Los Angeles Children’s Chorus Opens New Season With Two Performances In October

Los Angeles Children’s Chorus (LACC) launches its 2026-27 season with two notable engagements in October, including seven performances of LA Opera’s (LAO) new production of Carmen, which marks Domingo Hindoyan's first appearance in his new role as LAO’s Music Director, October 17 to November 7, 2026, at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles. Additionally, LACC headlines the 31st Annual “Bach to Broadway” concert on October 23, at St. Andrew Church in Pasadena, which benefits the historic landmark’s restoration fund.

LA Opera's Carmen 

LACC leaps into the 2026-27 season with 14 choristers appearing as a chorus of mocking street urchins in LA Opera’s brand-new production of Georges Bizet's masterpiece Carmen. Drenched in Spanish Gothic splendor, it was created by director/designer Thaddeus Strassberger and is a co-production of LA Opera, Houston Grand Opera and Detroit Opera.

Passion, jealousy, obsession, and tragedy collide in the dramatic opera about a mercurial, free-spirited gypsy. Domingo Hindoyan, in his debut as LA Opera Music Director, conducts the production, which features one of the world’s most iconic scores. The cast includes Rihab Chaieb (Carmen), Joshua Guerrero (Don José), Kathleen O’Mara (Macëla), and Liam James Karai (Escamillo).

Performances are Saturday, October 17, 6:00 pm; Sunday, October 25, 2:00 pm; Tuesday, October 27, 7:30 pm; Thursday, October 29, 7:30 pm; Sunday, November 1, 2:00 pm; Wednesday, November 4, 7:30 pm; and Saturday, November 7, 7:30 pm, at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion. Tickets (beginning at $51) are available at laopera.org.

“Bach to Broadway”

LACC’s Concert Choir and Young Men’s Ensemble, both conducted by Artistic Director Fernando Malvar-Ruiz, showcase their considerable artistry at the 31st Annual “Bach to Broadway,” a concert benefitting the restoration fund for Pasadena’s historic St. Andrew Church, on Friday, October 23, 7:30 pm, at the church. The Romanesque building, currently celebrating its centennial, is an artistic treasure designed by architect Ross Montgomery and dedicated in 1927. The cultural landmark has been undergoing extensive repairs in recent years to restore its structural elements and historic details.

The program also features several members of the Los Angeles Master Chorale and LA Opera, including sopranos Sunjoo Yeo, Courtney Taylor, and Rachel Yeo; mezzo-soprano Danielle Marcelle Bond; tenors Todd Strange and Rohan Ramanan; and baritone Abdiel Gonzalez. In addition, Patrick Flahive directs the Pueri Contores SGV and the St. Andrew School Choir. Tickets ($50) are available at www.saintandrewpasadena.org.

Other Notable Engagements

Los Angeles Children’s Chorus hosts its Preparatory Choir Fall Concert on Wednesday, November 18, 5:30 pm, at Pasadena Presbyterian Church. The Preparatory Choir, designed for young children with little to no prior musical experience, features foundational folk-based repertoire.

The Grammy Award-winning Chorus heralds the holidays with two performances of its beloved annual Winter Concert, entitled “Becoming,” on Sunday, December 6, 7:00 pm, at Pasadena Presbyterian Church, and Tuesday, December 8, 7:00 pm, at First United Methodist Church. The program, which varies for the two concerts, includes an array of seasonal songs, and winter-themed works. Some 400 choristers from six of LACC’s ensembles perform.

LACC then joins the Pasadena Symphony and POPS for its popular Holiday Candlelight conducted by Brett Mitchell at Pasadena’s All Saints Church, with three performances on Friday, December 11, 7:30 pm, and Saturday, December 12, 4:00 pm and 7:00 pm. The festive performance, bathed in candlelight, also features the Donald Breinegar Singers and the LA Bronze Handbell Ensemble.

Adding even more musical luster to the holiday season, LACC@HOLA – a key partnership between LACC and Heart of Los Angeles (HOLA) established in 2024 – presents a free concert on Saturday, December 12, 11:00 am, at the HOLA campus in Lafayette Park. LACC@HOLA brings the Choir’s world-class choral music education program to the HOLA campus, reaching underserved youth in Central and South Central Los Angeles. HOLA serves some 3,000 youths annually, providing them with an equal chance to succeed through a comprehensive array of free after-school academic, arts, athletics, and wellness programs. Significantly, 100% of HOLA’s high school seniors graduate, and 80% complete post-secondary degrees.

LACC’s Spring 2027 programs will be announced later.