The Los Angeles Master Chorale is a professional

chorus Chorus may refer to: Music * Chorus (song) or refrain, line or lines that are repeated in music or in verse * Chorus effect, the perception of similar sounds from multiple sources as a single, richer sound * Chorus form, song in which all verse ...

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...

, and one of the resident companies of both The Music Center and

Walt Disney Concert Hall The Walt Disney Concert Hall at 111 South Grand Avenue in downtown Los Angeles, California, is the fourth hall of the Los Angeles Music Center and was designed by Frank Gehry. It was opened on October 24, 2003. Bounded by Hope Street, Grand Ave ...

in Los Angeles. It was founded in 1964 by

Roger Wagner Roger Wagner, KCSG (January 16, 1914 – September 17, 1992) was an American choral musician, administrator and educator. He founded the Roger Wagner Chorale, which became one of America's premier vocal ensembles. Early life Wagner was born in ...

to be one of the three original resident companies of the

Music Center of Los Angeles County The Music Center (officially named the Performing Arts Center of Los Angeles County) is one of the largest performing arts centers in the United States. Located in downtown Los Angeles, The Music Center is composed of the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion ...

. Grant Gershon has been its music director since 2001, replacing Paul Salamunovich. The Master Chorale performs about ten times per year in its own season. It has presented more than 450 concerts, including early choral music to contemporary compositions. Noted for presenting numerous world, U.S. and West Coast premieres, the chorus has commissioned 24 and premiered 40 new works. The Master Chorale regularly performs with the

Los Angeles Philharmonic The Los Angeles Philharmonic, commonly referred to as the LA Phil, is an American orchestra based in Los Angeles, California. It has a regular season of concerts from October through June at the Walt Disney Concert Hall, and a summer season at th ...

and the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, both at the Music Center and at the Hollywood Bowl, with such leading conductors as

Gustavo Dudamel Gustavo Adolfo Dudamel Ramírez (born 26 January 1981) is a Venezuelan conductor and violinist who is the music director of the Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and the Paris Opera. Early life Dudamel was ...

Esa-Pekka Salonen Esa-Pekka Salonen (; born 30 June 1958) is a Finnish orchestral conductor and composer. He is principal conductor and artistic advisor of the Philharmonia Orchestra in London, conductor laureate of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and music di ...

Zubin Mehta Zubin Mehta (born 29 April 1936) is an Indian conductor of Western classical music. He is music director emeritus of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra (IPO) and conductor emeritus of the Los Angeles Philharmonic. Mehta's father was the fou ...

André Previn André George Previn (; born Andreas Ludwig Priwin; April 6, 1929 – February 28, 2019) was a German-American pianist, composer, and conductor. His career had three major genres: Hollywood films, jazz, and classical music. In each he achieved ...

Pierre Boulez Pierre Louis Joseph Boulez (; 26 March 1925 – 5 January 2016) was a French composer, conductor and writer, and the founder of several musical institutions. He was one of the dominant figures of post-war Western classical music. Born in Mo ...

, Michael Tilson Thomas and

Roger Norrington Sir Roger Arthur Carver Norrington (born 16 March 1934) is an English conductor. He is known for historically informed performances of Baroque, Classical and Romantic music. In November 2021 Norrington announced his retirement. Life Norr ...

, among many others. Notable guest conductors have included Robert Shaw,

Helmuth Rilling Helmuth Rilling (born 29 May 1933) is a German choral conductor and an academic teacher. He is the founder of the Gächinger Kantorei (1954), the Bach-Collegium Stuttgart (1965), the Oregon Bach Festival (1970), the Internationale Bachakademie ...

, Margaret Hillis, Robert Page and

Richard Westenburg Richard Westenburg (April 26, 1932, Minneapolis – February 20, 2008, Norwalk, Connecticut) was a lauded American choral conductor. He notably founded the Musica Sacra Chorus and Orchestra in 1964, serving as its director until 2007 when Kent ...

. It served as the chorus for

Los Angeles Opera The Los Angeles Opera is an American opera company in Los Angeles, California. It is the fourth-largest opera company in the United States. The company's home base is the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, part of the Los Angeles Music Center. Leader ...

during that organization's early years before it had established its own in-house chorus. It also performs in community concerts throughout Southern California. The Chorale originally performed at the

Dorothy Chandler Pavilion The Dorothy Chandler Pavilion is one of the halls in the Los Angeles Music Center, which is one of the largest performing arts centers in the United States. The Music Center's other halls include the Mark Taper Forum, Ahmanson Theatre, and Walt ...

, but since 2003 the group's principal concert venue has been

Morten Lauridsen Morten Johannes Lauridsen (born February 27, 1943) is an American composer. A National Medal of Arts recipient (2007), he was composer-in-residence of the Los Angeles Master Chorale from 1994 to 2001, and is the Distinguished Professor Emeritus o ...

was its composer-in-residence from 1994 through 2001.

Leadership

Executive leadership

* Jean Davidson, President & CEO, 2015–present * Terry Knowles, President & CEO, 2011–2015 * Terry Knowles, Executive Director, 2000-2011

Artistic leadership

* Grant Gershon, Kiki & David Gindler Artistic Director, 2012–present * Grant Gershon, Music Director, 2001–2012 * Paul Salamunovich, 1991–2001 * John Currie, 1986–1991 *

, 1964–1986

Artists-in-Residence

Eric Whitacre Eric Edward Whitacre (born January2, 1970) is an American composer, conductor, and speaker best known for his choral music. In March2016, he was appointed as Los Angeles Master Chorale's first artist-in-residence at the Walt Disney Concert Hall ...

, 2016~ *

Shawn Kirchner Shawn may refer to: *Shawn (given name) *Shawn (surname) See also * Sean * Shaun Shaun is an anglicized spelling of the Irish name Seán. Alternative spellings include Shawn, Sean and Shawne. Notable persons with the given name include: Peo ...

* Reena Esmail

Officers of the Board

* Philip A. Swan, Chair * Jean Davidson, President & CEO * Dr. Annette Ermshar, Vice Chair * Cheryl Petersen, Vice Chair * David Gindler, Treasurer * Alex G. Romain, Assistant Treasurer * Courtland Palmer, Secretary

Productions

''Lagrime di San Pietro''

Composed by Orlando di Lasso, conducted by Grant Gershon, and directed by Peter Sellars, ''Lagrime di San Pietro'' (The Tears of St. Peter) is an a cappella Renaissance masterpiece set to the poetry of Luigi Tansillo (1510–1568). Debuting in 2016, singers from the Los Angeles Master Chorale transform this 75-minute work into an emotional performance piece centered around the Apostle Peter accepting responsibility and the seven stages of grief that he experienced after disavowing his knowledge of Jesus on the day he was arrested. Since its debut, ''Lagrime'' has toured internationally and been presented at the Melbourne International Arts Festival, Palacio de Bellas Artes, Cal Performances, The Barbican Center, and Cité de la Musique among others. In July 2019, ''Lagrime di San Pietro'' had the prestigious honor of performing the opening concerts that season's Salzburg Festival in Austria.

Recordings

With music directors conducting

The Master Chorale has released the following recordings under Grant Gershon: *''Miserere'' by

Henryk Górecki Henryk Mikołaj Górecki ( , ; 6 December 1933 – 12 November 2010) was a Polish composer of contemporary classical music. According to critic Alex Ross, no recent classical composer has had as much commercial success as Górecki. He became a ...

(Decca) *''A Good Understanding'' by Nico Muhly (Decca) *''Daniel Variations'' by

Steve Reich Stephen Michael Reich ( ; born October 3, 1936) is an American composer known for his contribution to the development of minimal music in the mid to late 1960s. Reich's work is marked by its use of repetitive figures, slow harmonic rhythm, ...

(

Nonesuch Records Nonesuch Records is an American record company and label owned by Warner Music Group, distributed by Warner Records (formerly called Warner Bros. Records), and based in New York City. Founded by Jac Holzman in 1964 as a budget classical label, No ...

) *''You Are (Variations)'' by

(

) *

Philip Glass Philip Glass (born January 31, 1937) is an American composer and pianist. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential composers of the late 20th century. Glass's work has been associated with minimalism, being built up from repetitive ...

’ '' Itaipu'' and the world premiere recording of ''Two Songs to Poems of Ann Jäderlund'' by

(RCM) * 50th Season Celebration Concert * Festival of Carols * David Lang: ''The National Anthems'' and ''The Little Matchstick Girl Passion'' The Master Chorale released three CDs under the baton of Paul Salamunovich: * The

Grammy The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...

-nominated ''Lux Aeterna'' by

(also featuring other Lauridsen works: ''Les Chansons des Roses'', ''Ave Maria'', ''Mid-Winter Songs'', and ''O Magnum Mysterium'') (RCM) * Dominic Argento's ''Te Deum'' and ''Missa "Cum Jubilo"'' by

Maurice Duruflé Maurice Gustave Duruflé (; 11 January 1902 – 16 June 1986) was a French composer, organist, musicologist, and teacher. Life and career Duruflé was born in Louviers, Eure in 1902. He became a chorister at the Rouen Cathedral Choir School fr ...

(with

Rodney Gilfry Rodney Gilfry is a leading American operatic baritone. After launching his career at Frankfurt Opera in 1987, Gilfry quickly established a reputation for stylish singing and acting. A renowned Mozart specialist, he has given acclaimed performanc ...

as baritone soloist and Frederick Swann on organ (RCM)) * ''Christmas'', a collection of songs (RCM)

With the Los Angeles Philharmonic

, music director ** Mahler: Symphony No. 3,

conducting (London) ** Holst: ''The Planets'',

conducting (London) **

Verdi Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi (; 9 or 10 October 1813 – 27 January 1901) was an Italian composer best known for his operas. He was born near Busseto to a provincial family of moderate means, receiving a musical education with the ...

: Quattro pezzi sacri (Four Sacred Pieces),

conducting (London) **

: ''Falstaff'',

Carlo Maria Giulini Carlo Maria Giulini (; 9 May 1914 – 14 June 2005) was an Italian conductor. From the age of five, when he began to play the violin, Giulini's musical education was expanded when he began to study at Italy's foremost conservatory, the Conserva ...

conducting (

Deutsche Grammophon Deutsche Grammophon (; DGG) is a German classical music record label that was the precursor of the corporation PolyGram. Headquartered in Berlin Friedrichshain, it is now part of Universal Music Group (UMG) since its merger with the UMG family of ...

) **

: Messa da Requiem,

conducting, Gwyneth Jones, soprano;

Grace Bumbry Grace Melzia Bumbry (born January 4, 1937), an American opera singer, is considered one of the leading mezzo-sopranos of her generation, as well as a major soprano earlier in her career. She is a member of a pioneering generation of African-Ameri ...

, mezzo-soprano;

Franco Corelli Franco Corelli (8 April 1921 – 29 October 2003) was an Italian tenor who had a major international opera career between 1951 and 1976. Associated in particular with the spinto and dramatic tenor roles of the Italian repertory, he was cel ...

, tenor; Ezio Flagello, baritone (Myto Records) ** Donizetti: Messa di Requiem,

Leonard Bernstein Leonard Bernstein ( ; August 25, 1918 – October 14, 1990) was an American conductor, composer, pianist, music educator, author, and humanitarian. Considered to be one of the most important conductors of his time, he was the first America ...

conducting; Katia Ricciarelli, soprano;

Agnes Baltsa Agni Baltsa ( el, Aγνή Mπάλτσα; also known as Agnes Baltsa; born 19 November 1944) is a leading Greek mezzo-soprano singer. Baltsa was born in Lefkada. She began playing piano at the age of six, before moving to Athens in 1958 to conce ...

, mezzo-soprano;

Plácido Domingo José Plácido Domingo Embil (born 21 January 1941) is a Spanish opera singer, conductor, and arts administrator. He has recorded over a hundred complete operas and is well known for his versatility, regularly performing in Italian, French ...

, tenor; Samuel Ramey, bass; Robert Lloyd, bass (Deutsche Grammophon) *John Currie, music director **

Prokofiev Sergei Sergeyevich Prokofiev; alternative transliterations of his name include ''Sergey'' or ''Serge'', and ''Prokofief'', ''Prokofieff'', or ''Prokofyev''., group=n (27 April .S. 15 April1891 – 5 March 1953) was a Russian composer, p ...

: ''

Alexander Nevsky Alexander Yaroslavich Nevsky (russian: Александр Ярославич Невский; ; 13 May 1221 – 14 November 1263) served as Prince of Novgorod (1236–40, 1241–56 and 1258–1259), Grand Prince of Kiev (1236–52) and Gran ...

'',

conducting (Telarc) * Paul Salamunovich, music director **

Debussy (Achille) Claude Debussy (; 22 August 1862 – 25 March 1918) was a French composer. He is sometimes seen as the first Impressionism in music, Impressionist composer, although he vigorously rejected the term. He was among the most infl ...

: '' Trois nocturnes'' and '' La Damoiselle élue'',

conducting (Sony Classics) ** Mahler: Symphony No. 3, Esa-Pekka Salonen conducting (Sony Classics) * Grant Gershon, music director ** Shostakovich (orchestration by

Gerard McBurney Gerard McBurney (born 20 June 1954) is a British composer, arranger, broadcaster, teacher and writer. Life Born in Cambridge, England, he is the son of Charles McBurney, an American archaeologist, and Anne Francis Edmondstone (née Charles), ...

): Prologue to ''

Orango Orango is one of the Bijagós Islands, located off the coast of mainland Guinea-Bissau. At , it is the largest island in the archipelago. The island has a population of 1,250 (2009 census); the largest village is Eticoga.

'', Esa-Pekka Salonen conducting (Deutsche Grammophon) **

: Messa da Requiem,

conducting;

Ildebrando D'Arcangelo Ildebrando D'Arcangelo (born 14 December 1969) is an Italian opera singer. He has been called a bass-baritone, though he prefers the term basso cantabile. Career A native of Pescara, Abruzzo, D'Arcangelo began his studies in 1985 at the conse ...

, bass;

Vittorio Grigolo Vittorio Grigolo (correctly Vittorio Grigòlo, born 19 February 1977) is an Italian operatic tenor. Early life Grigolo was born in Arezzo and raised in Rome. He began singing by the age of four. When he was nine years old he accompanied his mot ...

, tenor; Michelle DeYoung, mezzo-soprano;

Julianna Di Giacomo Julianna Di Giacomo is an American operatic soprano who has had an active international singing career since 1999. She has performed leading roles with several major opera houses, including La Scala in Milan, the Metropolitan Opera in New York Ci ...

, soprano (C Major DVD & Blu-Ray).

With the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra

* Paul Salamunovich, music director **

Rodgers & Hammerstein Rodgers and Hammerstein was a theater-writing team of composer Richard Rodgers (1902–1979) and lyricist-dramatist Oscar Hammerstein II (1895–1960), who together created a series of innovative and influential American musicals. Their popular ...

, ''The King & I'', John Mauceri conducting (Phillips Classics) **

Schoenberg Arnold Schoenberg or Schönberg (, ; ; 13 September 187413 July 1951) was an Austrian-American composer, music theorist, teacher, writer, and painter. He is widely considered one of the most influential composers of the 20th century. He was as ...

Ravel Joseph Maurice Ravel (7 March 1875 – 28 December 1937) was a French composer, pianist and conductor. He is often associated with Impressionism along with his elder contemporary Claude Debussy, although both composers rejected the term. In ...

, ''Earth Day'', John Mauceri conducting (Phillips Classics) ** ''Hollywood Nightmares'' (various composers), John Mauceri conducting (Phillips Classics)

Motion pictures

Salamunovich also conducted the Los Angeles Master Chorale on the soundtracks of numerous major motion pictures, including '' A.I. Artificial Intelligence'', ''

My Best Friend's Wedding ''My Best Friend's Wedding'' is a 1997 American romantic comedy film directed by P.J. Hogan from a screenplay by Ronald Bass. The film stars Julia Roberts, Dermot Mulroney, Cameron Diaz, and Rupert Everett. The film received generally positive ...

'', '' Bram Stoker's Dracula'', '' The Sum of All Fears'' and '' Waterworld''. Gershon conducted the Chorale on the soundtracks for the motion pictures ''

Lady in the Water ''Lady in the Water'' is a 2006 American fantasy psychological thriller film written and directed by M. Night Shyamalan, who produced with Sam Mercer. The film features the starring cast of Paul Giamatti and Bryce Dallas Howard with Bob Balab ...

,'' '' License to Wed, Charlie Wilson's War, I Am Legend, and Star Wars: The Last Jedi''.

Awards and recognition

In June 2003, the Master Chorale received the prestigious ASCAP/Chorus America Award for Adventurous Programming. In 2008, one of the Chorale's highly successful outreach program, “Voices Within,” earned the coveted Chorus America Education Outreach Award. The Master Chorale with Paul Salamunovich conducting, received a Grammy nomination for Best Choral Performance for the recording Lux Aeterna in 1998.

Education programs

Since 1990, the Master Chorale has held the Los Angeles Master Chorale High School Choir Festival, one of the largest high school choir festivals in the nation. "Voices Within," another of the Chorale's highly successful outreach programs, is an in-depth, ten-week, in-school residency program for middle and high school students that helps children who have little or no musical background to “find their voices.” With the assistance of a teaching artist, lyricist, and composer who work with teams of students in the classroom, children write music and lyrics to create original songs. The Master Chorale provides education outreach to approximately 13,000 children each year.

References

External links

Official websiteInformation on Los Angeles Philharmonic website
* Information on Los Angeles Music Center Website
Music Center , TMC Offstage
{{Authority control Choirs in California Musical groups from Los Angeles 1964 establishments in California Musical groups established in 1964