View source for Los Angeles Master Chorale

{{short description|American professional chorus}}
{{more citations needed|date=August 2010}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2025}}
{{Infobox choir
| image                 = Roger Wagner leading the Los Angeles Master Chorale, 1973.jpg
| caption               = [[Roger Wagner]] leading the Los Angeles Master Chorale in 1973
| origin                = [[Los Angeles]], California, U.S.
| founding              = 1964
| genre                 = 
| members               = 
| president             = Scott Altman
| affiliation           = [[Walt Disney Concert Hall]] 
                          [[Los Angeles Music Center]]
| website               = {{URL|http://lamasterchorale.org/}}
|artistic director=[[Grant Gershon]]}}
The '''Los Angeles Master Chorale''' is a professional [[Choir|chorus]] in [[Los Angeles]], California, and one of the resident companies of both The Music Center and [[Walt Disney Concert Hall]] in Los Angeles.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.musiccenter.org/visit/Resident-Companies/LA-Master-Chorale/|title=Music Center &#124; Los Angeles Master Chorale|website=www.musiccenter.org|access-date=May 13, 2020}}</ref>  It was founded in 1964 by [[Roger Wagner]] to be one of the three original resident companies of the [[Music Center of Los Angeles County]]. [[Grant Gershon]] has been its music director since 2001, replacing [[Paul Salamunovich]].<ref>Henken, John (September 30, 2001). "Music; Now It's His Turn; Grant Gershon's diverse career as singer and conductor leads him to the helm of L.A.'s Master Chorale". Los Angeles Times.</ref> Succeeding Jean Davidson, Scott Altman is the current President and CEO, appointed to the position on January 2, 2024.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Scott Altman Appointed President and CEO of the Los Angeles Master Chorale |url=https://lamasterchorale.org/news-details/281 |access-date=2025-11-07 |website=lamasterchorale.org |language=en-US}}</ref>

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.{{Citation needed|date=June 2011}}  The Master Chorale regularly performs with the [[Los Angeles Philharmonic]] and the [[Hollywood Bowl Orchestra]], both at the Music Center and at the Hollywood Bowl, with such leading conductors as [[Gustavo Dudamel]], [[Esa-Pekka Salonen]], [[Zubin Mehta]], [[André Previn]], [[Pierre Boulez]], [[Michael Tilson Thomas]] and [[Roger Norrington]], among many others. Notable guest conductors have included [[Robert Shaw (conductor)|Robert Shaw]], [[Helmuth Rilling]], [[Margaret Hillis]], Robert Page and [[Richard Westenburg]]. It served as the chorus for [[Los Angeles Opera]] 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]], but since 2003 the group's principal concert venue has been [[Walt Disney Concert Hall]]. [[Morten Lauridsen]] was its composer-in-residence from 1994 through 2001.

==Leadership==
===Executive leadership===
* Scott Altman, President & CEO, 2024–Present<ref name=":0" />
* Jean Davidson, President & CEO, 2015–2023<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/arts/culture/la-et-cm-jean-davidson-new-york-live-arts-president-la-master-chorale-20150520-story.html|title=Los Angeles Master Chorale picks New York arts leader as president|date=May 21, 2015|website=Los Angeles Times|access-date=May 13, 2020}}</ref>
* Terry Knowles, President & CEO, 2011–2015<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://latimesblogs.latimes.com/culturemonster/2011/04/los-angeles-master-chorale-names-terry-knowles-as-president.html|title=Los Angeles Master Chorale names Terry Knowles as president and CEO|date=Apr 7, 2011|access-date=May 13, 2020}}</ref>
* Terry Knowles, Executive Director, 2000–2011<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.chorusamerica.org/news/longtime-la-master-chorale-president-ceo-terry-knowles-step-down-seasons-end|title=Longtime LA Master Chorale President & CEO Terry Knowles to Step Down at Season's End &#124; Chorus America|website=www.chorusamerica.org|access-date=May 13, 2020}}</ref>

===Artistic leadership===
* [[Grant Gershon]], Kiki & David Gindler Artistic Director, 2012–present<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/arts/la-et-cm-la-masterchorale-1-million-gift-new-board-chair-20180626-story.html|title=Los Angeles Master Chorale receives $1 million gift — and new board chair|date=Jun 26, 2018|website=Los Angeles Times|access-date=May 13, 2020}}</ref>
* Jenny Wong, Associate Artistic Director, 2020–present<ref>{{Cite web |date=2020-10-07 |title=How rising conductor Jenny Wong hopes to change the face of choral music |url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/story/2020-10-07/jenny-wong-conductor-los-angeles-master-chorale |access-date=2025-11-07 |website=Los Angeles Times |language=en-US}}</ref>
* [[Grant Gershon]], Music Director, 2001–2012
* [[Paul Salamunovich]], 1991–2001
* John Currie, 1986–1991
* [[Roger Wagner]], 1964–1986

===Artists-in-Residence===
* [[Eric Whitacre]]
* [[Shawn Kirchner]] 
* [[Morten Lauridsen]]
* [[Reena Esmail]], Swan Family Artist-in-Residence, 2020-2023 <ref>{{Cite web|url=https://lamasterchorale.org/artist.php?id=117|title=Artists; LAMC|website=lamasterchorale.org|access-date=Jan 21, 2021}}</ref>

===Officers of the Board===
* Susan Erburu Reardon, Chair
* Scott Altman, President & CEO
* Tom Strickler, Vice Chair
* Miles Benickes, Treasurer
* Courtland Palmer, Secretary<ref>{{Cite web |title=Los Angeles Master Chorale {{!}} Walt Disney Concert Hall {{!}} Board of Directors |url=https://lamasterchorale.org/board-of-directors |access-date=2025-11-07 |website=Los Angeles Master Chorale {{!}} Walt Disney Concert Hall |language=en-US}}</ref>

==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.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://lamasterchorale.org/lagrime-spring-tour|title=Internationally-renowned festivals & venues featured in Spring/Summer "Lagrime" tour|last=Los Angeles Master Chorale|website=lamasterchorale.org|access-date=May 13, 2020}}</ref>

==Recordings==

===With music directors conducting===
The Master Chorale has released the following recordings under Grant Gershon:
*''Miserere'' by [[Henryk Górecki]] (Decca)
*''A Good Understanding'' by [[Nico Muhly]] (Decca)
*''Daniel Variations'' by [[Steve Reich]] ([[Nonesuch Records]])
*''You Are (Variations)'' by Steve Reich (Nonesuch Records)
* [[Philip Glass]]’ ''[[Itaipu (composition)|Itaipu]]'' and the world premiere recording of ''Two Songs to Poems of Ann Jäderlund'' by [[Esa-Pekka Salonen]] (RCM)
* 50th Season Celebration Concert
* Festival of Carols
* [[David Lang (composer)|David Lang]]: ''The National Anthems'' and ''The Little Matchstick Girl Passion''

The Master Chorale released three CDs under the baton of Paul Salamunovich:
* [[Morten Lauridsen]]'s [[Grammy]]-nominated ''Lux Aeterna'', ''Les Chansons des Roses'', ''Ave Maria'', ''Mid-Winter Songs'' and ''[[O magnum mysterium (Lauridsen)|O Magnum Mysterium]]'' (RCM)
* [[Dominic Argento]]'s ''Te Deum'' and [[Maurice Duruflé]]'s ''Missa 'Cum Jubilo{{'}}'', with [[Rodney Gilfry]], baritone, and [[Frederick Swann]], organ (RCM))
* ''Christmas'', a collection of songs (RCM)

===With the Los Angeles Philharmonic===
* [[Roger Wagner]], music director
** [[Gustav Mahler|Mahler]]: [[Symphony No. 3 (Mahler)|Symphony No. 3]], [[Zubin Mehta]] conducting (London)
** [[Gustav Holst|Holst]]: ''[[The Planets]]'', Zubin Mehta conducting (London)
** Verdi: [[Quattro pezzi sacri]] (Four Sacred Pieces), Zubin Mehta conducting (London)
** Verdi: ''[[Falstaff (opera)|Falstaff]]'', [[Carlo Maria Giulini]] conducting ([[Deutsche Grammophon]])
** [[Giuseppe Verdi|Verdi]]: [[Requiem (Verdi)|Messa da Requiem]], Zubin Mehta conducting, [[Gwyneth Jones (soprano)|Gwyneth Jones]], soprano; [[Grace Bumbry]], mezzo-soprano; [[Franco Corelli]], tenor; [[Ezio Flagello]], baritone (Myto Records)
* John Currie, music director
** [[Sergei Prokofiev|Prokofiev]]: ''[[Alexander Nevsky]]'', [[André Previn]] conducting (Telarc)
* [[Paul Salamunovich]], music director
** [[Claude Debussy|Debussy]]: ''[[Nocturnes|Trois nocturnes]]'' and ''[[La Damoiselle élue]]'', [[Esa-Pekka Salonen]] conducting (Sony Classics)
** Mahler: Symphony No. 3, Esa-Pekka Salonen conducting (Sony Classics)
*[[Grant Gershon]], music director
**[[Dmitri Shostakovich|Shostakovich]] (orchestration by [[Gerard McBurney]]): Prologue to ''[[Orango (opera)|Orango]]'', Esa-Pekka Salonen conducting (Deutsche Grammophon)
**Verdi: Messa da Requiem, [[Gustavo Dudamel]] conducting; [[Ildebrando D'Arcangelo]], bass; [[Vittorio Grigolo]], tenor; [[Michelle DeYoung]], mezzo-soprano; [[Julianna Di Giacomo]], soprano (C Major DVD & Blu-Ray).

===With the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra===
*[[Paul Salamunovich]], music director
** [[Rodgers & Hammerstein]], ''The King & I'',	[[John Mauceri]] conducting (Phillips Classics)
** [[Arnold Schoenberg|Schoenberg]]/[[Ravel]], ''Earth Day'', John Mauceri conducting (Phillips Classics)
** ''Hollywood Nightmares'' (various composers), John Mauceri conducting (Phillips Classics)

== Filmography and Television ==

===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]]'', ''[[Dracula (1992 film)|Bram Stoker's Dracula]]'', ''[[The Sum of All Fears (film)|The Sum of All Fears]]'' and ''[[Waterworld]]''. Gershon conducted the Chorale on the soundtracks for the motion pictures ''[[Lady in the Water]],'' ''[[License to Wed]]'', ''[[Charlie Wilson's War (film)|Charlie Wilson's War]]'', ''[[I Am Legend (film)|I Am Legend]]'', and ''[[Star Wars: The Last Jedi]]''.<ref>{{Cite web |title=LA Master Chorale Featured in “Star Wars: The Last Jedi” |url=https://lamasterchorale.org/news-details/116 |access-date=2025-11-07 |website=lamasterchorale.org |language=en-US}}</ref>

Voices of the Los Angeles Master Chorale have also been featured in such films as [[Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (soundtrack)|''Star Wars: The Rise of'' ''Skywalker'']], ''[[How to Train Your Dragon (2025 soundtrack)|How to Train Your Dragon]]'' (2025) and ''[[Superman (2025 soundtrack)|Superman]]'' (2025).<ref>{{Cite web |title=Los Angeles Master Chorale {{!}} Walt Disney Concert Hall {{!}} Los Angeles Master Chorale |url=https://lamasterchorale.org/los-angeles-master-chorale |access-date=2025-11-07 |website=Los Angeles Master Chorale {{!}} Walt Disney Concert Hall |language=en-US}}</ref>

=== Live Television ===
The Los Angeles Master Chorale performed at the [[97th Academy Awards]], performing the "Lacrimosa" from [[Requiem (Mozart)|Mozart’s ''Requiem in D minor, K. 626'']]'','' during the "In Memoriam" segment of the Oscars. They also performed alongside [[Ariana Grande]] and Cynthia [[Cynthia Erivo|Erivo]], the stars of the 2024 film ''[[Wicked (2024 film)|Wicked]]'', joining them in singing the film's iconic "[[Defying Gravity (song)|Defying Gravity]]."<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-03-03 |title=Who performed at the 2025 Oscars? Here's a look at the performances - CBS News |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/oscars-performances-2025/ |access-date=2025-11-07 |website=www.cbsnews.com |language=en-US}}</ref> 

==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 1989, 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. The Festival culminates in a concert that is free to the public and typically includes over 1,000 performers.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Los Angeles Master Chorale {{!}} Walt Disney Concert Hall {{!}} High School Choir Festival |url=https://lamasterchorale.org/high-school-choir-festival |access-date=2023-11-24 |website=Los Angeles Master Chorale {{!}} Walt Disney Concert Hall |language=en-US}}</ref>

"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==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*[http://lamasterchorale.org/ Official website]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20090815024229/http://www.laphil.com/music/artist_detail.cfm?id=90 Information on Los Angeles Philharmonic website]
* Information on Los Angeles Music Center Website  [http://www.musiccenter.org/ Music Center | TMC Offstage]

{{LAMC music directors}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Choirs from California]]
[[Category:Musical groups from Los Angeles]]
[[Category:1964 establishments in California]]
[[Category:Musical groups established in 1964]]