As the holiday season approaches, giving back takes on new meaning in Las Vegas, a city known for its glittering lights and big stages but also home to quiet acts of service that change lives. Three local leaders have turned their personal journeys into powerful missions. Through athletics, mentorship and wellness-focused programs, they are shaping futures for kids and young women who might otherwise go unseen.
In the story of American music, some careers are defined not by a single genre or moment but by the way they weave across traditions, cultures and eras. Laura Taylor's path, spanning classical roots, disco success, platinum-record songwriting and a distinguished career in jazz, embodies that journey. Her voice, once heard selling Buicks and beckoning travelers to "Fly the Friendly Skies," would go on to resonate in recording studios, concert halls and classrooms.
After retiring as the founding music director and conductor laureate of the Las Vegas Philharmonic in 2007, Hal Weller didn't exactly lay down his baton. Two years later, he launched FAYM — the Foundation to Assist Young Musicians — as an organization to offer scholarships and mentoring to young, rising-star musicians pursuing their careers.
The holiday season in Las Vegas is filled with traditions: the Glittering Lights at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway, the Bellagio Conservatory and Botanical Gardens, ice skating at the Cosmopolitan and the Ethel M Chocolates Holiday Cactus Garden. Now you can add the Youth for Youth Holiday Concert to that winter wish list.
It was a fabulous evening fit for a fall soirée. The Alexis de Tocqueville Society gathered members of the changemaking community to support the United Way Southern Nevada’s movement to create real, lasting impact in the community.
Inside the Rita Deanin Abbey Art Museum on Oct. 11, the atmosphere was a harmony of light, form and sound, showcasing the work of one of Nevada's most notable multidisciplinary artists. Within this stillness, RDA Performs, the museum's first concert series, presented "Piano Portraits: A Piano Duet Dialogue," featuring pianists Dr. Alexandria Le and Philip Fortenberry.
The future Las Vegas Museum of Art (LVMA) opens its first public exhibition, "Family Album," on Tuesday, Oct. 14, 2025, marking a milestone for Las Vegas’ growing cultural landscape. Presented in partnership with the City of Las Vegas and organized by the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), the show transforms the brand-new Civic Center Gallery into a space of reflection, belonging and community.
On Saturday, Oct. 4, 2025, at Caesars Palace, the Foundation for an Independent Tomorrow (FIT) honored Robert Dolan, owner and CEO of Cashman Photo Enterprises of Nevada Inc., with its Civitas Laurel Award during its annual gala, recognizing his leadership, business acumen and dedication to strengthening the Las Vegas community.
Each year, Black Rock City becomes the third-largest city in Nevada for one month of the year, complete with its own FAA-approved airport. Urban planners, architects and civic leaders from across the globe travel here to study its temporary yet highly functional design. Produced by the Burning Man Project, the event is as much about community and experimentation as it is about art.
Matthew Couper and Jo Russ of Couper Russ [...]
