six months after being destroyed by the Eaton fire, in Altadena on Saturday, June 14, 2025. | Tess Crowley, Deseret News
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Altadena musician Paul Livingstone performs Indian Classical Music at a benefit concert for Altadena artists impacted by the fire at the Holy Nativity Episcopal Church in Los Angeles on Sunday, June 15, 2025, nearly six months after his home, a meditation sanctuary he created for himself and all his instruments were destroyed by the Eaton fire. | Tess Crowley, Deseret News
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