Sunday, September 26, 2010, 7:00 p.m., at Walt Disney Concert Hall

Concert Features Rachmaninoff’s Crowning A Cappella Masterpiece All-Night Vigil;

Post-Concert Gala – “Bravo, Grant!” – Pulls out the Stops to Fete Legendary Choral Figure

Cheers of “Bravo, Grant!” are sure to fill the soaring Walt Disney Concert Hall when the Los Angeles Master Chorale celebrates the 10th Anniversary of its acclaimed and beloved Maestro, Grant Gershon, at its 2010|11 season opening concert and post-concert gala extravaganza on Sunday, September 26, 2010, 7 p.m., in the landmark venue. The spotlight will focus on Gershon the entire night, which begins with him conducting Rachmaninoff’s All-Night Vigil, one of the most beautiful a cappella pieces in the choral literature and the sole work on the program. The Russian composer’s 70-minute masterpiece is considered the crowning achievement of the “Golden Age” of Russian Orthodox sacred choral music and is a magnificent showcase for the choir’s 110 singers. The festivities conclude with “Bravo, Grant!”, a spectacular black-tie-optional gala in BP Hall honoring Gershon for his unparalleled work with the Chorale. The concert is part of Daniel Pearl World Music Days, using music to promote tolerance and humanity.

Though Rachmaninoff’s 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. Gershon personally selected the work to open the 2010|11 ten-concert season, which features some of the most compelling musical highlights of his tenure. He describes the piece, composed in 1915, as “a symphony for a cappella voices – the singers are like cellos, flutes, French horns and bells, creating a tapestry of pure vocal harmony.” Rachmaninoff’s astonishing music captivates with its sheer beauty and lofty expressiveness. 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 final 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.

The celebration of Gershon’s remarkable music legacy is the focus of the joyous black-tie optional gala, “Bravo, Grant!” The two-part celebration begins with pre-concert al fresco cocktails and hors d'oeuvres at 6 pm in the beautiful Disney Hall garden. Following the concert, the gala kicks into high gear – guests will enjoy dinner, dancing and the Chorale's signature Surround-Sing, in which singers encircle the room and perform selected works, creating a powerful and moving musical experience. Gershon will be showered with tributes both musical and spoken from such luminaries as composer/pianist Ricky Ian Gordon, opera star Suzanna Guzmán, his wife, celebrated soprano Elissa Johnston, and the Los Angeles Children’s Chorus. BNY Mellon is sponsoring the gala for the 18th consecutive year.

“The Los Angeles Master Chorale concerts during the past nine seasons, under the leadership of Music Director Grant Gershon, have been utterly transformative experiences,” says LAMC President/Gala Chair Mark Foster. “The extraordinarily high level of music making, the range of repertoire, and the wonderful adventures we’ve taken with Grant and the Chorale are simply unforgettable. Now, we have the opportunity to thank Grant for all of this and more.”

Foster further notes, “Grant’s 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 nine 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.”

Joyce and Kent Kresa are Honorary Gala Chairs. Gregory J. Annick and Nancy McAniff Annick, and Kiki and David Gindler are Patron Chairs. The Gala Committee includes Sue Bienkowski and Wang Lee, Kathy and Terry Dooley, H. Richard Cullen and Robert G. Finnerty, Alicia G. and Edward Clark, Lenore and Bernard Greenberg, Carol and Warner Henry, Weta and Allen Mathies, Judith and Clifford Miller, Helen Pashgian, Fred Ruopp, Carolyn and Scott Sanford, Michele and Russell Spoto, and Philip A. Swan.

Concert tickets to range from $19 to $124. Student Rush seats are $10 and are available at the box office two hours before the performance. Gala tickets are $500 per person (concert ticket not included). For tickets and information, please call (213) 972-7282, or visit www.lamc.org. (Tickets can no longer be purchased at the Walt Disney Concert Hall Box Office except on concert days starting 2 hours prior to the performance.) The Walt Disney Concert Hall is located at 111 South Grand Avenue at First Street in downtown Los Angeles.

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ABOUT THE ARTISTS

Giving a voice to Walt Disney Concert Hall, the Grammy-nominated LOS ANGELES MASTER CHORALE (LAMC), considered one of the world’s leading choirs, is led by Music Director Grant Gershon. The Los Angeles Times proclaims, “Under Gershon, the Master Chorale seems to be able to master anything,” The New York Times calls the choir “inspired,” and The New York Observer declares it “a superb vocal ensemble.” The Chorale is currently in its 47th season as a resident company of the Music Center of Los Angeles County and its 8th as the resident chorus at Disney Hall. Presenting its own concert series each season, it has performed more than 480 concerts, featuring choral music from the earliest writings to the most recent contemporary compositions. The choir has commissioned 25 and premiered 63 new works, of which 41 were world premieres, and has been awarded the ASCAP/Chorus America Award for Adventurous Programming three times – in 1995, 2003 and 2010. Additionally, the Chorale has performed in more than 280 concerts with the Los Angeles Philharmonic at both Disney Hall and the Hollywood Bowl and has also appeared at the Ojai Festival, the Great Performers series at Lincoln Center, and at Overture Center in Madison, Wisconsin, as well as in leading venues throughout the Southland. Its discography includes three CDs under Gershon’s baton, including Daniel Variations by Steve Reich, released in spring 2008 on Nonesuch Records, You Are (Variations) by Steve Reich, released in September 2005 on Nonesuch Records, and an RCM recording featuring Esa-Pekka Salonen’s first choral work, Two Songs to Poems of Ann Jäderlund, and Philip Glass’ Itaipu. In June 2010, Gershon conducted recording sessions at Disney Hall for his fourth CD with the choir, which will be an all-Nico Muhly album to be released by Decca later this season. LAMC previously released three CDs under Music Director Emeritus Paul Salamunovich on RCM, including the Grammy-nominated Lauridsen-Lux Aeterna. The Chorale is also featured with Gershon on the soundtracks of such major motion pictures as Charlie Wilson’s War, Lady in the Water, License to Wed, and Waterworld. Serving more than 40,000 audience members of all ages annually, the Los Angeles Master Chorale also provides education outreach to approximately 6,000 children each year. In 2008, the Chorale’s highly successful outreach program “Voices Within” earned the coveted Chorus America Education Outreach Award.

GRANT GERSHON, who was named Music Director of the Los Angeles Master Chorale in 2001 and also serves as LA Opera Associate Conductor/Chorus Master, has garnered tremendous critical acclaim. The Los Angeles Times proclaims that the Chorale "has become the most exciting chorus in the country under Grant Gershon." During his tenure with the Chorale he has led over 75 performances at the Walt Disney Concert Hall, including virtually all of the major choral works. Also well known as a champion of new music, Gershon has led world premiere performances of works by John Adams, Louis Andriessen, Christopher Rouse, Steve Reich, and Chinary Ung among many others. His discography includes two Grammy Award-nominated recordings: Sweeney Todd (New York Philharmonic Special Editions) and Ligeti’s Grand Macabre (Sony Classical); as well as four CDs with the Chorale: Glass-Salonen (RCM), You Are (Variations) (Nonesuch), Daniel Variations (Nonesuch), and A Good Understanding (Decca), which the Chorale recorded in Disney Hall in June for release later this season. In New York he has appeared on the Great Performers series at Lincoln Center and on the Making Music series at Zankel Hall. Other major appearances include performances at the Ravinia, Aspen, Edinburgh, Helsinki and Vienna Festivals. He has worked closely with many leading conductors, including Claudio Abbado, Pierre Boulez, Gustavo Dudamel, Lorin Maazel, Zubin Mehta, Simon Rattle and Esa-Pekka Salonen. In 2007, Gershon conducted the Minnesota Opera’s world premiere of Ricky Ian Gordon’s opera The Grapes of Wrath, which was recorded live for PS Classics. In 2008, he made his highly acclaimed Los Angeles Opera debut leading eight performances of Verdi’s La Traviata. In September 2010, Gershon will lead the world premiere performances at L.A. Opera of Daniel Catán’s Il Postino featuring Plácido Domingo, and he will make his Santa Fe Opera debut in 2011, conducting Peter Sellars’ new production of Vivaldi’s Griselda. Gershon was recently named Outstanding Alumnus of the USC Thornton School of Music and is a member of the Board of Advisors for the Thornton School and the Board of Directors of Chorus America.

Artists, program and ticket prices subject to change.

08/26/10