Margaret Hill News

The five-time Grammy Award winning San Francisco Girls Chorus will open its first season of concerts curated under the artistic directorship of Lisa Bielawawith guest pianist Jon Nakamatsu in a program of Romantic Lieder arranged for treble voices and other works this weekend, October 4 and 5 in San Francisco and Berkeley.

The Los Angeles Master Chorale (LAMC), led by Artistic Director Grant Gershon, launches the 2014|15 season, its 51st, with a spectacular multi-faceted cinematic and aural event featuring the Walt Disney Concert Hall premiere of Richard Einhorn's "brilliantly effective" (Washington Post) 1994 work Voices of Light/The Passion of Joan of Arc, inspired by and performed live to the 1928 silent film The Passion of Joan of Arc. Einhorn's evocative piece, written for orchestra, chorus and soloists, provides a haunting backdrop to the rarely seen restored version of Carl Dreyer's cinematic masterpiece, considered by many critics to be among the top films ever made.

The Hollywood Bowl's 2014 classical season concludes in grand fashion with conductor Juanjo Mena leading the Los Angeles Philharmonic in Beethoven's Symphony No. 9, 'Choral,' Thursday, September 11, at 8 pm.

Conductor Bramwell Tovey returns to the Hollywood Bowl to lead the Los Angeles Philharmonic and Women of Pacific Chorale in Gustav Holst's The Planets tonight, September 9, at 8 pm. The performance will be accompanied by astonishing high-definition images from NASA and JPL rovers and satellites, as well as computer-generated graphics of the Mars landing.

Conductor Bramwell Tovey returns to the Hollywood Bowl to lead the Los Angeles Philharmonic and Women of Pacific Chorale in Gustav Holst's The Planets on Tuesday, September 9, at 8 pm. The performance will be accompanied by astonishing high-definition images from NASA and JPL rovers and satellites, as well as computer-generated graphics of the Mars landing.

The five-time Grammy Award winning San Francisco Girls Chorus will open its first season of concerts curated under the artistic directorship of Lisa Bielawawith guest pianist Jon Nakamatsu in a program of Romantic Lieder arranged for treble voices and other works October 4 and 5 in San Francisco and Berkeley. The concerts will be conducted by San Francisco Girls Chorus Music Director and Conductor Valerie Sainte-Agathe. For more information, visit www.sfgirlschorus.org .

Los Angeles Children's Chorus (LACC), led by highly regarded Artistic Director Anne Tomlinson and acclaimed for its agile bel canto sound that has made it one of the nation's most in-demand children's choirs, announces its 2014-15 season, entitled "Celebrating American Song...California and Beyond."

In announcing the first season of concerts curated under her artistic directorship Lisa Bielawa has made public details of the 40-voice, Grammy Award-winning San Francisco Girls Chorus 2014-2015 season. The season of five programs will run October 4, 2014 through June 5, 2015 and be capped off by a tour to Nordic countries including Estonia, Finland and Sweden. The season concerts will be conducted by Music Director Valerie Sainte-Agathe and will highlight music by Amy Beach, Lili Boulanger, Carla Kihlstedt Schubert, Beethoven, Handel, Vaughan Williams, Ralf Yusuf Gawlick, Philip Glass, John Adams, John Cage, Lou Harrison, Meredith Monk and others and feature guest artists including pianistJon Nakamatsu and violinist/composer Carla Kihlstedt. Of particular note will be the West Coast premiere of Kinderkreuzzug (2010), an anti-war cantata by German-Turkish composer Ralf Yusuf Gawlick set on a 1941 poem by Bertoldt Brecht. In addition to the annual Davies Hall holiday concert, the Girls Chorus this year will collaborate with New Century Chamber Orchestra for seasonal performances. For more information, visit www.sfgirlschorus.org.

The Los Angeles Master Chorale (LAMC) concludes its year long 50th Anniversary Season celebration on Sunday, June 8, 2014, 7 pm, at Walt Disney Concert Hall, with 'Today, Tomorrow & Beyond,' a forward-looking program conducted by Music Director Grant Gershon featuring the world premieres of three works commissioned by the acclaimed choir in honor of its 50th jubilee.

The Los Angeles Master Chorale (LAMC) has announced that eminent Music Director Grant Gershon will continue his key leadership role at the choir's helm through the 2019-2020 season, which will be his 19th season with the chorus, with the new title of Artistic Director effective July 1, 2014, according to LAMC Chair David Gindler.

The Los Angeles Children's Chorus (LACC), considered one of the world's leading children's choirs, has received Chorus America's 2014 Margaret Hillis Award for Choral Excellence, the nation's top award for choral music. This extremely prestigious, one-time award is presented annually to an ensemble that demonstrates artistic excellence, a strong organizational structure and a commitment to outreach, educational and culturally diverse activities. Music Director Anne Tomlinson, who studied with Hillis at Northwestern University, will accept the award on behalf of LACC at a luncheon in Washington, D.C., June 12. News of the award comes in conjunction with the chorus announcing the details of its Spring Concert on May 11 and 18, 7 pm, at Pasadena Presbyterian Church.

The Los Angeles Children's Chorus (LACC), considered one of the world's leading children's choirs, has received Chorus America's 2014 Margaret Hillis Award for Choral Excellence, the nation's top award for choral music. This extremely prestigious, one-time award is presented annually to an ensemble that demonstrates artistic excellence, a strong organizational structure and a commitment to outreach, educational and culturally diverse activities. Music Director Anne Tomlinson, who studied with Hillis at Northwestern University, will accept the award on behalf of LACC at a luncheon in Washington, D.C., June 12. News of the award comes in conjunction with the chorus announcing the details of its Spring Concert on May 11 and 18, 7 pm, at Pasadena Presbyterian Church.

The Los Angeles Master Chorale (LAMC) continues its epic 50th Anniversary Season with a heartfelt two-part tribute to National Medal of Arts recipient Morten Lauridsen, the choir's Composer In Residence from 1995 to 2001, the composer most closely associated with the renowned chorus and the most frequently performed American choral composer in modern history. The tribute begins with an exclusive screening of the award-winning documentary film 'Shining Night: A Portrait of Composer Morten Lauridsen' and post-screening conversation with Lauridsen, film director Michael Stillwater and LAMC Music Director Grant Gershon tonight, March 14, 2014, 8 pm, at the historic Alex Theatre in Glendale.

The Los Angeles Master Chorale (LAMC) continues its epic 50th Anniversary Season with a heartfelt two-part tribute to National Medal of Arts recipient Morten Lauridsen, the choir's Composer In Residence from 1995 to 2001, the composer most closely associated with the renowned chorus and the most frequently performed American choral composer in modern history. The tribute begins with an exclusive screening of the award-winning documentary film "Shining Night: A Portrait of Composer Morten Lauridsen" and post-screening conversation with Lauridsen, film director Michael Stillwater and LAMC Music Director Grant Gershon on Friday, March 14, 2014, 8 pm, at the historic Alex Theatre in Glendale. The tribute concludes with the Chorale's highly anticipated all-Lauridsen concert featuring some of his most well known works conducted by Gershon with one work accompanied by composer himself on piano on Sunday, March 16, 2014, 7 pm, at Walt Disney Concert Hall.

Los AngeLes Children's Chorus, acclaimed for its pure, agile, Bel Canto sound that has made it one of the most in-demand children's choirs in the county, spotlights the music of Benjamin Britten and the English choral tradition and also performs a compelling array of music from around the globe at its popular annual Winter Concert tonight, December 7, 7 PM, and Sunday, December 8, 2013, 7:30 PM, at Pasadena Presbyterian Church.

The five-time Grammy-winning San Francisco Girls Chorus-Lisa Bielawa, Artistic Director, and Valerie Sainte-Agathe, Music Director and Principal Conductor-- will present two holiday concerts, today, December 6 and the 22nd at First Congregational Church in Berkeley and Davies Symphony Hall in San Francisco, respectively.

Los Angeles Children's Chorus, acclaimed for its pure, agile, bel canto sound that has made it one of the most in-demand children's choirs in the county, spotlights the music of Benjamin Britten and the English choral tradition and also performs a compelling array of music from around the globe at its popular annual Winter Concert on Saturday, December 7, 7 PM, and Sunday, December 8, 2013, 7:30 PM, at Pasadena Presbyterian Church. The repertoire includes Benjamin Britten's Ceremony of Carols, Friday Afternoons and selections from his extensive collection of folksong settings, as well as a selection of English carols and cathedral anthems from Sir David Willc*cks, John Rutter and others.

The five-time Grammy-winning San Francisco Girls Chorus will open its 2013-2014 35th anniversary season tonight, November 3, 2013, at 7 pm at Marines' Memorial Theatre in San Francisco with a concert of music both French and French-inspired, conducted by new Music Director and Principal Conductor Valerie Sainte-Agathe.

The trailblazing Los Angeles Master Chorale launches its milestone 50th Season tonight, September 22, 2013, 7 pm, at Walt Disney Concert Hall, with a spectacular retrospective concert conducted by the Kiki & David Gindler Music Director Grant Gershon celebrating the rich history and inspiring artistry of the extraordinary musical organization.

The five-time Grammy-winning San Francisco Girls Chorus-Lisa Bielawa, Artistic Director, and Valerie Sainte-Agathe, Music Director and Principal Conductor-- will present two holiday concerts,December 6 and 22 at First Congregational Church in Berkeley and Davies Symphony Hall in San Francisco, respectively. The 40-voice San Francisco Girls Chorus will present "Noel, Noel" Friday, December 6, at 8 pm at First Congregational featuring holiday favorites and an audience sing-along. These 40 award-winning young artists will be joined by the full complement of nearly 400 members of the San Francisco Girls Chorus School, from ages 5 to 18, for the annual Davies Hall holiday extravaganza, Sunday, December 22, at 8 pm. This year's edition, entitled "Hark, the Herald Angels Swing!" will feature the Marcus Shelby Quintet and Shelby's new arrangements of "Go Tell It On The Mountain" and "Hark the Herald" written especially for the San Francisco Girls Chorus plus other seasonal favorites and an audience sing-along. For more information, visit www.sfgirlschorus.org .