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Press Releases
Los Angeles Master Chorale Celebrates the 30th Anniversary of the Annual High School Choir Festival Friday, May 3, 2019
Festival concert conducted by Grant Gershon, Kiki & David Gindler Artistic Director, and Eric Whitacre, Swan Family Artist-in-Residence, at Walt Disney Concert Hall
Eric Whitacre to lead over 1,000 Southland students in a celebratory pop-up performance of Pentatonix’s Sing on the steps of Disney Hall
The 2019 Festival marks the 30th anniversary of one of the longest-running, continuous arts education programs in Southern California
(Los Angeles, CA) April 8, 2019 – The celebration of the 30th anniversary of the Los Angeles Master Chorale’s Annual High School Choir Festival will be so joyous, it cannot be contained within the walls of Walt Disney Concert Hall! As part of the celebratory Festival Day on Friday, May 3, over 1,000 student singers will give a pop-up performance outdoors on the main staircase of Disney Hall on Grand Avenue at 11:30 AM. Internationally renowned choral conductor and composer Eric Whitacre, who is the 2019 Festival’s guest artist, will lead the students in a performance of Pentatonix’s Sing, arranged for the Master Chorale by Ben Bram and Pentatonix.
The main event on Festival Day is the Festival concert performed by the students at 1 PM conducted by Grant Gershon, the Master Chorale’s Kiki & David Gindler Artistic Director, and Whitacre, the Master Chorale’s Swan Family Artist-in-Residence. The program for this year’s concert includes Handel’s Hallelujah Chorus, works by contemporary choral composers Abbie Betinis, Sydney Guillaume, and Rosephanye Powell, and the 17th century hymn Hanacpachap cussicuinin by Juan Pérez Bocanegra. In addition to the pop-up performance of Sing, Whitacre will conduct performances of his own compositions, Cloudburst and Fly to Paradise. The Festival concert grand finale will be a performance of Lean On Me by Bill Withers.
A hundred of the participating students have been selected by their choir directors for the prestigious Honor Choir. Members of the Honor Choir learn additional repertoire that they perform on the Walt Disney Concert Hall stage during the Festival concert. (Owing to the large size of the group, the other student singers are placed throughout the audience seats in the hall to perform.)
In addition to the Festival concert at 1 PM, Festival Day includes a performance by the Los Angeles Master Chorale Chamber Ensemble in Walt Disney Concert Hall conducted by Associate Conductor Jenny Wong at 11 AM. This performance by 16 Master Chorale singers is a professional showcase for the students.
Both the Festival concert and the Chamber Ensemble concert are open to friends and family of the participants, supporters, and members of the community, and are free to attend. Ticket reservations are required, and seating is on a first-come, first-served basis. A limited number of tickets can be reserved in advance of May 3 at lamasterchorale.org. Tickets will also be available on the day of the concert on a first-come, first-served basis beginning at 10 AM in the main lobby of Walt Disney Concert Hall.
The Los Angeles Master Chorale is proud to engage guest artists to be part of the Festival, increasing the young singers’ exposure to the choral industry’s top musicians. Grammy®-winning composer and conductor Eric Whitacre’s concert music has been performed throughout the world by millions of amateur and professional musicians alike, while his ground-breaking Virtual Choirs have united singers from over 120 different countries.
In his role as the Master Chorale’s Swan Family Artist-in-Residence Eric has conducted the professional ensemble in performances of his own works including the world premiere of The Sacred Veil in February 2019. He was a guest conductor at Big Sing L.A. in June 2017 and he was the host and a galvanizing force of Big Sing California in July 2018, uniting thousands of choral singers around the world through live concerts and a livestream.
Over the three decades, guest artists have included a who’s-who of the choral field, including Dr. Edith A. Copley, Rollo Dilworth, María Guinand, Francisco J Núñez, Moira Smiley, and Tesfa Wondemagegnehu.
In 2016 the Festival concert was seen by hundreds of thousands of people on television and online when guest artist Tesfa Wondemagegnehu and Grant Gershon added a tribute to music legend Prince to the program. Prince had died just the day before and so they arranged a version of his song Purple Rain to pay tribute. The subsequent performance garnered extensive media coverage, including a Los Angeles Times video that has been viewed over 392,800 times.
Gershon says the sheer scale of the event, that gives the students such a thrilling opportunity to sing en masse, never fails to inspire him: “The Annual High School Choir Festival is one of the most exhilarating days of the year for the Master Chorale and such an impactful program and event for these young singers Many studies have shown that children who sing in choirs have greater academic success and learn valuable life skills, and people who sang in the Festival frequently tell us how being part of such a massive group and getting to perform in Walt Disney Concert Hall is an experience they truly treasure. It is an enormous honor to conduct this milestone 30th concert, and I know that having Eric Whitacre — a bona fide choral rock star — join us this year is going to make this one huge party!”
The Los Angeles Master Chorale’s Annual High School Choir Festival is made possible by the generous support of Jerry and Terri Kohl, City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs, Cheryl Petersen and Roger Lustberg, Rosemary Schroeder, Ann Peppers Foundation, Bryant and Judi Danner, Carolyn L. Miller, The Kenneth T. and Eileen L. Norris Foundation, John and Beverly Stauffer Foundation, Sidney Stern Memorial Trust, Friars Charitable Foundation, and Pasadena Showcase House for the Arts.
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30TH ANNIVERSARY ANNUAL HIGH SCHOOL CHOIR FESTIVAL CONCERT PROGRAM:
FESTIVAL CHORUS
Hallelujah Chorus | George Frideric Handel (1685 – 1759)
The Word Was God | Rosephanye Powell (b. 1962)
Journey Home | Abbie Betinis (b. 1980)
Hanacpachap cussicuinin | Juan Pérez Bocanegra (1598 – 1645)
FESTIVAL HONOR CHOIR
Kanaval | Sydney Guillaume (b. 1982)
Cloudburst | Eric Whitacre (b. 1970)
FESTIVAL CHORUS
Fly to Paradise | Eric Whitacre
Lean on Me (Grand Finale)| Bill Withers (b. 1938)
PARTICIPATING SCHOOLS:
Agoura High School (Agoura Hills) | Chad Bloom, director
Arroyo High School (El Monte) | Jennifer Stanley, director
Azusa High School (Azusa) | Mary Turner, director
Baldwin Park High School (Baldwin Park) | Nathan Bailey, director
Bellflower High School (Bellflower) | Carolyn Kennedy, director
Birmingham Community Charter High School (Van Nuys) | Michael Suffolk, director
California High School (Whittier) | Dan Hawkins, director
Charter Oak High School (Covina) | Rebecca Portnoy, director
Culver City High School (Culver City) | Tony Spano, director
East Los Angeles Performing Arts (Los Angeles) | Melissa Rios, director
El Camino Real Charter High School (Woodland Hills) | Corinne Brennan, director
El Monte High School (El Monte) | Joel Whisler, director
Fullerton Union High School Academy of the Arts (Fullerton) | Scott Hedgecock, director
Gabrielino High School (San Gabriel) | David Pitts, director
Glendale High School (Glendale) | Grace Sheldon-Williams, director
Glendora High School (Glendora) | Brian Trevor, director
Hamilton High School (Castle Heights) | Wendy Walsh, director
John F. Kennedy High School (Granada Hills) | Suzanne Jones, director
Lakewood High School (Lakewood) | Ralph Siemsen, director
Marshall Fundamental Secondary School (Pasadena) | Jonathan Gould, director
Montebello High School (Montebello) | Jessica Dalley, director
Palisades Charter High School (Pacific Palisades) | Jaco Wong, director
Palos Verdes Peninsula High School (Rolling Hills Estate) | Dan Doctor, director
Ramon C. Cortines High School of VAPA (Los Angeles) | Drew Lewis, director
Rosemead High School (Rosemead) | Ruth Gray, director
Rubidoux High School (Riverside) | Jeff Lin, director
Torrance High School (Torrance) | C. David Wright, director
Valley Academy of Arts and Sciences (Granada Hills) | Paul Sims, director
Valley High School (North Hills) | Melanie Garcia, director
Van Nuys High School (Van Nuys) | Brianne Arevalo, director
Venice High School (Venice) | Wendy Sarnoff, director
William Howard Taft Charter High School (Woodland Hills) | Natalia Ramos, director
CALENDAR EDITORS:
WHAT:
30th Annual High School Choir Festival concert presented by the Los Angeles Master Chorale
WHEN:
Friday, May 3, 2019; 11 AM – 3 PM
- Los Angeles Master Chorale Chamber Ensemble performance at 11 AM
- Pop-up outdoor performance by students at 11:30 AM
- High School Choir Festival performance by students at 1 PM
WHERE:
Walt Disney Concert Hall, 111 S. Grand Ave.
TICKETS:
Open to the public; free entry. Limited advance ticket reservations available at lamasterchorale.org starting April 8.
If no tickets are available online, people should come to the Walt Disney Concert Hall main lobby on the concert day where tickets will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis by Master Chorale staff in the main lobby from 10 AM.
LOS ANGELES MASTER CHORALE MEDIA CONTACT:
Jennifer Scott, Director of Public Relations
jscott@lamasterchorale.org | 702-510-4363 cell
Members of the press are welcome to attend, photograph, and film the 30th Annual High School Choir Festival concert. Please RSVP to Jennifer Scott, jscott@lamasterchorale.org
