47th Season Celebrates Music Director Grant Gershon’s 10th Anniversary Season with Acclaimed Choir and Features Musical Highlights from His Tenure

Gershon Conducts Major Choral Works by Rachmaninoff, Haydn, Ellington and Others as well as World Premiere of Mark Grey Work Commissioned by Chorale for “LA Is the World” Initiative, Messiah Sing-Along and High School Choir Festival

The Los Angeles Master Chorale, long considered a local cultural treasure, has gained international prominence over the past decade under the guidance of its esteemed Music Director Grant Gershon. In recognition of his considerable achievements and keen musical sensibilities, the Chorale’s entire 2010|11 season celebrates his 10th Anniversary Season at the helm of the renowned choir. The ten-concert season features some of the most compelling musical highlights of his tenure, a veritable “playlist” of his favorite high points that includes new interpretations of standard repertoire accented, in Gershon’s trademark tradition, by a mix of contemporary works that break down cultural and musical barriers. Gershon conducts major choral works by Rachmaninoff, Haydn, Ellington and others and also presents the world premiere of a new work by Mark Grey commissioned by the Chorale for the fourth installment in its highly regarded “LA is the World” initiative, conceived and created by Gershon. He also leads two performances of the 30th Annual Messiah Sing-Along, a perennial audience favorite, and the popular Holiday Wonders Christmas program. In addition, Gershon will be feted at the opening night post-concert gala on September 26, 2010.

“We are delighted to spotlight our Maestro during the 2010|11 season,” states Mark Foster, chair of the Chorale’s Board of Directors. “His extraordinary musical gifts have helped put the LA Master Chorale on the world’s cultural map, drawn legions of fans to Chorale concerts, helped make choral music hip, expanded the choral repertoire considerably and taken the choir to a new level – all in just ten years. A true musical ambassador, he has also touched the lives of thousands of school children though his involvement with the LA Master Chorale’s education outreach programs. Since Grant joined the LA Master Chorale as Music Director, he has conducted more than 91 hours of music with the chorus at the Walt Disney Concert Hall alone. It literally would take 3 days, 19 hours and 44 minutes to hear it all back-to back.”

Among the major pieces Gershon has selected to reprise are Rachmaninoff’s masterful All-Night Vigil, the Mozart arrangement of Handel’s Messiah, and selections from Ellington’s evocative Sacred Concerts, which he will co-conduct with James Newton, whose artistry he greatly admires.

An all-French program, reflecting the years Grant spent working in Paris, includes brilliant and sensuous works by Duruflé, Josquin, Janequin and Ravel. Similarly, an all-British program explores the roots of choral music from the 15th Century forward – the art form that intoxicated Gershon as a high school student growing up in Alhambra – with selections by Byrd, Britten, Vaughan Williams and Tavener.

Acclaimed violinist Jennifer Koh joins Gershon and the Chorale for the world premiere of a piece by Mark Grey, named one of the “Faces to Watch” by the Los Angeles Times. With text based on the extraordinary verses of Korean poet Im Hoon Jae, Mugunghwa: Rose of Sharon was commissioned by the Chorale and is the fourth piece to be premiered by the choir through its “LA Is the World” initiative, launched in 2007. The concert also features an array of traditional and arranged Korean songs.

Among its seasonal offerings are two performances of the Chorale’s eminently popular Messiah Sing-Along, for which the choir takes the night off and the audience sings the chorus parts, as well as Holiday Wonders, with its engaging repertory of favorite Christmas carols and family-friendly ticket prices. The annual Rejoice! concert features the Chorale (not the audience!) performing Mozart’s full-length arrangement of Handel’s Messiah, which Mozart embellished with French horns, flutes, clarinets and an expanded string section to create a full sensuous sound.

The Los Angeles Master Chorale also opens the doors of Disney Hall to the public free-of-charge for its 22nd Annual High School Choir Festival. Serving as a vital force in training the next generation of singers and music lovers, the comprehensive yearlong in-school program culminates with a performance conducted by Gershon of 1,000 high school students from more than two-dozen Southland high schools.

The Chorale continues to present “Listen Up!,” a series of lively pre-concert conversations providing insight into the evening’s program, with KUSC’s Alan Chapman and Gershon.

 

Season Detailed

Rachmaninoff’s All-Night Vigil and Post-Concert Gala Honoring Music Director Grant Gershon Launch 47th Season on September 26, 2010

The Los Angeles Master Chorale opens its 2010|11 season with Rachmaninoff’s All-Night Vigil, one of the most beautiful a cappella pieces in the choral literature, on Sunday, September 26, 2010, 7:00 p.m., at Disney Hall. Music Director Grant Gershon begins his 10th anniversary season at the choir’s helm conducting the Russian composer’s 70-minute masterpiece, considered the crowning achievement of the “Golden Age” of Russian Orthodox sacred choral music. The sole work on the program, it is a magnificent showcase for the choir’s 110 singers. Gershon himself then takes center stage when he is honored at a joyous post-concert gala, held in BP Hall and sponsored by The Bank of New York Mellon.

Though the Rachmaninoff piece is rarely performed, Gershon first conducted it with the Chorale in November 2006, elevating it with the choir’s ethereal sound and Disney Hall’s sparkling acoustics. Critics raved about the performance with the Los Angeles Times proclaiming, “Gershon and the chorale met the formidable challenges of this kaleidoscopically colored music with a stunning immediacy and a fluid response to the texts. Moving securely through the treacherous shifts in pitch (this feat alone would justify the huge applause at the end of the work), the chorale blended beautifully in layers of sound that sometimes moved at different speeds and always deepened or expanded the listener's response.”

In the All-Night Vigil, composed in 1915, Rachmaninoff used as his only instrument the human voice to capture the epic grandeur of humanity’s relationship with its Creator. His astonishing music lifts the spirit through lofty expressiveness and captivates with its sheer beauty. Based on medieval chants and Russian Orthodox liturgy, the piece uses “choral orchestration” to create layers of lush sound, waves of dynamics and a vast range of choral color and sonic textures to capture the essence of these ancient prayers. The Vigil premiered in Moscow on the eve of World War I, two years before the 1917 October Revolution that sent the great Russian composer fleeing to the United States where he spent his last years in Beverly Hills. Although Rachmaninoff composed few choral works, his masterful Vigil, using a living, breathing instrument – the human choir – to bring this quintessentially Russian piece to life, remains a pinnacle in choral literature.

 

French Connections: All-French A Cappella Program Captures Subtleties of Country’s

Unique Musical Legacy November 7, 2010 With this intimate all-French a cappella program on Sunday, November 7, 2010, 7:00 p.m., Gershon taps into his extensive international conducting experience bringing to Walt Disney Concert Hall the musical subtleties of France, where he worked with top musicians in the country’s leading opera houses and festivals for several years before assuming his post at the LA Master Chorale.

The concert features seldom-performed works spanning the Renaissance to the 20th Century, including Duruflé’s lush Four Motets on Gregorian Themes (among them the beloved Ubi Caritas), Josquin’s Missa Beata Virgine, 16th Century French chansons by prolific Renaissance composer Janequin, and Trois Chansons by Ravel, one of only two pieces for which Ravel himself wrote the text.

 

Messiah Sing-Along Turns 30!

Three generations of Angelenos have grown up celebrating the holidays at the Los Angeles Master Chorale’s annual Messiah Sing-Along, and this season marks the big three-o for the crowd-pleasing holiday tradition. To mark the milestone, Gershon conducts two performances of Handel’s masterpiece at Disney Hall Sunday, December 5, 2010, 7:00 p.m., with a second date to be announced. Gershon may even ask the audience to sing Happy Birthday to the Sing-Along, which LA Weekly calls “a holiday bestseller.”

Each Sing-Along performance features a different quartet of professional singers from the Chorale singing the solo roles. The audience itself sings the chorus parts, filling the landmark venue with its exuberant and robust sound. Scores are available for sale at the door.

“If anyone has yet to experience the Messiah Sing-Along,” notes Gershon, “this is the year to jump in and be a part of the musical magic. You can’t help but feel the holiday spirit when you’re literally surrounded by 2,100 people joined together in song. It puts a whole new spin on one’s sense of community.”

 

Chorale Lights Up Season with Holiday Wonders December 11, 2010

Holiday Wonders, the Master Chorale’s joyous Christmas program, captures the essence of the season on Saturday, December 11, 2010, 2:30 p.m., at Disney Hall. Organist John West gives Disney Hall’s iconic organ a workout as he accompanies the choir in a range of favorite carols and singalongs, including O Come All Ye Faithful, Silent Night, and Angels We Have Heard on High. Tickets for children 6-12 are discounted in all sections. (Children under six not admitted.) Holiday Wonders is made possible, in part, by a grant from The Bank of America Charitable Foundation.

 

Mozart Arrangement of Handel’s Messiah Resonates at Rejoice! Sunday, December 12, 2010

The Los Angeles Master Chorale showcases its superlative artistry with a rare performance of Handel-Mozart Messiah, conducted by Gershon Sunday, December 12, 2010, 7:00 p.m. A monumental choral and orchestral tour de force, Mozart’s full-length symphonic reinterpretation of Handel’s Baroque masterpiece presents the popular work in a whole new light. Mozart embellished it with French horns, flutes, clarinets and an expanded string section, creating a full sensuous sound.

Grant and the Chorale first performed this version of the Messiah in two joint concerts with Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra in April 2003 – about a year into Grant’s tenure with the Chorale – at Royce Hall and the Alex Theatre. This performance is of particular significance because it marks the work’s Disney Hall debut.

 

London Bridges: Chorale Illuminates England’s Rich Choral Tradition January 30, 2011

The LA Master Chorale explores England’s grand choral tradition through the ages with an all-British program conducted by Gershon on Sunday, January 30, 2011, 7:00 p.m., at Disney Hall.

“No other country has such a rich choral heritage,” states Gershon, a self-professed “choral geek” from a young age who was drawn, in particular, to British choral works as a high school student. “Resonant sound, rich harmonic elements and overtones are among the music’s hallmarks. The English were the first to embrace major and minor chords and thirds, giving tremendous dimension and emotional range to their early musical compositions.”

Repertory includes Tavener’s hauntingly beautiful Song for Athene, heard during Princess Diana’s funeral and first performed by the Chorale at Disney Hall in January 2005. Known as the Dean of Mysticism, John Tavener – who draws from Elizabethan, Middle-Eastern and New Age influences – is a leading figure in the world of 20th-century British music. Elizabethan composer William Byrd’s Four-Part Mass in D provides a musical contrast, as do Britten’s Missa Brevis, his Hymn to St. Cecilia and Vaughan Williams’ Five English Folk Songs.

 

Stories from Korea: Korean-Themed Program Includes World Premiere of Mark Grey Piece with Renowned Violinist Jennifer Koh March 6, 2011

Acclaimed violinist Jennifer Koh joins Gershon and the Chorale to perform the world premiere of a piece by Mark Grey, named one of the Los Angeles Times “2008 Faces to Watch,” Sunday, March 6, 2011, 7:00 p.m., at Disney Hall. With text based on the extraordinary verses of Korean poet and engineer Im Hoon Jae and other sources, Mugunghwa: Rose of Sharon was commissioned by the Chorale and is the fourth piece to be premiered by the choir as part of its “LA Is the World” initiative, which was launched in 2007. This installment begins phase two of the initiative, conceived by Gershon as a collaboration among composers, master musicians and the choir to expand the choral literature with works that mirror LA’s vibrant multi-cultural fabric. Also on the program is an array of traditional and arranged Korean songs. Mugunghwa: Rose of Sharon is supported by a grant from The James Irvine Foundation.

“Mark Grey is a composer for whom I have tremendous admiration,” notes Gershon. “This work is particularly exciting from the Chorale’s standpoint because it reflects the Korean culture, which greatly values choral singing.”

Grey eloquently describes the genesis of the piece: “When Jennifer Koh approached me to conceptualize a work for solo violin, chorus and chamber ensemble I welcomed the challenge, partly due to there being very little repertoire written in this unique setting. Jennifer, a Korean-American, and I both decided that a story that celebrates the Korean people should be the subject of the work. In Mugunghwa, meaning Rose of Sharon, the symbolic role of the solo violin represents a Korean shaman – traditionally a woman who links the spirit world with human beings. Here, the violin is performing a non-traditional rite connecting one man's spiritual path with the reunification of his family, people, homeland, and deceased father. The chorus paints a wondrous landscape with Im Hoon Jae's beautiful and turbulent poetry. Soaring and vibrant choral passages mix with deeply sonorous and dense textures to weave the touching story of loss and hope. When the solo violin and ensemble perform together they channel the voice of Jae's father. Jae, who fled a North Korean prison at the outbreak of the Korean War, never saw his father again. Though not directly quoting traditional Korean music, Mugunghwa does amalgamate hints of the country's cherished traditional music and song with western art music to help create a colorful and distinctive sonic world.

“Mugunghwa is a celebration of the Korean people. Through the poetry and letters of one North Korean man's story, we experience a lifelong journey to reconnect with his family and the yearning for a unified country. Escaping prison in the North during the outbreak of the Korean War, and relocating a world away, Im Hoon Jae finds himself lost without the family he left behind, as experienced by so many millions of Koreans still living today with a divided country. Here, we unite the beauty of words and music to color a Utopian world where boundaries vanish and war is forgotten.”

Violinist Jennifer Koh, who appeared with the Chorale for a critically acclaimed performance of Tan Dun’s Water Passion After Saint Matthew in March 2005, mesmerizes audiences with the sheer intensity of her playing. As a virtuoso whose natural flair is matched by a probing intellect, Koh is committed to exploring connections between the pieces she plays, searching for similarities of voice between different composers, as well as within the works of a single composer. Since she came to international attention in 1994 as winner of the top prize at the Tchaikovsky Competition, Koh has gone on to perform as guest soloist with many of the world’s leading orchestras, including the Chicago Symphony, New York Philharmonic, Cleveland Orchestra, St. Louis Symphony, National Symphony of Washington, D.C., the Kirov Orchestra of the Mariinsky Theatre, the Moscow Radio Symphony, and the Helsinki and Czech Philharmonics. A prolific recitalist, Koh appears frequently at major music centers and festivals including Carnegie Hall, The Kennedy Center, The Kimmel Center in Philadelphia, Marlboro, Wolf Trap, Spoleto, and The Festival International de Lanaudiere in Canada. She regularly records for the American Cedille label and her most recently released recording “String Poetic” was nominated for a Grammy in 2009. Born in Chicago of Korean parents, Koh currently resides in New York City. She is a graduate of Oberlin College and an alumna of the Curtis Institute, where she worked extensively with Jaime Laredo and Felix Galimir.

 

Haydn’s Resplendent The Creation to Reverberate in Disney Hall April 10, 2011

Gershon conducts Joseph Haydn’s monumental The Creation Sunday, April 10, 2011, 7:00 p.m., at Walt Disney Concert Hall. Completed in 1798 near the end of Haydn’s creative life, the masterful oratorio, ripe with optimism and considered by many to be his crowning achievement, weaves text from Genesis, Psalms and John Milton’s epic Paradise Lost to depict the creation of the world as portrayed in the book of Genesis. It reflects the composer’s abiding faith and awe of nature. Written in three parts, the first is devoted to the elements, the second to animals and mankind, and the third to an earthly paradise. The cast includes soprano Gillian Keith as Archangel Gabriel and Eve; and bass-baritone Sanford Sylvan as Archangel Raphael and Adam; four-part mixed chorus and orchestra. (Tenor singing the role of Archangel Urie to be announced.)

This marks the second time the Chorale has performed the piece at Disney Hall. The first was in November 2003 with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, led by Esa-Pekka Salonen, for one of the historic inaugural concerts heralding the opening of the celebrated venue.

 

Chorale Concludes 47th Season with Best of Ellington’s Sacred Concerts May 22, 2011

To conclude the choir’s 47th Season and Gershon’s 10th Anniversary Season, the Maestro and Chorale once again spotlight the musical genius and the deeply spiritual side of jazz legend Duke Ellington with highlights from his legendary Sacred Concerts Sunday, May 22, 2011, 7:00 p.m., at Walt Disney Concert Hall. Gershon shares the podium with James Newton, conducting many of the compositions, including Come Sunday, that Ellington originally assembled into a series of three legendary concerts – unifying jazz and devotion – beginning with a 1965 performance in San Francisco’s Grace Cathedral. Several stellar guest artists join the “jazz party” to help the Chorale culminate a season devoted to Gershon and his ultimate choral “playlist.”

Gershon and Newton first teamed up in March 2004 to present 10 of Ellington’s sacred compositions. “James has become one of my dearest friends and most cherished musical collaborators,” says Gershon, a versatile pianist who put himself through USC by playing jazz gigs. “We’re both so passionate about this music of Ellington’s, which remains largely unknown 40 years after it was debuted but is clearly a high point in Ellington’s career.”

Ellington’s bold fusion of jazz and church – complete with chorus, gospel singers, jazz band and dancers – was written during the last decade of his life, between 1965 and 1973. Using the language of music, he eloquently sermonized on the subjects of personal freedom, spirituality and communication with God. Ellington stated, “This music is the most important thing I’ve ever done or am likely to do.”

Gershon is especially interested in the pieces that feature the choir prominently. “It’s so different from a typical classical concert where a single large piece, like a mass, is set in stone,” he explains. “Ellington himself freely mixed and matched works from all three of his Sacred Concerts. On any given night, Duke would go out with his band and call tunes on the spot.”

As a boy, Ellington attended church every Sunday and was deeply religious but, with the exception of an occasional religious theme in his music, he kept his beliefs to himself until 1965, when he was commissioned to write a liturgical work to be performed during the year-long consecration celebration of San Francisco’s new Episcopal landmark, the Grace Cathedral. The resulting composition, the first of his Sacred Concerts, a compilation of earlier pieces that he reworked, would go on to win a Grammy Award in 1966 for best original jazz composition. Downbeat magazine gave Ellington’s 1969 two-LP recording of Sacred Concerts “all the stars in God’s heavens.” His second Sacred Concert collection, written some three years after the first, was comprised of newly composed music, and the final collection, the third Sacred Concert written the year before his death, is considered the most intimate of the three collections.

“The Sacred Concerts,” says Gershon, “are one part gospel, two parts straight-ahead Elllington big band, another part eclectic influences from classical, spiritual and African styles.”

 

Special Event

22nd Annual High School Choir Festival Set for April 15, 2011

The Chorale opens the doors of the Walt Disney Concert Hall to the city free-of-charge for its 22nd Annual Los Angeles Master Chorale High School Choir Festival on April 15, 2011. One of the largest high school choir festivals in the nation, it showcases the remarkable vocal talents of more than 1,000 high school students from some two dozen Southland schools in a massive choir conducted by Grant Gershon. The community is welcome to enjoy the vitality and power of these young voices raised in song in the splendid setting of Disney Hall.

 

Ticket Information
For further information about the Los Angeles Master Chorale’s 2010|11 season at the Walt Disney Concert Hall, please call (213) 972-7282, or log on to www.lamc.org.

(Program and artists subject to change.)

01/23/10