Over 2,000 Singers To Take Part In Big Sing California In Los Angeles 7/21

Over 2,000 singers will gather at Walt Disney Concert Hall on Saturday, July 21 to take part in the largest free group singing event in California history-Big Sing California. The event features a live concert by the full 100-voice Los Angeles Master Chorale that will perform from the stage with the 2,000-person audience singing along to selected works on the program. The concert will be conducted by composer Eric Whitacre, Grant Gershon, the Master Chorale's Kiki & David Gindler Artistic Director, and guest conductors Moira Smiley and Rollo Dilworth. Whitacre, who is currently the Master Chorale's Swan Family Artist-in-Residence-and who attracts a huge global audience-will also serve as the event's host.

The concert in Los Angeles will be broadcast to five venues across the state where more singers will join the performance experience by viewing the concert on large screens and singing from the audience. Hub leaders drawn from the local choral communities have been engaged to coordinate the events and rehearse the singers leading up to the performance day. The five California hub cities and venues are:

· SAN DIEGO, Copley Symphony Hall

· BAY AREA, Zellerbach Hall at Cal Performances

· SACRAMENTO, Community Center Theater at the Sacramento Community Center

· FRESNO, Paul Shaghoian Concert Hall at Clovis Unified Performing Arts Center

· RIVERSIDE, Coil School of the Arts at Riverside City College

Live feeds will take place during the concert, connecting the participants in the hub cities to Whitacre and the Master Chorale in Los Angeles. The event's reach is further expanded with the concert being live-streamed on the Big Sing California website, making it possible for people around the world to participate. Around 10,000 singers are expected to take part state-wide.

The songs selected for Big Sing California range from straightforward sing-alongs such as Lean On Me, This Land Is Your Land, and Hey Jude, to choral works by Eric Whitacre and Morten Lauridsen, and arrangements by Moira Smiley and Rollo Dilworth. The program also features an exclusive arrangement of Pentatonix's Sing by Grammy Award-winning arranger Ben Bram (Pitch Perfect, Glee) created especially for Big Sing California.

The Los Angeles concert reached capacity just two days after the event announced and a wait list was activated. On the day of the event, the concert will also be live-streamed into BP Hall inside Disney Hall so more people can take part from the venue. The hub venues are yet to reach capacity, although Bay Area registrations currently number over 1,000.

People can register online now at lamasterchorale.org/big-sing-california to join the Los Angeles wait list or any of the five hub venues. Registrations and tickets will be confirmed with all participants beginning July 10.

A rehearsal will be held at Walt Disney Concert Hall on Thursday, July 19 at 7 PM.

Big Sing California is the largest community project the Master Chorale has ever undertaken. The project was boosted by a $450,000 Exploring Engagement Fund grant from The James Irvine Foundation.

Big Sing California is made possible with lead support from The James Irvine Foundation. Major support provided by Terri & Jerry Kohl and Philip A. Swan. Additional support provided by the National Endowment for the Arts, Los Angeles County Arts Commission and the California Arts Council.