Pacific Chorale Launches Season With World And West Coast Premieres

Pacific Chorale, considered one of the nation's leading choirs, launches its 2021-22 Season with a luminous program anchored by Rachmaninoff's a cappella masterwork Vespers (All-Night Vigil) conducted by Artistic Director Robert Istad on Saturday, October 30, 2021, 7 pm, at the Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall in Costa Mesa.

Istad also leads the Pacific Chorale-commissioned world premiere of The Stillness Chained by Grammy-nominated former Composer-in-Residence Tarik O'Regan, set to the poetry of Yone Noguchi. Additionally, the chorus performs the West Coast premiere of Damien Geter's profound Cantata for a More Hopeful Tomorrow, featuring celebrated soprano Aundi Marie Moore, hailed for "her vivid, rich voice" (Washington Classical Review), and Pacific Symphony Principal Cellist Warren Hagerty, a "thoughtful, impressive" artist (Singapore's The Straits Times), which offers a message of hope refracted through the lens of Bach's musical legacy interwoven with African-American spirituals.

The program - and the Chorale's 54th Season - opens with Hyo-Won Woo's dramatic Me-Na-Ri (Space Music), a work sung in Korean that stretches the boundaries of choral music. The concert, featuring 80 chorus members, marks the first live performance in more than 19 months by Pacific Chorale, an Orange County "treasure" that "can sing anything you put in front of it, with polish, poise and tonal splendor" (Orange County Register). Audience members must show proof of vaccination and wear masks inside the venue (COVID protocols detailed below).

"I can't wait to welcome audience members and Pacific Chorale's singers back inside the concert hall with this significant program so we can all, once again, enjoy the visceral experience of a live performance," says Istad. "The repertoire showcases the choir's remarkable technical and sonic malleability. Rachmaninoff's Vespers (All-Night Vigil) is a work we've performed numerous times that's beloved by our singers and audiences alike. Pairing it with Tarik O'Regan's world premiere adds a wonderful sonorous dimension to the program as does the West Coast premiere of Damien Geter's Cantata for a More Hopeful Tomorrow, a new work that I was completely taken with when I first heard it - it's concurrently emotionally raw, tragic, and optimistic. I am particularly excited to have soprano Aundi Marie Moore join us to reprise her solo role from the work's digital premiere with the Washington Chorus in November 2020."

Pacific Chorale's 2021-22 Season is made possible by generous support from Platinum Season Sponsor Phillip N. and Mary A. Lyons, and Silver Season Sponsor Charles and Ling Zhang.

Single tickets for the concert range from $25 to $70. The Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall is located at 600 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa, CA 92626. For tickets and information, visit www.pacificchorale.org or call 714-662-2345.

Pacific Chorale continues to make the health and safety of its patrons, artists and community its top priority and has adopted the requirement that all audience members attending indoor performances be fully vaccinated against COVID-19. In order to be considered fully vaccinated, patrons must confirm that at least 14 days have passed since receiving the second dose of FDA or WHO authorized double-dose vaccines or that at least 14 days have passed since receiving the sole dose of FDA or WHO authorized single-dose vaccines. Audience members may display proof of vaccine on a smartphone or by showing a physical copy of their vaccination card or official vaccination record.

Children under 12 and those who are unvaccinated due to a medical or religious reason must provide proof of a negative PCR COVID-19 test taken no more than 48 hours prior to attending. Rapid or antigen tests will not be accepted. All guests, regardless of vaccination status, are required to wear masks while inside the concert venue. These safety protocols will be re-assessed on an ongoing basis and may be adjusted as public health circumstances evolve. The Chorale is closely monitoring industry and government guidance regarding the COVID-19 virus, including information supplied by the State of California, California Department of Public Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Orange County Department of Public Health.

For information on Pacific Chorale's most current health and safety protocols, please visit https://www.pacificchorale.org/covid-returning-to-live-performances/.