George David Kieffer is well known as an L.A. business and civic leader. The partner at the Manatt, Phelps & Phillips law firm – who recently was named L.A.’s Lawyer of the Year in his practice field by Best Lawyers magazine – is past chair of the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce and was principal co-author of the Los Angeles City Charter, for example.

But he is less well known as a musician; in fact, he’s an accomplished pianist. His 2021 album is called “The Ambassador’s Wife and Other Stories.” And he put his collection of holiday songs on Spotify and called it “Christmas in Manhattan.” Not only did he compose and perform the songs, but he also compiled and edited a video that accompanies it.

He has always been serious about music. Kieffer said at “at a fairly young age I would sit and just make up my own tunes.” Later, as a young lawyer at Manatt, he took a leave of absence to study music. “I went on the singer-songwriter circuit for about a year. I kind of ran out of money and came back.”

But why did Kieffer, a dedicated Angeleno, name his holiday playlist after New York? He explained that the title song strives to capture the bustle of holiday shopping, and New York is the best setting for that. Besides, he said, “I was born in Manhattan. Manhattan at Christmas is very special.”

Los Angeles is great but just doesn’t have the same vibe at Christmastime, he said. If he were to do an album about Los Angeles, he said, maybe “Summer in L.A.” would be a good.

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Veteran television producer Chuck Lorre may have inspired young people to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and math with his shows “Young Sheldon” and “The Big Bang Theory,” among others. But now he is inspiring them in a more direct way.

His family foundation is giving $10 million to Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, it was announced last week. The money will support local students from underrepresented communities to conduct research. Immersive, hands-on training with medical researchers will provide students with exposure to real-world investigations in accredited laboratories. Throughout the 10-week internship, students will receive one-on-one mentoring to discuss academic and career goals.

“When students are fully immersed in research, they can suddenly imagine a future in STEM where they can pursue their dreams,” said Lorre. “That is what inspired me to establish this program.”

The Insider is compiled by Editor-in-Chief Charles Crumpley. He can be reached at [email protected].