MARCH 2022

Spring is always an exciting time for us, and this year is no exception. This Sunday, March 20, we look forward to performing our Handel-Pärt concert. From March 31 through April 3, the Chorale will appear with the Los Angeles Philharmonic in performances of Mozart’s Great Mass in C minor, conducted by Zubin Mehta. And on March 23, we celebrate Grant Gershon's 20 years of artistic leadership of the Los Angeles Master Chorale at GALA 2022.

The centerpiece of GALA 2022 is a tribute concert honoring Grant that includes special appearances by friends from his past and music that represents the future of the Chorale. Anne Akiko Meyers is a contemporary of Grant, the two growing up together—and playing music together—here in Los Angeles. She will join the Chorale in a new version of Morten Lauridsen’s O Magnum Mysterium for choir and violin. Esa-Pekka Salonen, one of Grant’s mentors, will also be on hand to pay tribute to our Chorale’s beloved leader.  

Grant has always championed new choral music, so we’ve made works by contemporary composers a major part of the GALA 2022 concert. Anyone who has seen the films Us or Get Out knows the spine-tingling excitement of Michael Abel’s music, and if you attended our spring 2019 Great Opera and Film Choruses concert, you’ve heard the Chorale perform Abel’s music live. For our GALA 2022 concert and in honor of Grant’s 20th anniversary, we’ve commissioned Abels to write a new piece, titled The Open Hand. The centerpiece of this spiritual and harmonic new work is a quote from noted African American entrepreneur and philanthropist Bridget “Biddy” Mason: “If you hold your hand closed, nothing good can come in. The open hand is blessed, for it gives in abundance, even as it receives.” 

Among the many other composers featured on our gala concert program is Nilo Alcala, whose Tiptipa Kemmakem you may have heard at our season opening concerts in September. You can listen to Tiptipa Kemmakem through this newsletter or on our YouTube channel.

Even if you cannot attend the GALA 2022 dinner and reception, we hope you can attend the GALA 2022 concert, which is an apt reflection of Grant’s impact on the Los Angeles Master Chorale and a fitting tribute. GALA 2022 concert tickets and the program are available through the box office and via our website. 

Please also stay tuned for our 2022–23 season announcement coming later this month. I look forward to seeing you at one, or all, of our upcoming concerts and GALA 2022. The Chorale is all about a community of individuals drawn together by a love of choral music. We welcome you to join us.

—Jean Davidson, President & CEO 

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