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Press Releases
Los Angeles Master Chorale Receives California Arts Council “Artists Activating Communities” Grant
The California Arts Council, a state agency, has awarded $13,500 to the Los Angeles Master Chorale (LAMC) as part of its new Artists Activating Communities program. With the help of this support, the LA Master Chorale has engaged Grammy-winning composer and conductor Eric Whitacre as the organization's first-ever artist-in-residence. Whitacre's project will harness emerging technology to inspire creativity and foster community among participants, many of whom will be new to LAMC, and provide unique opportunities for active participation in singing and the choral arts in traditional and non-traditional settings alike. This is the first time the Artists Activating Communities program has been offered. LAMC is one of only 47 grantees for this highly competitive program, which received applications from 85 organizations statewide.
A new pilot grant program, Artists Activating Communities supports sustained artistic residencies in community settings, demonstrating the arts to be a central component of civic life, and artists to be vital in shaping society. Artists Activating Communities projects are artist-driven, engage community members as active participants, and activate participants to develop and express their own creativity.
“The Los Angeles Master Chorale is grateful for this generous funding from the California Arts Council and is proud to be a part of its new pilot program,” says LAMC President Jean Davidson. “Eric Whitacre’s visionary concepts and stellar artistry and will help the LA Master Chorale reach broader and more diverse audiences in exciting and meaningful new ways.”
“California Arts Council grants support a wide range of projects that are crafted by each community to reflect their values and needs,” said Donn K. Harris, Chair of the California Arts Council. “It is thrilling to see what artists can accomplish when working collaboratively with their communities. An increased state investment in the arts allows us to further spark powerful growth and prosperity in our communities, such as the outstanding work that will result from the deep arts engagement provided by the Los Angeles Master Chorale and Eric Whitacre’s Artists Activating Communities project.”
To view a complete listing of all Artists Activating Communities grantees, visit http://arts.ca.gov/programs/files/CAC-AAC-2015-16Grantees.pdf. For information about the Los Angeles Master Chorale, visit www.lamc.org.
Giving a voice to Walt Disney Concert Hall, the Grammy-nominated Los Angeles Master Chorale is led by Artistic Director Grant Gershon. Proclaimed “the nation’s most pioneering major chorus” (Los Angeles Times), it has also been hailed as “inspired” (The New York Times), “magnificent” (Chicago Tribune) and “a superb vocal ensemble” (The New York Observer). The LA Master Chorale was founded in 1964 as a resident company of The Music Center of Los Angeles County and is the resident chorus at Walt Disney Concert Hall. Presenting its own concert series each season, it performs choral music from the earliest writings to the most recent contemporary compositions. To date, the choir has commissioned 50 and premiered 99 new works, of which 69 were world premieres, and has been awarded three ASCAP/Chorus America Awards for Adventurous Programming as well as Chorus America’s prestigious Margaret Hillis Award for Choral Excellence. The LA Master Chorale has performed in more than 500 concerts with the Los Angeles Philharmonic at both Disney Hall and the Hollywood Bowl, and has toured with the orchestra to Europe and New York City. It has also appeared at the Ojai Music Festival, the Great Performers series at Lincoln Center, the Ravinia Festival and the Overture Center in Madison, Wisconsin, as well as in leading venues throughout the Southland. Its discography includes six commercial CDs under Gershon’s baton, and in summer 2016, LAMC releases its seventh recording and its first album on Cantaloupe Music, featuring the national anthems by Pulitzer Prize- and Grammy Award-winning composer David Lang, which was commissioned and premiered by the LA Master Chorale in 2014. LAMC previously released three CDs under former Music Director Paul Salamunovich on RCM, including the Grammy-nominated Lauridsen-Lux Aeterna. The LA Master Chorale is also featured with Gershon on the soundtracks of such major motion pictures as Lady in the Water and License to Wed. Serving more than 30,000 audience members of all ages annually, the Los Angeles Master Chorale also provides education outreach to some 9,000 students and adults each year.
The mission of the California Arts Council, a state agency, is to advance California through the arts and creativity. The Council is committed to building public will and resources for the arts; fostering accessible arts initiatives that reflect contributions from all of California's diverse populations; serving as a thought leader and champion for the arts; and providing effective and relevant programs and services. Learn more at www.arts.ca.gov.
A new pilot grant program, Artists Activating Communities supports sustained artistic residencies in community settings, demonstrating the arts to be a central component of civic life, and artists to be vital in shaping society. Artists Activating Communities projects are artist-driven, engage community members as active participants, and activate participants to develop and express their own creativity.
“The Los Angeles Master Chorale is grateful for this generous funding from the California Arts Council and is proud to be a part of its new pilot program,” says LAMC President Jean Davidson. “Eric Whitacre’s visionary concepts and stellar artistry and will help the LA Master Chorale reach broader and more diverse audiences in exciting and meaningful new ways.”
“California Arts Council grants support a wide range of projects that are crafted by each community to reflect their values and needs,” said Donn K. Harris, Chair of the California Arts Council. “It is thrilling to see what artists can accomplish when working collaboratively with their communities. An increased state investment in the arts allows us to further spark powerful growth and prosperity in our communities, such as the outstanding work that will result from the deep arts engagement provided by the Los Angeles Master Chorale and Eric Whitacre’s Artists Activating Communities project.”
To view a complete listing of all Artists Activating Communities grantees, visit http://arts.ca.gov/programs/files/CAC-AAC-2015-16Grantees.pdf. For information about the Los Angeles Master Chorale, visit www.lamc.org.
Giving a voice to Walt Disney Concert Hall, the Grammy-nominated Los Angeles Master Chorale is led by Artistic Director Grant Gershon. Proclaimed “the nation’s most pioneering major chorus” (Los Angeles Times), it has also been hailed as “inspired” (The New York Times), “magnificent” (Chicago Tribune) and “a superb vocal ensemble” (The New York Observer). The LA Master Chorale was founded in 1964 as a resident company of The Music Center of Los Angeles County and is the resident chorus at Walt Disney Concert Hall. Presenting its own concert series each season, it performs choral music from the earliest writings to the most recent contemporary compositions. To date, the choir has commissioned 50 and premiered 99 new works, of which 69 were world premieres, and has been awarded three ASCAP/Chorus America Awards for Adventurous Programming as well as Chorus America’s prestigious Margaret Hillis Award for Choral Excellence. The LA Master Chorale has performed in more than 500 concerts with the Los Angeles Philharmonic at both Disney Hall and the Hollywood Bowl, and has toured with the orchestra to Europe and New York City. It has also appeared at the Ojai Music Festival, the Great Performers series at Lincoln Center, the Ravinia Festival and the Overture Center in Madison, Wisconsin, as well as in leading venues throughout the Southland. Its discography includes six commercial CDs under Gershon’s baton, and in summer 2016, LAMC releases its seventh recording and its first album on Cantaloupe Music, featuring the national anthems by Pulitzer Prize- and Grammy Award-winning composer David Lang, which was commissioned and premiered by the LA Master Chorale in 2014. LAMC previously released three CDs under former Music Director Paul Salamunovich on RCM, including the Grammy-nominated Lauridsen-Lux Aeterna. The LA Master Chorale is also featured with Gershon on the soundtracks of such major motion pictures as Lady in the Water and License to Wed. Serving more than 30,000 audience members of all ages annually, the Los Angeles Master Chorale also provides education outreach to some 9,000 students and adults each year.
The mission of the California Arts Council, a state agency, is to advance California through the arts and creativity. The Council is committed to building public will and resources for the arts; fostering accessible arts initiatives that reflect contributions from all of California's diverse populations; serving as a thought leader and champion for the arts; and providing effective and relevant programs and services. Learn more at www.arts.ca.gov.
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