LOS ANGELES, CA (Tuesday, September 15, 2026) — The Los Angeles Master Chorale today announced the appointment of Katherine Powers as its new President & Chief Executive Officer. Powers, a Los Angeles-based arts executive, educator, and performer, joins the organization from Pacific Opera Project, where she has served as Executive Director since 2023. She will work in close partnership with Kiki & David Gindler Artistic Director Grant Gershon, the Board of Directors, and the Master Chorale's staff and artists to guide the organization's strategic advancement.

“You know you’ve had an effective search when you begin with over 50 names, and as you work through them, the mission of your organization is sharpened. When Katherine became a finalist, and then our unanimous choice, we knew we had found the right leader for this moment in our 60-year history.” – William Tully, Interim President & CEO

Powers' appointment comes as the Master Chorale opens its 2026/27 season and celebrates Gershon's 25th year with the organization. The season begins September 27 at Walt Disney Concert Hall with Brahms' Requiem and music by Bruckner, launching a year of ambitious programming that includes the Master Chorale's first collaboration with the National Chorus of Korea, the West Coast premiere of Eric Whitacre's Eternity in an Hour, a celebration of Stephen Sondheim, and the return of Peter Sellars' acclaimed production of Lagrime di San Pietro.

“I am extremely excited to welcome Katherine Powers to the LA Master Chorale team. Katherine is a fantastically dynamic arts leader, and I know that she and I will have a very close and productive partnership. The Master Chorale is a treasure, both locally and internationally, and Katherine Powers is the perfect person to help us touch more people’s lives through our voices and the music that we love.” – Grant Gershon, Kiki & David Gindler Artistic Director

At Pacific Opera Project, Powers has led the company through a period of transformational growth, building its audiences, expanding its education and engagement programming, strengthening its financial position and fundraising capacity, and advancing its reputation for inventive, accessible opera. Under her leadership, POP was named among the Los Angeles Times’ “Best of Classical Music in 2024,” reflecting the company’s growing artistic reach. Before joining POP, Powers was the founding Director of Vocal Arts at California School of the Arts – San Gabriel Valley, where she built and led a nationally recognized vocal arts program and developed partnerships with organizations including LA Opera, The Music Center, the Los Angeles Master Chorale, MUSE/IQUE, and The Huntington.

Powers brings an unusually broad view of the performing arts to the role. In addition to her administrative leadership, she has taught voice at the American Musical and Dramatic Academy, Occidental College, the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, California State University, Los Angeles, and through the YoungArts Foundation. A soprano, she made her LA Opera debut in the Grammy Award-winning production of The Ghosts of Versailles, and has performed extensively with Pacific Opera Project and other companies. She has also served as a teaching artist with LA Opera Connects, where she created and hosted the eight-part Shakespeare Sings series.

“The human voice is our most universal instrument, and few ensembles demonstrate its power more profoundly than the Los Angeles Master Chorale,” said Powers. “Los Angeles is home to some of the greatest vocal talent in the world, and we are so lucky to have this ensemble of prismatic musicians as ambassadors for our city. I’m honored to work alongside Grant, the board, the staff, and our singers to build on that extraordinary foundation and imagine what comes next: a Master Chorale that continues to set the standard for artistic excellence while creating a thriving ecosystem of programming that invites and celebrates lifelong participation in the vocal arts.”

Powers holds an Associate's Degree in Theater from the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, a B.A. in Music from UCLA, and an M.M. in Vocal Performance from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music.

ABOUT THE LOS ANGELES MASTER CHORALE

For more than 60 years, the multi-Grammy Award-winning Los Angeles Master Chorale has been a standard-bearer for choruses across America. Hailed for its powerful performances, technical precision, and artistic daring, the Master Chorale reaches more than 100,000 people each year through its concert series at Walt Disney Concert Hall, international touring of innovative works, performances with the Los Angeles Philharmonic and others, recordings, and learning programs.

Led by Grant Gershon, Kiki & David Gindler Artistic Director, and Associate Artistic Director Jenny Wong, the Master Chorale shares the traditional and evolving spectrum of choral music with the widest possible audience through performance, community education, collaboration, commissioning, and recording. Its learning programs include the High School Choir Festival, the Oratorio Project, and Youth Chorus LA, preparing future generations of choral singers and uplifting communities through the transformative power of music. Learn more at lamasterchorale.org.

MEDIA CONTACT

Laura Ferreiro

lferreiro@lamasterchorale.org  | 323-702-4916