Music Director Grant Gershon
Born: November 10, 1960, in Norwalk, California
At the Chorale: Music Director, now in his sixth season
Premieres: Grant has expanded the choir’s repertoire with these world premieres:
You Are (Variations) by Steve Reich;
Messages and Brief Eternity by Bobby McFerrin and Roger Treece;
Broken
Charms by Donald Crockett;
Rezos (Prayers) by Tania León;
Mother’s Lament by Sharon Farber;
Two
Songs to Poems of Ann Jäderlund by Esa-Pekka Salonen (U.S. premiere)
Other appearances: St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, Houston Grand Opera, Juilliard Opera Theatre, the Finnish chamber orchestra Avanti! and music festivals in Edinburgh, Vienna, Helsinki, Ravinia, Rome, Madrid and Aspen
Currently: Associate Conductor / Chorus Master at L.A. Opera
Previous assignments: Los Angeles Philharmonic assistant conductor, 1994–97
On disc: Two Grammy Award-nominated recordings — Sweeney Todd (New York Philharmonic Special Editions) and Ligeti’s Grand Macabre (Sony Classical); Glass–Salonen and You Are (Variations) with the Master Chorale
Raves
“Gershon is a direct, unfussy conductor, who values clarity, clean execution and immediate statements.” — Los Angeles Times
“…an invigorating, inventive and enormously gifted young conductor.” — Mark Swed, Los Angeles Times
“Gershon has found a richness of tone and a strength of phrasing that could launch the Chorale onto a new tier of musical importance.” — LA Weekly
“visionary” — Daily Breeze
Hailed by the Los Angeles Times for creating “a dark, rich sound awash with resonant sparkling amplitude.”
Programming has been applauded for being “as warmly spiritual as it is ambitious.”