Bach B Minor Mass
June 2022

The B-minor Mass is a monumental testament to Bach’s artistry; its sheer power astounds us, and its beauty brings us to tears. Bach spent his final years composing and compiling a lifetime’s worth of his most powerful music into this single work which Robert Shaw called “the most remarkable musical allegory of human existence–its pain, aspiration and promises.”

United We Sing
May 2022

Rollo Dilworth, conductor

Guest conductor Rollo Dilworth, one of choral music’s most dynamic leaders, curated this program to showcase the breadth and vitality of the many cultures that have made America what it is today. Highlights included music from legends like Alice Parker and Mary Lou Williams, plus music from Rollo himself.

Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans
World Premiere
January 2020

Grant Gershon, conductor

Critics and historians consider F. W. Murnau’s Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans, which won three awards at the first Academy Awards ceremony in 1929, to be one of the best films ever. For many admirers, its only flaw has been its comparatively clumsy soundtrack. For this world premiere presentation, Emmy Award–winning composer Jeff Beal (House of Cards) has created a brand new score for choir and chamber orchestra, giving the celebrated classic the soundtrack it deserves.

O Magnum Mysterium
December 2019

Grant Gershon, conductor

A classic from the moment the Los Angeles Master Chorale premiered it 25 years ago, Morten Lauridsen’s O Magnum Mysterium is performed around the world. A responsorial chant from the Matins of Christmas, the piece is a much favored fixture of holiday programs and is presented here alongside Victoria’s 16th-century setting. Also on the program: the West Coast premiere of The Faire Starre by the “completely original” Nico Muhly (New York Times).

Bruckner Great Mass and
Golijov’s Oceana
October 2019

Grant Gershon, conductor
Luciana Souza, guest soloist

Bruckner’s Mass in F Minor reflects his devout spiritualism and Romantic-era passion, intensity, and color. Golijov’s Oceana, which received its Los Angeles premiere, marries music with poetry by Pablo Neruda to depict, in the composer’s words, “water and longing, light and hope, the immensity of South America's nature and pain.”

The Big Sing
August 2019

Big Sing returns this summer as part of the Music Center's Plaza for All Celebration, commemorating its newly renovated plaza. Our rousing sing-along will include members of the Los Angeles Master Chorale and over 2,000 people from throughout Los Angeles, led by Grant Gershon, Kiki & David Gindler Artistic Director. Guest conductors will be Eric Whitacre, Swan Family Artist-in-Residence; Associate Conductor, Jenny Wong; Sue Fink, Angel City Chorale Artistic Director; Adrien Redford, PRISM Co-Artistic Director; and Kristen Toedtman, Director of Baltimore's Community Chorus of Peabody.

Duruflé Requiem and
‘How to Go on’ by
Dale Trumbore
March 2019

Jenny Wong, conductor

Associate Conductor Jenny Wong leads a performance of Maurice Duruflé’s beloved Requiem, the composer’s evocation of the essence of Gregorian style. This piece was a particular favorite of previous Master Chorale Music Directors, Roger Wagner and Paul Salamunovich, both contemporaries of the composer. Instilled with comfort, the Requiem leaves listeners with a lingering mood of hope. Dale Trumbore’s “secular requiem” How to Go On won the 2017 ASCAP Young Composers Award. A setting of poems by American writers Barbara Crooker, Amy Fleury, and Laura Foley, the piece finds beauty and release in the embrace of everyday life, ultimately offering up solace.

English Cathedral Christmas December 2018

Conjuring up images of candlelit cathedrals and the jewel-toned glow of stained glass windows, we bring the great, unbroken tradition of British carols and anthems to Walt Disney Concert Hall. Traversing from its 16th century origins through to modern classics, English Cathedral Christmas celebrates the redolent sounds of Christmas choral music full of warmth and wonder.

Bach Magnificat
November 2018

J.S. Bach’s Magnificat is a majestic musical manifestation of the impulse to rejoice. The Baroque masterpiece was an ambitious statement made by the composer at the time and is widely hailed as one of his most joyous and expansive works. Magnificat directly influenced contemporary Los Angeles composer Reena Esmail who wrote This Love Between Us: Prayers for Unity specifically to be paired with it. In her piece, Esmail juxtaposes words from the seven major religious traditions of India (Buddhism, Sikhism, Christianity, Zoroastrianism, Hinduism, Jainism, and Islam) to explore how they each approach the topics of unity, harmony, and of being kind to one another, aka, “The Golden Rule.”

Mozart Requiem and
Kirchner’s Songs of Ascent
September 2018

The mythology that swirls around Mozart’s Requiem, from its mysterious origins to its posthumous completion, does not dilute the power of the composer’s voice in what has become one of the most recognized classical works of all time. This revered work is paired with Shawn Kirchner’s Songs of Ascent, proudly premiered by the Los Angeles Master Chorale in 2015. A setting of the Psalms sung by pilgrims journeying to Jerusalem, the work has a folk-inflected hopeful tone, delivering a plea for peace and unity and a fervent need to overcome humanity’s divisions.

Handel - Israel in Egypt
February 2018

Colorfully chronicling the exodus of the Israelites and the plagues that besieged Egypt, Handel’s biblical oratorio Israel in Egypt showcases the composer’s vivid imagination and inherent understanding of human nature. Presented as the second installment of the Los Angeles Master Chorale’s Hidden Handel project, this vibrant vocal showcase will be enhanced by Syrian Armenian visual artist Kevork Mourad through his compelling blend of drawing, animation, and film that features him creating imagery in real-time from the stage during the performance. Based in New York, Mourad brings a personal perspective to the work’s universal theme of displacement and the entrenched human instinct to return home.