The Los Angeles Master Chorale is pleased to announce a contract extension for Grant Gershon, Kiki & David Gindler Artistic Director, through the 2024-25 season. “Grant is one of our generation’s greatest choral conductors,” said President & CEO Jean Davidson. “He has a fierce intellect and incredibly high emotional intelligence, which I believe is clearly conveyed in his music making. We are thrilled that Grant will continue to build his legacy here, with us.”  

 

Jenny Wong has also been promoted to Associate Artistic Director, a new role created especially for her, to recognize her leadership and dedication to the organization. She joins Gershon and newly appointed Swan Family Artist-in-Residence Reena Esmail in forming a new three-person artistic leadership team responsible for the direction of the Master Chorale. 

 

“I’m especially excited to be building our future in partnership with Jenny Wong and Reena Esmail, in their new leadership roles with the Master Chorale. These two artists are hugely inspiring to me and our singers, and their creative voices will greatly strengthen our organization”, said Gershon. “Choral singing is a powerful unifying force that transcends our differences and fosters a sense of belonging. Moving forward, we will strive to ensure that all are welcome, in the concert hall and in our communities, to experience the beauty of choral music.”  

 

Gershon’s vision for the Master Chorale is one driven by community and collaboration, guiding the organization through the current turbulent climate and towards a sustainable future. 

 

Of particular importance to Gershon is creating access to the choral repertoire and increasing the representation of diverse voices. To that end he will lead the charge by reserving at least 50% of each future season for works by composers from historically underrepresented groups in classical music. This commitment to inclusion is a value that runs through the entire organization, whose recently ratified five-year plan commits to improving representation at the staff and board levels, continuing to build a more diverse roster of singers, and reaching a wider audience than ever through its concerts and education programs.  

 

“I am so excited to more fully engage in the phenomenal creativity of choral composers from all backgrounds and experiences,” said Gershon. “Classical music has a problem with both systemic racism and gender bias, which has discouraged voices that truly represent the full range of our fantastically complex communities. The Master Chorale’s role and vision for its future is to lift up a multiplicity of voices in order to present the most vibrant mix of choral music imaginable.” 

 

Over the next five years, Gershon aims to increase participation in choral music by leading the expansion of the Master Chorale’s education initiatives, to include a more comprehensive program that reaches students from nine years old through high school, building on the Master Chorale’s already successful Voices Within, Oratorio Project, and High School Choir Festival. 

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