Los Angeles Master Chorale receives ASCAP / Chorus America Adventurous Programming Award

The Los Angeles Master Chorale received the prestigious ASCAP/Chorus America Adventurous Programming Award in recognition of its 2001–02 season programming and its commitment to music written within the last 25 years. The award was presented at Chorus America’s national conference on June 6, 2003 in Kansas City.

“We are extremely proud of this national recognition. It’s a great tribute to Music Director Grant Gershon and his vision for the Chorale,” said Mark Foster, president of the Los Angeles Master Chorale. “Given that 2001-02 was his first season as Music Director, this is truly an incredible honor. In his relatively brief time on the job, he has expanded the Chorale’s repertoire considerably. On another level, the award, which confirms the Chorale’s reputation as a pacesetter among its peers, is also a tribute to the Chorale’s Board of Directors and its staff for their commitment to securing the resources necessary to make Grant’s vision a reality.”

Among the many highlights of the Chorale’s 2001-02 season, Gershon conducted the world premiere of Donald Crockett’s Broken Charms as well as the much-anticipated U.S. premiere of Esa-Pekka Salonen’s first choral piece, a seductive a cappella work entitled Two Songs to Poems of Ann J¹derlund — based on love poems by Ann J¹derlund, Sweden’s leading living poet. Other contemporary works included Philip Glass’ striking and hypnotic Itaipu, written in 1989 on a commission from Robert Shaw, and György Ligeti’s Lux Aeterna, a work featured in the soundtrack of the now-classic motion picture 2001: A Space Odyssey. The Chorale also performed Henryk Gorecki’s Miserere, written in 1981 in support of Poland’s budding Solidarity Movement, and the Suite de Lorca by renowned Finnish composer Einojuhani Rautavaara, based on the Spanish poetry of Federico Garcia Lorca. Gershon and the Chorale subsequently recorded both the Salonen and Glass works on a critically acclaimed CD that was released in September 2002.

Gershon, who enjoys close professional relationships with many of the leading composers of our time, says, ”We are in the midst of a staggering renaissance of great composers writing choral music. We are committed to performing their works, as well as to commissioning.”

The Grammy-Award nominated Los Angeles Master Chorale is considered one of the best symphonic choruses in the country. It has been cited as a national leader for its innovative and dynamic programming and its commitment to commissioning new works, which demand of its singers tremendous skill and flexibility. Gershon — described by critics as “visionary”— launched the Chorale into a new tier of musical importance during his inaugural season with his gifted leadership and unique artistic sensibilities. The Los Angeles Times states, ”This will be an ensemble to watch.”

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