Performances Magazine | L.A. Master Chorale, December 2025 by California Media Group

holidays with the chorale

ENGLISH CATHEDRAL CHRISTMAS

Dec 14 at 7 pm

CAROLS FOR KIDS

Dec 20 at 11 am festival of carols

Dec 20at 2 pm

handel’s Messiah

Dec 21 at 7 pm

Messiah sing-along

Dec 22 at 7:30 pm

GRANT GERSHON

KIKI & DAVID GINDLER ARTISTIC DIRECTOR

JENNY WONG

ASSOCIATE ARTISTIC DIRECTOR

P1

Program

Cast, performances, who’s who, director’s notes and donors

6 In the Wings

Gustavo Dudamel leads Beethoven masterworks at Walt Disney Concert Hall; All the Devils at BroadStage; and new Theatre Commons performing-arts calendar.

14 The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

The holiday season sets the stage for festive programming fare.

20 Artistry Underfoot

Rugmaker Ben Soleimani threads his way through L.A. with Persian treasures and bold modern expressions.

28 Oh My Darling! Passion and creativity collide, and greatness emerges, at Sean Brock’s new Darling and its hi-fi listening lounge in West Hollywood.

40 Parting Thought

Performances’ program platform for shows and concerts can be accessed from any digital device.

Where the Cocktails Sleigh

PUBLISHER Jeff Levy

EDITOR

Benjamin Epstein

ART DIRECTOR

Carol Wakano

CONTIBUTING WRITERS

Roger Grody, Libby Slate, Caleb Wachs

PRODUCTION MANAGER

Glenda Mendez

PRODUCTION ARTIST

Diana Gonzalez

ADVERTISING DIRECTOR

Walter Lewis

ACCOUNT DIRECTORS

Kerry Baggett, Jean Greene, Liz Moore

CIRCULATION MANAGER Christine Noriega-Roessler

BUSINESS MANAGER

Leanne Killian Riggar

MARKETING/ PRODUCTION MANAGER

Dawn Kiko Cheng

DIGITAL MANAGER Lorenzo Dela Rama

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BEETHOVEN PLUS

GUSTAVO DUDAMEL, artistic director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, spotlights four Beethoven masterworks at Walt Disney Concert Hall in as many weeks. Programs Feb. 12-15 present an adaptation by playwright Jeremy O. Harris of Beethoven’s Egmont with Academy Award winner Cate Blanchett as narrator. They begin with the world premiere of Ricardo Lorenz’s Humboldt’s Nature, inspired by Beethoven contemporary Alexander von Humboldt; Yunchan Lim is soloist in Schumann’s Piano Concerto. Feb. 20-22, Dudamel leads the composer’s monumental Missa Solemnis with soprano Pretty Yende, mezzo-soprano Sarah Saturnino, tenor SeokJong Baek, bass Nicholas Brownlee and two choirs, Orfeó Català and Cor de Cambra del Palau de la Música Catalana. Beethoven’s Symphonies No. 7 and 6 (“Pastoral”) are featured at concerts Feb. 26-Mar. 1 and Mar. 5-8, respectively. 111 S. Grand Ave., downtown, 323.850.2000, laphil.com

MUSIC

Mezzo-soprano Sarah Saturnino. Top: L.A. Phil artistic director Gustavo Dudamel.

Lowly Devils, Lofty Music

THE WALL STREET Journal characterized Grammy Award winner Patrick Page as “a force of nature! One of America’s greatest classical actors.” Elsewhere dubbed

“the villain of Broadway,” Page never shies from exploring his dark side. As creator and star of The Devils are Here: How Shakespeare Invented the Villain, Jan. 15-25 at BroadStage, he focuses on the motivations of the Bard’s greatest miscreants, delivering a masterclass on the most terrifying subject of them all: human nature. Also at the venue, two Grammy Award-winning classical musicians—pianist Garrick Ohlsson and violist Richard O’Neill—offer works by Schubert and Rachmaninoff on Jan. 31. Ohlsson recently served as first-ever American jury head for the prestigious Chopin Competition in Warsaw; O’Neill is violist for the Takács Quartet. 1310 11th St., Santa Monica, 310.434.3200, broadstage.org

Patrick Page in The Devils are Here. Below from left: pianist Garrick Ohlsson and violist Richard O’Neill

“THE

IMPACT OF A DONOR’S GIFT IS AMPLIFIED BY ITS ABILITY TO CHANGE THE CITY”

The Music Center Foundation was established in 1973 by Dorothy Bu um Chandler to provide endowment support to The Music Center, its educational activities, dance programs, and its four Resident Company campus partners: Center Theatre Group, LA Master Chorale, LA Opera, and LA Philharmonic.

Lifting up the performing arts in Los Angeles is a unique opportunity that we can take on together. By making a gift through the Foundation, you can be a part of supporting inspirational new work that threads our community together through a vibrant, emotional connection to the performing arts.

In the spirit of Mrs. Chandler, the impact of a donor’s gift is ampliﬁed by its ability to change Los Angeles.

To learn more about how to leave a lasting legacy with the Music Center Foundation, contact Justin Marsh: 213-972-8046, jmarsh@musiccenterfoundation.org

For more information on the Music Center Foundation musiccenterfoundation.org

UNCOMMONLY EASY CALENDAR

LONG-STANDING THEATER

leaders and artists launch Theatre Commons LA (TCLA), a listings website serving the greater Los Angeles theater ecosystem. TheatreCommonsLA.org enables audiences to discover what’s playing on stages large and small without visiting dozens of theater websites. Listings can be filtered by date, location and genre. Want to know, for example, what’s

happening Dec. 12 downtown?

Enter “Dec. 12” and “downtown” and Ben Platt: Live at the Ahmanson pops up. The site’s steering committee includes Snehal Desai, Center Theatre Group; Danny Feldman, Pasadena Playhouse; Donna Simone Johnson, Watts Village Theatre Company; theater critic Mayank Keshaviah; Stefanie Lau, Artists at Play; and DeLanna Studi, Native Voices, among others.

Ben Platt: Live at the Ahmanson is among countless listings at the Theatre Commons website. Top: the Theatre Commons steering committee.

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

IF YOU’VE BEEN to The Nutcracker and thought, “If you’ve seen one Nutcracker, you’ve seen them all,” kindly think again.

The traditional version of the Tchaikovsky classic—about a little girl who receives a nutcracker on Christmas Eve and experiences all sorts of adventures when the toy comes to life—is certainly on view around Southern California this season. Productions include those by Westside Ballet at BroadStage in Santa Monica (through Dec. 7) and American Ballet Theatre at the Segerstrom Center in Costa Mesa (Dec. 11-21).

The holiday season sets the stage for festive programming. by LIBBY SLATE

“Nutcracker! Magical Christmas Ballet” and, below, the Drifters at La Mirada Theatre

Joy of Dance

Westside School of Ballet’s Summer Intensive and Children’s Themed Camps o er young dancers a summer ﬁlled with movement, music, and magic.

CHILDREN’S CAMPS Ages 4-7 JUNE 15 – JULY 31, 2026

SUMMER INTENSIVE Ages 8-19 JUNE 22 – JULY 31, 2026 S OFIANE S YLVE , A RTIST - IN -R ESIDENCE AT THE N ATIONAL B ALLET OF C ANADA , T ORONTO

But there’s also Nutcracker! Magical Christmas Ballet with ten-foot puppets and cirque-like acrobatics at La Mirada Theatre in La Mirada (Dec. 21); Los Angeles Ballet’s SoCal-set Nutcracker at UCLA’s Royce Hall (Dec. 12-14) and Hollywood’s Dolby Theatre (Dec. 19-28); Debbie Allen’s Hot Chocolate Nutcracker at the Redondo Beach Performing Arts Center (Dec. 4-14) and a jazzy Duke Ellington concert version of The Nutcracker Suite, performed by the Los Angeles

Philharmonic at the Walt Disney Concert Hall downtown (Dec. 18-21).

’Tis the season for sugar plum fairies and Ebenezer Scrooges as well as candlelit Hanukkah menorahs and Kwanzaa kinaras. When it comes to performances, how do those who program decide what fare to serve on the holiday menu? What’s the magic mix of age-appealing and traditional and contemporary offerings—and on the flip side, what’s not holiday apropos?

“I’m looking to serve a variety of audiences or demographics in our programming for the holiday period,” says BT McNicholl, producing artistic director at La Mirada Theatre. “Something for families, something for seniors, something for adults who might come with or without kids.”

The schedule includes Christmas with the Drifters, featuring current members of the 1950s-‘60s pop/R&B vocal group, for the senior demographic on Dec. 7, and 1990s-to-the-present alternative rock band Sixpence None the Richer Dec. 12 for a

Los Angeles Master Chorale Festival of Carols at Walt Disney Concert Hall. Below: Angel Estrella in Navidad en México at La Mirada Theatre

JAMIE PHAM AND, BELOW, COURTESY LA MIRADA THEATRE

YOU’RE HERE.

Congrats, You’ve Picked a Great Performance! Check out the interactive version of this theater program magazine and enjoy even more insight into the performers, creative talent and theater activities that are behind it all.

LINKS TO PERFORMERS’ SOCIAL MEDIA ACCOUNTS

MULTI - MEDIA PRESENTATIONS ABOUT THE PERFORMANCE.

UNDERSTUDY UPDATES

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UPCOMING SHOWS AND CONCERTS AROUND TOWN

INSIDER SCOOPS FROM THEATER AND MUSIC PROFESSIONALS

It’s the new way to read the program, it’s

FEATURE

slightly younger group.

Ballet Folklórico Mexicano de Carlos Moreno’s family-festive Navidad en México, Dec. 14, has played La Mirada for five years. McNicholl doesn’t program The Nutcracker every year and when he does he chooses different companies.

“It’s diminishing returns after a while,” he says. “By withholding it every now and again, it becomes fresh again and creates a sense of anticipation. And presenting different productions means [the audience is] discovering the same piece in a new way.”

Not everything is a slam dunk. A Carpenters tribute band that had been well

received in a regular concert returned for a Christmas show that left audiences disappointed;

the real-life duo was not known for its own holiday music. And McNicholl wouldn’t book a comedian

Pasadena Symphony and Pops holiday concert

or a politically themed show during the holidays.

For Grant Gershon, artistic director of the Los Angeles Master Chorale, holiday programming is a mix of “programs that really lean into the traditional, popular, familiar carols, that embrace the holidays, and other programs where we look at different aspects of the season—different composers and repertoires, so that we keep things fresh from year to year.”

The familiar at Disney Hall includes the annual Festival of Carols (Dec. 20), which combines perennial favorites and less familiar works, Handel’s Messiah (Dec. 21) and the Messiah Sing-Along (Dec. 22).

The new offering is English Cathedral Christmas, featuring music from the 1500s on at Disney Hall (Dec.

FEATURE

14) and, in a new partnership, at BroadStage in Santa Monica (Dec. 13). Previous concerts have celebrated music of the Americas, Europe, Nigeria, Kenya, China, Korea and other locales.

Of the multi-decade Messiah Sing-Along, Gershon says, “The communal experience of singing this classic and its ‘Hallelujah Chorus’ with 2,000 people—there’s something so joyous and uplifting and life-affirming, all these things that we’re looking for in the arts and at this time of year.”

Carols and traditional and untraditional seasonal

songs “are all fun to sing— and they all feel really good to sing together.”

The mix of first-time and veteran soloists, he notes, also energizes

the program.

New this year is a morning program at Disney Hall, Carols for Kids (Dec. 20), which presents holiday classics

as well as lobby activities for the youngest patrons. The show was inspired in part by a baby boom among Master Chorale /

Los Angeles Jewish Health...Energizing Senior Life!

Kim Eung Hwa and Korean Dance Company

welcome

SCOTT ALTMAN, PRESIDENT & CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

Dear Friend of the Master Chorale,

I am delighted to welcome you to Walt Disney Concert Hall for holidays with the Master Chorale! This season we are thrilled to share five incredible holiday concerts with all of you—English Cathedral Christmas, Handel’s Messiah, Messiah Sing-Along, Festival of Carols and the brand-new Carols for Kids. Plus, we can’t forget our free community event—Carols on the Plaza! From the youngest music lovers in the family to the generations of families who make Handel’s Messiah an annual holiday tradition, there truly is nothing to compare to the joy of celebrating the season in song.

As we reflect on the past year, the Master Chorale has so many accomplishments and milestones to celebrate. Just last month, the Master Chorale was nominated for not one, but two Grammy awards for Best Choral Performance—for Billy Child’s world premiere, In The Arms Of The Beloved, conducted by Kiki & David Gindler Artistic Director, which featured violinist Anne Akiko Meyers and Gabriela Ortiz’s Yanga, conducted by Gustavo Dudamel, Music & Artistic Director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic and Grant Gershon as chorus master. This is the first time in Master Chorale history that the organization has been nominated twice in one category. The winners will be announced at the 2026 Grammys in February. In addition to this incredible honor, the Master

Chorale also recently wrapped up a transformative tour to Taiwan. We had such a remarkable time at the Taipei National Concert Hall, where Master Chorale singers performed Mahler’s Symphony No. 2 with artists from the Austrian concert choir, Wiener Singverein, and the LA Phil, conducted by Gustavo Dudamel. Closer to home, we continued our commitment to our innovative education programs, reaching thousands of local children with Youth Chorus LA, High School Choir Festival, the Oratorio Project and Voices Within. These are just a few of the many wonderful highlights of the past year.

These remarkable opportunities to share the Master Chorale’s peerless artistry with the world would not be possible without you—our dedicated supporters and patrons. We are so grateful for your commitment to our mission of sharing the evolving spectrum of choral music with the world, but the work is just beginning. Please consider supporting the Master Chorale with a year-end gift by December 31, 2025, and help us reach new heights in 2026.

I wish you a joyous holiday season and a happy new year.

Scott Altman President & Chief Executive Officer

PHOTO CREDIT: AARON CONWAY

grant gershon

KIKI & DAVID GINDLER ARTISTIC DIRECTOR

Hailed for his adventurous and bold artistic leadership, Grant Gershon, Kiki & David Gindler Artistic Director, celebrates his 24th season with the Los Angeles Master Chorale, which he transformed into the “bestby-far major chorus in America” (Los Angeles Times).

In 2022, Grant and the Chorale received the Grammy Award for Best Choral Performance, followed by Chorus America’s 2022 Korn Founders Award for his career-spanning leadership in the field of choral music.

In July of 2023, Grant and the Chorale made a triumphant return to the famed Salzburg Festival with Music to Accompany a Departure (Heinrich Schütz), directed by Peter Sellars. About the performances, the Süddeutsche Zeitung declared “Everything is warmth, radiance and emotion,” and the Augsburger Allgemein wrote “And what a choir! Flawless intonation . . . light-flooded transparency and an almost unearthly tonal richness.” In the 2023/24 season, the Chorale toured this groundbreaking production to Chicago, Toronto, and Stanford University, and took it to Brussels and Paris in June of 2025.

Grant enjoys a close working relationship with many of the leading composers of our time, including his long-time collaborator, John Adams. Grant led the world premiere performances of Adams’s opera Girls of the Golden West with the San Francisco Opera, and his theater piece I Was Looking at the Ceiling and Then I Saw the Sky for the Lincoln Center Festival. Adams wrote his two-piano masterpiece Hallelujah Junction specifically for Grant, who premiered it with fellow pianist Gloria Cheng. Grant also led the world premieres of two operas that have quickly become classics: Daniel Catán’s Il Postino (LA Opera) and Ricky Ian Gordon’s The Grapes of Wrath (Minnesota Opera). With the Chorale, he has led countless premieres of works by composers including Esa-Pekka Salonen,

Steve Reich, Tania Léon, Reena Esmail, Gabriela Lena Frank, and Louis Andriessen, among many others.

In addition to the Grammy Award-winning (Best Choral Performance) Mahler: Symphony No. 8 with Gustavo Dudamel and the LA Philharmonic, Grant’s discography with the Chorale includes recordings of music by Nico Muhly, Henryk Górecki, David Lang, and Steve Reich for Decca, Nonesuch, and Cantaloupe Records. He has also led the Chorale in performances for several major motion picture soundtracks, including, at the request of John Williams, Star Wars: The Last Jedi and The Rise of Skywalker. On film he has conducted Gianni Schicchi and Il Postino with LA Opera for Sony Classical.

As resident conductor of LA Opera, Grant led the acclaimed West Coast premiere of Philip Glass’s Satyagraha. He made his company debut with a rapturously received run of La Traviata in 2009, and subsequently conducted productions of Il Postino, Madama Butterfly, Carmen, Florencia en el Amazonas, Wonderful Town, The Tales of Hoffmann and The Pearl Fishers, among others. Grant has frequently led opera performances with the National Symphony Orchestra at Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts.

In New York, Grant has appeared at Carnegie Hall, Alice Tully Hall and at the historic Trinity Wall Street. He has been featured on the Great Performers series at Lincoln Center and the Making Music series at Zankel Hall. Other major appearances include performances at the Ravinia, Aspen, Edinburgh, Helsinki, Salzburg and Vienna festivals; Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires, the Barbican in London and the Paris Philharmonie. He has had the honor of working closely with numerous legendary conductors including Claudio Abbado, Pierre Boulez, James Conlon, Gustavo Dudamel, Zubin Mehta, Simon Rattle, and his mentor, Esa-Pekka Salonen.

los angeles master chorale

For over 60 years, the 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 Chorale reaches more than 175,000 people a year through its concert series at Walt Disney Concert Hall, its international touring of innovative works and its performances with the Los Angeles Philharmonic and others.

Led by Grant Gershon, Kiki & David Gindler Artistic Director; Associate Artistic Director Jenny Wong; and President & CEO Scott Altman, the Master Chorale was named “the finest-by-far major chorus in America” by the Los Angeles Times. From intimate performances with just six or eight singers to full-scale collaborations featuring 100 voices, it consistently thrills audiences with its versatility and artistic depth, performing early choral works alongside pop classics and modern pieces as well as exclusive commissions from the world’s most innovative composers.

Voices of Master Chorale singers have been featured on numerous film scores including Star Wars: The Last Jedi and The Rise of Skywalker, Wicked, How to Train Your Dragon, Fantastic Four, and Superman (2025) as well as on the 2025 Academy Awards, which was broadcast to over 19 million viewers around the world.

Recently, the Chorale toured its productions Heinrich Schütz’s Music to Accompany a Departure and Orlando di Lasso’s Lagrime di San Pietro, both directed by Peter Sellars, earning rave reviews across the globe. Süddeutsche Zeitung called performance of Lagrime di San Pietro “painfully beautiful,” while the Sydney Morning Herald praised Lagrime di San Pietro as “stunning … Their voices soared to the heavens.” After the Chorale performed in London, The Stage called Lagrime a “balm for the soul.” In his review of Music to Accompany a Departure, Mark Swed of the Los Angeles Times called the Chorale’s performance, “transcendent” and “incomparably moving.”

Created by legendary conductor Roger Wagner in 1964, the Chorale is a founding resident company of The Music Center and choir-inresidence at Walt Disney Concert Hall. It has an industry-defining commitment to fostering new music and has commissioned composers including Louis Andriessen, Jeff Beal, Eve Beglarian, Reena Esmail, Gabriella Lena Frank, Shawn Kirchner, David Lang, Morten Lauridsen, Tania Leon, Meredith Monk, Steve Reich, Ellen Reid, Esa-Pekka Salonen, Derrick Skye, Moira Smiley, Dale Trumbore, Chinary Ung and Eric Whitacre. In 2023, the Chorale launched 25 in 5 , an initiative to commission 25 new works over the course of 5 seasons. Composers featured in this series to date include Doug Aitken, Billy Childs, Saunder Choi, Jason Max Ferdinand, Ernesto Herrera, Marques L. A. Garrett, Zanaida Stewart Robles, Carlos Simon, Rufus Wainwright and Hyowon Woo. The Chorale also enjoys a close relationship with the Los Angeles Philharmonic. In this role, the Chorale has appeared on numerous recent Grammy Award-winning recordings with Gustavo Dudamel, including Mahler’s 8th Symphony, Gabriela Ortiz’ Revolución diamantina , and Thomas Ades’ Dante

The Master Chorale’s renowned education programs include Voices Within residencies, where students find their creative voices to write and perform their own songs, and the expansive Oratorio Project for high school students. The Chorale also presents the annual High School Choir Festival, a yearlong program that culminates with teenagers from around the Southland performing in Walt Disney Concert Hall. In May 2025, the High School Choir Festival celebrated 36 years as one of the longestrunning and widest-reaching arts education programs in Southern California. The Chorale’s newest education program, Youth Chorus LA , launched in the 2024/25 season bringing free music and choral lessons to students grades 3 to 6, which prepares future generations of choral singers and uplifts communities through the transformative power of choral music.

ENGLISH CATHEDRAL CHRISTMAS

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 14, 2025 AT 7 PM

WALT DISNEY CONCERT HALL

GRANT GERSHON

Kiki & David Gindler Artistic Director

JENNY WONG

Associate Artistic Director

LOS ANGELES MASTER CHORALE

GRANT GERSHON, conductor

LISA EDWARDS, organ

Pastime with Good Company Henry VIII (1491–1547)

Hosanna to the Son of David Thomas Weelkes (1576–1623)

O nata lux de lumine Thomas Tallis (1505–1585)

Alleluya Thomas Tallis

Of a Rose Cecilia McDowall

Before the Paling of the Stars

Cecilia McDowall

Now May We Singen Cecilia McDowall

Bethlehem Down Peter Warlock (1894–1930)

The Lamb John Tavener (1944–2013)

This Day Christ Was Born William Byrd (1538–1623)

Wassail Song English Folk Song arr. Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872–1958)

Love Came Down at Christmas Robert A. Harris Graycen Gardner, soprano*

I Love All Beauteous Things

Sing Lullaby

Judith Weir

Herbert Howells (1892–1983)

The Holly and the Ivy Traditional English Carol arr. Ola Gjeilo

Lucis Creator optime Marques L. A. Garrett

The First Nowell Traditional Carol Edmond Rodriguez, tenor* arr. Ralph Vaughan Williams

Glorious, Glorious Dale Trumbore

A Babe Is Born

* 25/26 jennifer diener soloists

William Mathias (1934–1992)

This program is made possible by the Dan Murphy Foundation, The Blue Ribbon, the Z. Wayne Griffin and Elinor Remick Warren Choral Classics Fund and the Jennifer Diener Soloist Fund.

LOS

Acknowledgments

The Los Angeles Master Chorale acknowledges our presence on the ancestral and unceded territory of the Gabrieleno/Tongva people and their neighbors, including the Tataviam, Serrano, Kizh and Chumash peoples, whose ancestors ruled the region we now call Southern California for at least 9,000 years. We recognize that settler colonization led to dispossession, displacement and trauma, and that the impacts of these systems continue to affect Indigenous peoples today. We pay respects to the members and elders of these communities, past and present, who remain stewards, caretakers, and steadfast advocates of these lands, river systems and ocean waters.

We thank the following 2025/26 Season presenting sponsors for their generous support: Terri and Jerry Kohl; the Perenchio Foundation; the Z. Wayne Griffin and Elinor Remick Warren Choral Classics Fund; the Jennifer Diener Soloist Fund; Bryant, Judi, and Debra Danner; Kiki Ramos Gindler and David Gindler; Cheryl Petersen and Roger Lustberg; Tom Strickler; Courtland Palmer; Miles Benickes; James R. Mulally; Ron Myrick; the Andrea and Gregory Williams Collaborating Artists Fund; and the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors through the Department of Arts and Culture.

25 in 5 is made possible by the Joan and Jeff Beal Artistic Innovation Fund, the Susan Erburu Reardon and George Reardon Commissioning Fund, James R. Mulally, and Marla Borowski.

AmaWaterways is the Official River Cruise Line of the Los Angeles Master Chorale.

IN-KIND AND MEDIA PARTNERS

Your use of a ticket acknowledges your willingness to appear in photographs taken in public areas of The Music Center and releases the Center and its lessees and others from liability resulting from use of such photographs. Use of any phones, cameras, or recording devices is prohibited during the performance.

Program and artists subject to change. Latecomers will be seated at the discretion of House Management.

Members of the audience who leave during the performance will be escorted back into the concert hall at the sole discretion of House Management.

ARTIST MANAGEMENT

The Los Angeles Master Chorale is exclusively represented worldwide by Opus 3 Artists.

Light Through Stone: An English Cathedral Christmas

THOMAS MAY

Imagine yourself in the acoustic of an English cathedral: stone, candlelight, and voices carrying a tradition that runs from medieval chant through the Tudor court to living composers. That arc—“the great, unbroken tradition of British choral works from the 16th century to the present”—is the frame for this program. Grant Gershon designed it to highlight both “the Tudor tradition and roots of English choral music” and “the present-day flowering of English (and English-inspired) music.”

History remembers Henry VIII more as a tyrant, but behind his axe was a surprisingly able musician. Pastime with Good Company, from early in his reign, shows the youthful king writing lively, singable melodies that spread beyond his court.

A gifted madrigalist associated with Chichester Cathedral, Thomas Weelkes was notorious for public drunkenness yet revered for his craft. His six-voice Hosanna to the Son of David exemplifies the “full anthem” style of the early 17th century—a form for unaccompanied choir in which all voices sing throughout—creating a rich, continuous texture of antiphonal praise.

Thomas Tallis stands at the root of this sound. His career spanned four monarchs and the violent swings between Catholic and Protestant taste. O nata lux de lumine (c. 1575) is a late, fivepart jewel of luminous homophony, its flashes of unexpected harmony heightening the text. Alleluya, probably from the 1530s and associated with the “Lady Mass,” comes from much earlier in his career and lets treble voices soar.

We jump forward several centuries to Cecilia McDowall, whom Gershon calls “a living link to

this English choral lineage.” “I was particularly drawn to the way that McDowall connects so directly to the roots of English choral music in these pieces,” he says. “Each of them has a sense of mystery, along with that combination of sonority and directness that characterizes the best of English music.” Of a Rose and Now May We Singen draw on medieval carols, while Before the Paling of the Stars sets a poem by Christina Rossetti. McDowall often writes in spare, linear textures that let the harmony glow without heaviness.

Peter Warlock’s Bethlehem Down (1927), written with poet Bruce Blunt to win a carol contest and finance a night of drinking, folds Tudor clarity into modern, slightly aching harmony. John Tavener’s The Lamb (1982), written in a single afternoon for his nephew, sets William Blake’s poem from Songs of Innocence using only seven notes. “I think the Sacred can happen anytime, in any place, in any genre,” Tavener said. Seeking what he called “the essence of music,” he strips the carol down to transparent, devotional stillness. In Blake, the Lamb is also Christ, offered up.

William Byrd brings us back to the late Tudor and early Stuart world from another angle. A Catholic recusant in Protestant England, he nevertheless served Elizabeth I and published with royal privilege. This Day Christ Was Born (1611) turns the Latin Magnificat antiphon Hodie Christus natus est into a joyous English anthem for six parts.

Ralph Vaughan Williams bridges eras and idioms. His 1913 arrangement of the traditional Gloucestershire Wassail Song preserves the old practice of trading carols for spiced ale and good cheer. Later in the program, his 1942 setting of The First Nowell, prepared under wartime constraints, treats a familiar carol as a kind of solace and duty.

Robert A. Harris’s Love Came Down at Christmas sets Christina Rossetti with graceful rhythmic lift—you can still feel the carol’s roots in dance and physical pulse. Judith Weir’s I Love All Beauteous Things (2016), written for St. Paul’s Cathedral to mark Queen Elizabeth II’s 90th birthday, moves quickly and cleanly on a text by Robert Bridges; Weir points to Bridges as “an outstanding humanitarian and writer.”

Herbert Howells’s Sing Lullaby (1920) sets a poem by his friend F. W. Harvey. The carol’s gentle rocking motion evokes falling snow and a mother’s song, shadowed by the foreshadowing of the Passion. Ola Gjeilo’s arrangement of The Holly and the Ivy offers a sonically cinematic transformation of a traditional English carol, while Marques L. A. Garrett’s Lucis Creator optime combines an ancient Vespers chant

attributed to St. Gregory the Great with the rhythmic uplift of the spiritual Let the Heaven Light Shine on Me

Dale Trumbore’s Glorious, Glorious, by a composer deeply connected to the LA Master Chorale, draws its text from Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol. Gershon calls it “the perfect distillation of Dickens’ brilliant epilogue,” capturing what Trumbore describes as the “resolve to honor the past, present, and future by living a joyful, compassionate life every day.”

William Mathias’s A Babe Is Born (1971), commissioned by the Cardiff Polyphonic Choir, reimagines a medieval carol with rhythmic vitality and radiant color, affirming that the carol tradition—and the English choral voice itself—remain ever-renewing sources of light.

Thomas May is the program annotator for the Los Angeles Master Chorale.

That which unites us makes us stronger. Experience Henryk Górecki’s Miserere, a work of compassion and humanity inspired by the Polish Solidarity movement of the 1980s. Plus! A world premiere from five-time Emmy-winning composer and musician Jeff Beal.

los angeles master chorale

SOPRANO

Tamara Bevard

Christina Bristow

Harriet Fraser

Graycen Gardner

Kelci Hahn

Karen Hogle Brown

Elissa Johnston

JuHye Kim

Caroline McKenzie

Alina Roitstein

Anna Schubert

Holly Sedillos

Sunmi Shin

Kathryn Shuman

Suzanne Waters

ALTO

Anna Caplan

Janelle DeStefano

Carmen Edano

Zineb Fikri

Michele Hemmings

Hannah Little

Sarah Lynch

Adriana Manfredi

Julia Metzler

Lindsay Patterson Abdou

Laura Smith Roethe

Jessie Shulman

Niké St. Clair

Ilana Summers

Tracy Van Fleet

Elyse Willis

TENOR

Casey Breves

Matthew Brown

Bradley Chapman

Adam Faruqi

Jon Lee Keenan

Dermot Kiernan

Charlie Kim

Joey Krumbein

Charles Lane

Michael Lichtenauer

Matthew Miles

David Morales

Roham Ramanan

Evan Roberts

Edmond Rodriguez

BASS

Derrell Acon

Michael Bannett

Mark Beasom

David Castillo

Kevin Dalbey

Dylan Gentile

Scott Graff

David Dong-Geun Kim

Luc Kleiner

Chung Uk Lee

Ben Han-Wei Lin

Brett McDermid

Adrien Redford

Mark Edward Smith

Lorenzo Zapata

Shuo Zhai

The Artists of the Los Angeles Master Chorale are represented by the American Guild of Musical Artists, AFL-CIO, James Hayden, AGMA Delegate.

CAROLS FOR KIDS

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 20, 2025 AT 11 AM

WALT DISNEY CONCERT HALL

GRANT GERSHON

Kiki & David Gindler Artistic Director

JENNY WONG

Associate Artistic Director

LOS ANGELES MASTER CHORALE

GRANT GERSHON, conductor

SARAH GONZALEZ, conductor

LISA EDWARDS, piano

JOHN WEST, organ

ANDY ABAD, guitar

JOHN WAKEFIELD, percussion

Here We Come A-Wassailing

It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Jingle Bells ( singalong )

Rudolf the Red-nosed Reindeer ( singalong )

Deck the Hall

El burrito sabanero

Traditional English Wassail Song

George Wyle & Eddie Pola arr. Bob Krogstad

James Pierpont

Johnny Marks

Traditional arr. John Rutter

Hugo Blanco sung by Youth Chorus LA arr. Cristi Cary Miller

That’s Christmas to Me

Kevin Olusola & Scott Hoying sung by Youth Chorus LA arr. Audrey Snyder

Campanita de navidad

Honduran Villancico sung with Youth Chorus LA arr. David García Saldaña

Dreidel Song (Singalong)

Carol of the Bells

Feliz Navidad ( singalong )

The Twelve Days of Christmas

Santa Claus is Coming to Town ( singalong )

Mikhl Gelbart & Samuel Goldfarb

Mykola Leontovich arr. Peter J. Wilhousky

Jose Feliciano

Traditional English Carol arr. John Rutter

J. Fred Coots

A Merry Christmas Traditional arr. Arthur Warrell

festival of carols

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 20, 2025 AT 2 PM

WALT DISNEY CONCERT HALL

GRANT GERSHON

Kiki & David Gindler Artistic Director

JENNY WONG

Associate Artistic Director

LOS ANGELES MASTER CHORALE

GRANT GERSHON, conductor

LISA EDWARDS, piano

JOHN WEST, organ

Here We Come A-Wassailing

Ding Dong! Merrily on High

Traditional English Wassail Song

French Carol arr. Carolyn Jennings

Sing We Now of Christmas French Carol arr. Salli Terri

Aleih Neiri

Chaim Parchi Ayana Haviv, soprano* arr. Joshua Jacobson

It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Santa Claus is Coming to Town ( singalong )

Christmas Time Is Here (Charlie Brown Christmas)

Glorious, Glorious

Brightest and Best

Glory, Glory, Glory to the Newborn King

George Wyle & Eddie Pola arr. Bob Krogstad

J. Fred Coots

Lee Mendelson & Vince Guaraldi arr. Steve Zegree

Dale Trumbore

Southern Harmony arr. Shawn Kirchner

Traditional Spiritual Caroline McKenize, soprano* arr. Moses Hogan

INTERMISSION

LOS ANGELES MASTER CHORALE

Come In, Come In

Campanita de navidad

En lo más azul del cielo

Abbie Betinis

Honduran Villancico arr. David García Saldaña

Emilio Dublanc arr. Ariel Quintana

Carol of the Bells Mykola Leontovich arr. Peter J. Wilhousky

Angels We Have Heard on High French Carol arr. Donald McCullough

Jingle Bells ( singalong ) James Pierpont

O Holy Night Adolphe Adam arr. Shawn Kirchner

The Twelve Days of Christmas Traditional English Carol arr. John Rutter

He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands Traditional Spiritual Charlie Kim, tenor* arr. Cedric Dent

* 25/26 jennifer diener soloists

This program is made possible by generous support from AmaWaterways, the Official River Cruise Line of the Los Angeles Master Chorale; the Z. Wayne Griffin and Elinor Remick Warren Choral Classics Fund; and the Jennifer Diener Soloist Fund.

translations

Aleih neiri, aleih haneir, haeir chadri, chadri haeir.

ALEIH NEIRI

BY CHAIM PARCHI

Aleih neiri, aleih uz’rach, l’yeled kat, l’na’ar rach, l’yeled kat, l’na’ar rach, l’na’ar rach.

Aleih neiri, aleih haneir, haeir chadri, chadri haeir. Hayom li chag a gil es’mach, aleih neiri, aleih uz’rach, aleih neiri, aleih uz’rach, uz’rach.

Aleih neiri, aleih haneir, ha’eir chadri ha’eir.

Aleih neiri, aleih maher, al rov nisim saper, saper. Aleih neiri, aleih, aleih.

Aleih neiri, aleih haneir, ha’eir chadri, chadri ha’eir.

Al Macabi b’oz ni-l’cham, geireish oyeiv ga’al ha’am. Geiresih oyeiv ga’al ha’am, ha’am.

EN LO MAS AZUL DEL CIELO

BY EMILIO DUBLANC

En lo más azul del cielo se paseaba una doncella; en la frente una corona, en la mano una azucena. De un tronco fre la rama, de la rama fue la flor; de la flor nació María; de María, el Redentor. Al crystal cruzó un destello, mass u faz no la empañó; así concibió María y doncella se quedo.

In the deepest blue of sky, a maid was walking. She wore a crown, and in her hand [was] a white lily. From the trunk, grew a branch, from the branch a flower [came], from the flower, Mary was born, and from Mary, [came] the Redeemer.

A beam of light shone through the crystal, yet its face was not clouded.

This is how Mary conceived, and remained [ever-virgin].

Rise up, my light, raise the candle, light my room, my room alight. Rise up, my light, rise up and shine, for a small child, for a young boy. For a small child, for a young boy.

Rise up, my light, raise the candle, light my room, my room alight.

Today I have a holiday, I will be joyous and celebrate, rise up, my light, rise up and shine. Rise up, my light rise up and shine.

Rise up, my light, raise the candle; light up my room, my room alight. Rise up, my light, rise fast, tell, tell about the many miracles. Rise up, my light, arise.

Rise up, my light, raise the candle, light up my room, my room alight. About a Maccabee fighting strong banishing those who would hurt our people. Banishing those who would hurt our people.

CAMPANITA DE NAVIDAD HONDURAN VILLANCICO

Se oye el eco de alegres campanas

Anunciando el niñito Jesús. Entre cantos y aromas de ensueño

Ha llegado nuestro redentor. Campanita de amor. Campanita de paz. Hoy se escucha armoniosa tu voz celestial, Campanita de navidad.

Hear the echoes of merry bells ringing! Now’s the birth of our littlest Jesus. Cheer with heavenly songs and aromas! Our redeemer has come to this world. Bell of holiest love! Bell of holiest peace! Let us demonstrate heavenly kindness on earth

With this holiest Christmas bell.

los angeles master chorale

SOPRANO

April Amante

Christina Bristow

Harriet Fraser

Graycen Gardner

Ayana Haviv

Karen Hogle Brown

Sarah Lonsert

Caroline McKenzie

Alina Roitstein

Anna Schubert

Holly Sedillos

Sunmi Shin

Chloé Vaught

Suzanne Waters

Andrea Zomorodian

ALTO

Lindsay Patterson Abdou

Garineh Avakian

Anna Caplan

Carmen Edano

Michele Hemmings

Callista Hoffman

Campbell

Sharon Chohi Kim

Sharmila G. Lash

Sarah Lynch

Adriana Manfredi

Julia Metzler

Alice Kirwan Murray

Niké St. Clair

Kimberly Switzer

Tracy Van Fleet

Elyse Willis

TENOR

Casey Breves

Matthew Brown

Adam Faruqi

Dermot Kiernan

Charlie Kim

Shawn Kirchner

Joey Krumbein

Charles Lane

JJ Lopez

Sal Malaki

David Morales

Rohan Ramanan

Darita Seth

Todd Strange

Matthew Tresler

BASS

Derrell Acon

Michael Bannett

John Buffett

David Castillo

Dylan Gentile

Abdiel Gonzalez

Scott Graff

James Hayden

Jared Jones

Luc Kleiner

Chung Uk Lee

Ben Han-Wei Lin

Brett McDermid

Adrien Redford

Mark Edward Smith

Lorenzo Zapata

The Artists of the Los Angeles Master Chorale are represented by the American Guild of Musical Artists, AFL-CIO, James Hayden, AGMA Delegate.

soloists

AYANA HAVIV SOPRANO

Ayana Haviv has been described by the Los Angeles Times as “one of those unique LA musicians who does it all” and “transfixing... a soprano Dr. Who who could channel the ancient unknown.” Ayana has sung on over 200 film, TV, and video game scores including solos in Star Trek: Discovery and Picard, Snow White, and Call of Duty: Black Ops, and choir for Wicked, Superman, and Frozen 2, in styles ranging from Middle Eastern to pop to animation characters. She has sung in LA Opera Chorus for 19 seasons and LA Master Chorale for 2. In the last year, she has sung the solos from Gladiator from orchestras from San Francisco to Chile to Taiwan, as well as been one of 6 Pit Singers in Jesus Christ Superstar at the Hollywood Bowl. Past LAMC solos include Handel’s Messiah, Bach’s St. Matthew Passion, and Haydn’s Heilig Mass ayanahaviv.com

CAROLINE MCKENIZE SOPRANO

Caroline McKenzie is in her 18th season with the Los Angeles Master Chorale, with whom she has toured as an original cast member of John Adams’ The Gospel According to the Other Mary and David Lang’s before and after nature. Previous to joining LAMC, Ms. McKenzie sang as chorister and soloist with the Albert McNeil Jubilee Singers, Vox Femina Los Angeles, and the Angelus Chorale. Her recent off-campus work includes the quartet that inaugurated Karen Hogle Brown’s HERS concert series with a staged performance of Reena Esmail and Amy Fogerson’s Quarantine Madrigals. In April 2026, Ms. McKenzie will cover for Angel Blue as Wanda CooperJones in Dr. Alex Blake’s Running From, Running To, a meditation on the last moments Ahmaud Arbery. Ms. McKenzie sings “Glory, Glory, Glory to the Newborn King” on LAMC’s Christmas album, Festival of Carols. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Romance Languages from Princeton University. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband, Ken Robinson, and two cats, Panther and Amazin’ Grace.

HANDEL’S MESSIAH

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2025 AT 7 PM WALT DISNEY CONCERT HALL

GRANT GERSHON

Kiki & David Gindler Artistic Director

JENNY WONG

Associate Artistic Director

LOS ANGELES MASTER CHORALE

LOS ANGELES MASTER CHORALE ORCHESTRA GRANT GERSHON, conductor

Music by George Frideric Handel (1685–1759)

ANNA SCHUBERT*, soprano

LINDSAY PATTERSON ABDOU*, mezzo-soprano

JON LEE KEENAN*, tenor CHUNG UK LEE*, bass-baritone

* 25/26 jennifer diener soloists

MESSIAH

Part the First

Sinfonia Overture

Recitative (Mr. Keenan)

Aria (Mr. Keenan)

Comfort ye my people

Ev’ry valley shall be exalted Chorus

Recitative (Mr. Lee)

Aria (Mr. Lee)

And the glory of the Lord

Thus saith the Lord

But who may abide Chorus

Recitative (Ms. Patterson Abdou)

And He shall purify

Behold, a virgin shall conceive Aria/Chorus (Ms. Patterson Abdou and Chorus) O thou that tellest good tidings to Zion

Recitative (Mr. Lee)

Aria (Mr. Lee)

For behold, darkness shall cover the earth

The people who walked in darkness

Chorus For unto us a child is born Pifa

Pastoral Symphony

Recitative (Ms. Schubert)

There were shepherds abiding in the field

And lo, the angel of the Lord

And the angel said unto them

And suddenly, there was with the angel Chorus

Recitative (Ms. Schubert)

Recitative (Ms. Patterson Abdou)

Aria (Ms. Patterson Abdou)

Aria (Ms. Schubert)

Chorus

Glory to God in the highest

Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion

Then shall the eyes of the blind be opened

He shall feed his flock

Come unto Him

His yoke is easy

INTERMISSION

Part the Second

Chorus

Aria (Ms. Patterson Abdou)

Chorus

Recitative (Mr. Keenan)

Behold the Lamb of God

He was despised

Surely He hath borne our griefs

And with His stripes

All we like sheep

All they that see Him laugh Him to scorn Chorus He trusted in God

Recitative (Mr. Keenan)

Aria (Mr. Keenan)

Recitative (Mr. Keenan)

Aria (Mr. Keenan)

Chorus

Aria (Mr. Lee)

Chorus

Recitative (Mr. Keenan)

Aria (Mr. Keenan)

Chorus

Part the Third

Aria (Ms. Schubert)

Chorus

Recitative (Mr. Lee)

Aria (Mr. Lee)

Thy rebuke hath broken His heart

Behold, and see if there be any sorrow

He was cut off out of the land of the living

But Thou didst not leave His soul in hell

Lift up your heads, O ye gates

Why do the nations so furiously rage together

Let us break their bonds asunder

He that dwelleth in heaven

Thou shalt break them

Hallelujah

I know that my Redeemer liveth

Since by man came death

Behold, I tell you a mystery

The trumpet shall sound Chorus

Worthy is the Lamb

Chorus Amen

This program is made possible by the Z. Wayne Griffin and Elinor Remick Warren Choral Classics Fund and the Jennifer Diener Soloist Fund.

Handel’s Messiah: Light Out of Darkness

THOMAS MAY

Messiah charts the arc from humanity’s suspension in darkness to the fulfillment of its longing for redemption, framed through the story of the birth, death, and resurrection of Jesus. Though Messiah itself was conceived for Easter, its first part has long anchored the work’s place in the Christmas season. Endlessly adaptable, it thrives in performances of every scale, from chamber choirs to grand festivals.

Opera had been the source of Handel’s early fame after he arrived in London in 1711 as a young German immigrant. His first opera for the English stage, Rinaldo, made him an immediate sensation. But by the early 1740s, Handel was at a crossroads. The decline of Italian opera in London, coupled with financial strain and bouts of ill health, forced him to rethink his career.

By 1741, Handel had written his final Italian opera and was focusing his energies on Englishlanguage oratorios—dramatic in structure but intended for concert performance, without costumes or staging. Though many drew on Biblical texts and moral themes, these oratorios were not liturgical works. They were created for the theater, designed to engage both the public’s appetite for drama and the individual’s capacity for reflection.

During a ten-month residency in Dublin, beginning in November 1741, Handel experienced enormous success, culminating in the rapturous reception of Messiah at its world premiere just before Easter 1742. The new oratorio—composed in only 24 days—was praised for its “sublime, grand, and tender” effect on all who heard it.

Yet it was only when annual benefit performances for London’s newly established Foundling Hospital began in 1750 that Messiah gained steady popularity. Its association with the charity for abandoned children helped secure the work’s

place in English musical life. Handel continued to revise the score for available soloists and remained deeply involved in these revivals until his death in 1759.

As Grant Gershon observes, the human story behind this history still resonates: “Reading Charles King’s brilliant new book Every Valley really shifted my sense of Messiah,” he says. “He humanizes Handel and everyone present at its creation with such insight and empathy.”

The idea for Messiah came from Charles Jennens, a wealthy patron and devout Anglican known as a literary scholar and political outsider. Jennens assembled a libretto entirely from passages of Scripture—mainly the King James Bible, with a few from the Book of Common Prayer—proposing a meditation on the divine mystery of Christ’s role as Redeemer rather than a literal narrative. The result is divided into three “parts,” much like the structure of a Baroque opera: prophecy and the Nativity, the Passion and sacrifice, and the final triumph of resurrection, affirming humanity’s redemption.

Jennens’s collage of texts creates an implied narrative in which Christ is never personified but evoked through prophecy, reflection, and collective response. Part One culminates in radiant choral celebration at the birth of Christ, while Part Two centers on the Passion, reaching its summit in “He was despised” and the “Hallelujah” chorus (often mistaken for a celebration of the Resurrection, which in fact proclaims Christ’s eternal reign—the triumph of redemption already won).

Part Three completes the journey, as Handel’s music rises to its final vision of faith and renewal, closing in a great choral affirmation whose message of hope has made Messiah a touchstone of community.

los angeles master chorale

SOPRANO

Tamara Bevard

Christina Bristow

Harriet Fraser

Graycen Gardner

Karen Hogle Brown

JuHye Kim

Sarah Lonsert

Holly Sedillos

Sunmi Shin

Chloé Vaught

ALTO

Anna Caplan

Carmen Edano

Callista

Hoffman-Campbell

Wooyoung Kim

Adriana Manfredi

Cynthia Marty

Jessie Shulman

Niké St. Clair

Ilana Summers

Tracy Van Fleet

TENOR

Matthew Brown

Bradley Chapman

Dermot Kiernan

Bryan Lane

Kyuyoung Lee

Michael Lichtenauer

Sal Malaki

Matthew Miles

Robert Norman

Matt Thomas

BASS

Michael Bannett

Kevin Dalbey

Scott Graff

Jared Jones

David Dong-Geun Kim

Luc Kleiner

Brett McDermid

Steve Pence

Adrien Redford

Mark Edward Smith

The Artists of the Los Angeles Master Chorale are represented by the American Guild of Musical Artists, AFL-CIO, James Hayden, AGMA Delegate.

los angeles master chorale orchestra

VIOLIN I

Joel Pargman

Concertmaster

Carrie Kennedy

Associate Concertmaster

Margaret Wooten

Assistant Concertmaster

Florence Titmus

Leslie Katz

Nina Evtuhov

VIOLIN II

Elizabeth Hedman

Principal

Cynthia Moussas

Associate Principal

Linda Stone

Anna Kostyucheck

Mui-Yee Chu

Liliana Filipovic

VIOLA

Shawn Mann Principal

Diana Wade

Associate Principal

Karolina Naziemiec

Dmitri Bovaird

CELLO

Cecilia Tsan Principal

Delores Bing

Associate Principal

Nadine Hall

Dane Little

BASS

Peter Doubrovsky Principal

Timothy Eckert

Associate Principal

OBOE

Leslie Reed Principal

Michele Forrest

BASSOON

William May Principal

TRUMPET

Erick Jovel

Principal

David Washburn

TIMPANI

Theresa Dimond Principal

KEYBOARD

Lisa Edwards Principal

LIBRARIAN

Mark Fugina

ORCHESTRA PERSONNEL

MANAGER

Brady Steel

The players of the Los Angeles Master Chorale Orchestra are represented by the American Federation of Musicians Local 47.

soloists

ANNA SCHUBERT SOPRANO

Described as “luminously expressive” with a “silvery voice” that “moves from innocence to devastation with an actor’s ease,” Anna loves bringing new voices, stories and musical ideas to life. She enjoys an eclectic career that takes her all over the world—premiering new works, performing old favorites and recording a wide variety of sounds for film and television.

Over the past few years, Anna has performed in several world premieres, most notably creating the role of Bibi in Ellen Reid’s Pulitzer Prize-winning opera p r i s m. Her performance as Bibi was described as “revelatory” (I Care If You Listen), and had wildly successful runs in LA, New York and São Paulo. She is also credited with premiering the role of L in Anne LeBaron’s LSD: The Opera, the role of Klara in Vera Ivanova’s chamber opera The Double, and the role of Lady Reason in Kate Soper’s acclaimed new opera The Romance of the Rose. Recently, she performed the soprano role in the West Coast premiere of Kate Soper’s “philosophyopera” Ipsa Dixit, which earned glowing reviews such as this one from San Francisco Classical Voice: “Soprano Anna Schubert commands the stage like a force of nature, part Oxford don, part commedia dell’arte clown, part Wicked Witch of the West delivering Soper’s octave-leaping score... It’s a role of mind-bending vocal demands, and Schubert is an ideal interpreter.”

Other repertoire highlights from the last few years include the role of Controller in Jonathan Dove’s Flight with Opera Omaha; Lise in the Philip Glass opera Les Enfants Terribles, and Arianna in Handel’s Giustino with Long Beach Opera; Haydn’s Die Schöpfung with the Los Angeles Master Chorale; Bernstein’s Mass with the LA Phil; and Carmina Burana with Berkshire Choral International and the Master Chorale. Last

season, she made several exciting company debuts with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, Bach Collegium San Diego, Portland Symphony and the Edinburgh Festival, and she opened this season with a debut with the Kansas City Symphony.

Outside the world of classical vocals, Anna enjoys a stimulating and versatile career as a session singer. Her solo soprano vocals and extended techniques can be heard dramatically soaring over orchestra and choir in the films Birds of Prey (2020), Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023) and Superman (2025), as well as the Netflix series Midnight Mass and the HBO series Raised by Wolves annaschubertsoprano.com

LINDSAY PATTERSON ABDOU MEZZO-SOPRANO

Described as “...having a voice that haunts and thrills,” mezzo-soprano Lindsay Patterson Abdou is a proud performer of contemporary opera and choral music. Performance highlights include the world premiere of Anthony Davis’ The Central Park Five as Sharonne Salaam with Long Beach Opera, featured soloist in Omar with Los Angeles Opera, Bow in the Industry’s Sweet Land, Love/ Nellie in the Industry’s Comet/Poppea, and The Metropolitan Opera’s 2019/2020 production of Porgy and Bess in the chorus ensemble. Currently, Lindsay is a busy session singer, having sung for numerous Hollywood films, including Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Disenchanted, Shazam: Fury of the Gods, The Super Mario Bros. Movie, and Wicked. Lindsay received her B.A. in Music from the University of California, Riverside and M.M. in Vocal Performance from California Baptist University. When not performing, Lindsay is a member of the IT staff at the LA Phil and is a proud mom to Vianne and Gabriel.

LOS ANGELES MASTER CHORALE

soloists

JON LEE KEENAN TENOR

Versatile tenor, Jon Lee Keenan, is a native of Las Vegas, Nevada. Heavily influenced by his father, both a classical clarinetist and jazz saxophonist, Jon cultivated an interest in performing a variety of music at an early age. After studying both classical voice and jazz studies at UNLV, Jon relocated to Southern California to pursue a career in singing.

In 2007, Jon was asked to join the LA Master Chorale and has been featured as a soloist at Walt Disney Concert Hall in numerous critically acclaimed performances. Highlights with LAMC include the role of “Evangelist” in Bach’s St. Matthew Passion, tenor soloist in Handel’s Messiah and Hugo Distler’s Die Weihnachtsgeschichte

As an in-demand performer of new music, Jon has helped create many new exciting characters with the experimental opera producers at The Industry LA: “Clyde Barrow” in Bonnie and Clyde (Andrew McIntosh), “Gunner” in War of the Worlds (Anne Gosfeld) and the “Captain“ in Sweet Land ( Du Yun/ Raven Chacon) among many others.

Other recent performances of note include A sunbeam’s Architecture with poetry by e.e. cummings and music by Elliot Carter and Albert Hoffman in Anne Lebaron’s LSD: The Opera at RedCat. When Jon is not singing, you can find him playing jazz bass with his group Citizen Kitten.

CHUNG UK LEE BASS-BARITONE

Renowned conductor and vocalist Chung Uk Lee holds degrees in Composition, Music Theory, and Choral Conducting, with further studies in Orchestral Conducting and Voice. He currently serves as the Artistic Director of five choirs, including the acclaimed Los Angeles Chamber Choir, and is frequently invited as a guest conductor.

As a versatile soloist, Lee has performed an extensive repertoire spanning from Baroque to Romantic masterworks, including Bach’s B Minor Mass, St. John Passion , and St. Matthew Passion ; Mozart’s Requiem, Coronation Mass, and Great Mass in C Minor; Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9; Handel’s Messiah ; Haydn’s Lord Nelson Mass and Paukenmesse; Fauré’s and Duruflé’s Requiems ; Vivaldi’s Gloria ; Bach Cantatas ; and operatic roles such as Mozart’s The Magic Flute

Lee has appeared with distinguished ensembles such as the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Los Angeles Master Chorale, Musica Angelica, Angeles Chorale, Chorale Bel Canto, Los Angeles Bach Festival, Salzburg Music Festival, and many others. A member of SAG-AFTRA, he has also contributed his voice to film soundtracks and voice acting projects. In addition, he performs with the Los Angeles Master Chorale, further affirming his place as a respected artist in the world of classical music.

43 rd ANNUAL MESSIAH SING-ALONG LA SINGS!

MONDAY, DECEMBER 22, 2025 AT 7:30 PM WALT DISNEY CONCERT HALL

GRANT GERSHON

Kiki & David Gindler Artistic Director

JENNY WONG

Associate Artistic Director

LOS ANGELES MASTER CHORALE

LOS ANGELES MASTER CHORALE ORCHESTRA GRANT GERSHON, conductor JERRY KOHL, guest conductor

Music by George Frideric Handel (1685–1759)

ANDREA ZOMORODIAN*, soprano

SHABNAM KALBASI*, mezzo-soprano

EVAN ROBERTS*, tenor

JAMES HAYDEN*, bass * 25/26 jennifer diener soloists

Part the First

1. Sinfonia Overture

2. Recitative (Mr. Roberts) Comfort ye my people

3. Aria (Mr. Roberts) Ev’ry valley shall be exalted

4. Chorus And the glory of the Lord

5. Recitative (Mr. Hayden) Thus saith the Lord

LOS ANGELES MASTER CHORALE

MESSIAH

6. Aria (Mr. Hayden)

7. Chorus

8. Recitative (Ms. Kalbasi)

9. Aria/Chorus (Ms. Kalbasi)

12. Chorus

13. Pifa

14. Recitative (Ms. Zomorodian)

Recitative (Ms. Zomorodian)

15. Recitative (Ms. Zomorodian)

16. Recitative (Ms. Zomorodian)

17. Chorus

18. Aria (Ms. Zomorodian)

19. Recitative (Ms. Kalbasi)

20. Aria (Ms. Kalbasi)

Aria (Ms. Zomorodian)

21. Chorus

Part the Second

22. Chorus

23. Aria (Ms. Kalbasi)

But who may abide

And He shall purify

Behold, a virgin shall conceive

O thou that tellest good tidings to Zion

For unto us a child is born

Pastoral Symphony

There were shepherds abiding in the field

And lo, the angel of the Lord

And the angel said unto them

And suddenly, there was with the angel

Glory to God in the highest

Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion

Then shall the eyes of the blind be opened

He shall feed his flock

Come unto Him

His yoke is easy

INTERMISSION

Behold the Lamb of God

He was despised

24. Chorus Surely He hath borne our griefs

25. Chorus And with His stripes

26. Chorus

27. Recitative (Mr. Roberts)

28. Chorus

42. Recitative (Mr. Roberts)

43. Aria (Mr. Roberts)

44. Chorus

Part

the Third

45. Aria (Ms. Zomorodian)

46. Chorus

47. Chorus

48. Chorus

49. Chorus

50. Recitative (Mr. Hayden)

51. Aria (Mr. Hayden)

56. Chorus

57. Chorus

All we like sheep

All they that see Him laugh Him to scorn

He trusted in God

He that dwelleth in heaven

Thou shalt break them

Hallelujah

I know that my Redeemer liveth

Since by man came death

By man came also

For as in Adam all die

Even so in Christ

Behold, I tell you a mystery

The trumpet shall sound

Worthy is the Lamb

Amen

Messiah Sing-Along is made possible by generous support from Terri and Jerry Kohl; and Bryant, Judi and Debra Danner

los angeles master chorale

SOPRANO

April Amante

Ayana Haviv

Elissa Johnston

JuHye Kim

Sarah Lonsert

ALTO

Zineb Fikri

Michele Hemmings

Sharon Chohi Kim

Kimberly Switzer

Tracy Van Fleet

TENOR

Sal Malaki

Matthew Miles

David Morales

Robert Norman

Todd Strange BASS

Mark Beasom

Kevin Dalbey

Abdiel Gonzalez

Luc Kleiner

Brett McDermid

The Artists of the Los Angeles Master Chorale are represented by the American Guild of Musical Artists, AFL-CIO, James Hayden, AGMA Delegate.

los angeles master chorale orchestra

VIOLIN I

Joel Pargman Concertmaster

Carrie Kennedy Associate Concertmaster

Margaret Wooten Assistant Concertmaster

Florence Titmus

Leslie Katz

Nina Evtuhov

VIOLIN II

Elizabeth Hedman Principal

Cynthia Moussas Associate Principal

Linda Stone

Anna Kostyucheck

Mui-Yee Chu

Liliana Filipovic

VIOLA

Shawn Mann Principal

Diana Wade Associate Principal

Karolina Naziemiec

Dmitri Bovaird

CELLO

Cecilia Tsan Principal

Delores Bing Associate Principal

Nadine Hall

Dane Little

BASS

Peter Doubrovsky Principal

Timothy Eckert Associate Principal

OBOE

Leslie Reed Principal

Michele Forrest

BASSOON

William May Principal

TRUMPET

Erick Jovel Principal

David Washburn

TIMPANI

Theresa Dimond Principal

KEYBOARD

Lisa Edwards Principal

ORGAN

Jaebon Hwang Principal

LIBRARIAN

Mark Fugina

ORCHESTRA PERSONNEL MANAGER

Brady Steel

The players of the Los Angeles Master Chorale Orchestra are represented by the American Federation of Musicians Local 47.

soloists

ANDREA ZOMORODIAN SOPRANO

Originally from Seattle, Andrea Zomorodian is an active concertizing soprano based in LA performing across the US and abroad. She focuses on oratorio, early music, and studio singing. She is lauded for her warm tone, aetherial high notes (“sung with blinding luminosity” –Mark Swed, LA Times), and expressivity.

Recent highlights: singing film music solos (John Williams & Ennio Morricone) with San Diego Symphony & Venice Symphony in Florida, solo cantatas with ensembles such as Bach Collegium San Diego, Tesserae Baroque, Con Gioia Early Music Ensemble, and San Diego Baroque. This past season, she enjoyed a tour of German music with Baroque Music Montana, Italian cantatas with San Diego Baroque, French and Italian cantatas with Tesserae Baroque, and Bach St. Matthew Passion with Musica Angelica. She performed a staged version of Bach Coffee Cantata with Tesserae Baroque & again with Con Gioia, Handel Messiah (El Mesías) in Spanish with Bach Collegium San Diego, and made her debut at Bachfest 2024 in Leipzig. She is a proud company member of both Peter Sellars’ touring productions including Lagrime di San Pietro and Music to Accompany a Departure, which included performances at the Salzburg Festival 2019 and 2023.

This season, she is delighted to be one of the singers joining the LA Phil in Taiwan for Mahler 2 with Gustavo Dudamel, the Messiah Sing-Along soloist at Disney Hall, a solo recital tour in Austria & Portugal with keyboardist Sean Maxwell, Mahler 4 with La Jolla Symphony, as well as the regular concert season with renowned early music ensembles across the country.

Ms. Zomorodian is a USC graduate and was awarded a Fulbright Fellowship to Vienna, Austria. She has sung on over 50 film/television soundtracks. Her voice can be heard on Wicked, Frozen II, Outlander Theme Song, Star Wars, The Simpsons, and more. andreazomorodian.com

SHABNAM KALBASI MEZZO-SOPRANO

Mezzo-Soprano Shabnam Kalbasi is a frequent soloist & ensemble artist, now in her ninth season with the LA Master Chorale. This upcoming season has already taken her to Taiwan where she joined the LA Philharmonic for their two performances of Mahler 2 under the baton of Gustavo Dudamel.

Most recently, in the last several years Kalbasi has toured domestically and internationally in Peter Sellar’s production of Music to Accompany a Departure

Shortly before the COVID lockdown, Kalbasi was featured as soloist on the Grammy AwardWinning record, Ives: Complete Symphonies with the LA Phil, conducted by Dudamel.

A member of SAG-AFTRA, some of Shabnam’s most notable credits include both Wicked films, How to Train your Dragon, Sinners , Thelma the Unicorn, Willow (Apple TV+ series), Star Wars: The Rise of Sky Walker, and Jungle Cruise

She has been vocally recognized by the George London Foundation, Metropolitan Opera’s National Council Auditions, Palm Springs Opera Guild, and Vocal Arts D.C. She has performed a solo recital at the Kennedy Center and the Broad Stage. She has also performed at The National Sawdust, Santa Fe Opera, LA Opera, Memphis Opera, New York City Opera, and Venture Opera.

Outside of her work as a musician, she is dedicated to her work as an LMFT where she specializes in working with performing artists. Her private practice is called It’s a Process Therapy.

soloists

EVAN ROBERTS TENOR

Now in his third season with the Los Angeles Master Chorale, Evan is an accomplished and versatile vocalist who performs regularly across a wide range of musical styles. A Pasadena native, he is an active member of several acclaimed choral ensembles, including the Contemporary Choral Collective of Los Angeles (C3LA), the Choir at St. John’s Episcopal, the Cappella Musica of St. Andrew’s Church, the Donald Brinegar Singers, and Resonant, a newly formed chamber group.

While Evan occasionally appears as a soloist, his greatest passion lies in choral teaching and conducting. He currently serves as Choir Director at both the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts (LACHSA) and California State University, Los Angeles (CSULA), where he is dedicated to cultivating expressive, collaborative musicianship in the next generation of singers.

JAMES HAYDEN BASS

James Hayden, bass, is a vocalist, studio musician, and union delegate (AGMA) based in Los Angeles, CA. His “extraordinarily deep bass” can be heard performing “They’re the Clades” in Disney Animation Studios’ Strange World, and on over 80 other television, movie, and video game soundtracks, including Star Wars: The Last Jedi, The Simpsons, Wish, Haunted Mansion, Jurassic World, The Grinch, Muppets Most Wanted, and Call of Duty: Cold War. He has provided pop vocals for Rosalía’s Motomami and Motomami+ albums, subharmonic vocals for Ryan Coogler’s Sinners, patriotic vocals for the The American Adventure at Epcot, and backing vocals for Lady Gaga’s 2025 Coachella set.

He is particularly fond of site-specific and immersive performances: declaiming arias atop a penny-farthing bike at Sony Studios as the Basso Buffo in the LA Phil production of John Cage’s Europeras, escaping the destruction of Walt Disney Concert Hall as a cowardly crooner in the world premiere of Annie Gosfield’s War of the Worlds, and looping operatic scenes 24 times a day on the banks of the LA River during the run of Hopscotch. Recent notable accomplishments include the role of Private Investigator in the U.S. Premiere of Oliver Leith’s opera, Last Days, with the LA Philharmonic, and the role of Seneca in the world premiere of The Comet/ Poppea with The Industry. He is particularly proud of choosing to continue singing at all after recording over 200 virtual choir videos during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

He is a Roster Chorister with the Los Angeles Master Chorale and a Company Member with The Industry, the experimental opera company praised by KUSC’s Brian Lauritzen as “the coolest opera company in the world.” When not being “languorously sexy” or “a weird, looming presence” on the operatic stage, you can find him recording vocals in his home studio, playing convoluted board games with friends, and writing award-winning pop a cappella charts for ensembles across the U.S. jamesroberthayden.com

donor recognition 2025/26 season

The Los Angeles Master Chorale is honored to recognize the individuals and institutions that generously support our world-class professional choral ensemble and impactful education programs. We sincerely thank the following individual donors, who have contributed $300 or more to the annual fund as of October 31, 2025. Special thanks to our multi-year donors, whose gifts ensure a healthy base for our future. *In memoriam

LEADERSHIP CIRCLE

The Leadership Circle ($100,000+) honors and celebrates the Los Angeles Master Chorale’s most distinguished donor community. Established in 2019 with a challenge grant from the Abbott L. Brown Foundation, the Leadership Circle enables transformative projects—from commissioning, recording, and artistic innovation, to ambitious community engagement programming and touring productions.

Anonymous

Jeff and Joan Beal

Joni* and Miles Benickes

Marla Borowski

Jerrie Paula Ortega-Brown and Abbott L. Brown

Dr. Kathy Cairo

Margaret Sheehy Collins

Bryant, Judi, and Debra Danner

Jennifer Diener

Lisa Field

Hon. Michael Fitzgerald and Arturo Vargas

Patrick R. Fitzgerald

William and Patricia Flumenbaum

Kiki Ramos Gindler and David Gindler

Denise and Robert Hanisee

Terri and Jerry Kohl

Lillian Pierson Lovelace*

ARTISTIC DIRECTOR’S CIRCLE

Diane Morton

James R. Mulally

Ron Myrick

Steven P. Neiffer

Courtland Palmer

Cheryl Petersen and Roger Lustberg

Susan Erburu Reardon and George Reardon

Jennifer and Evan Rosenfeld

Laura Smolowe and Adam O’Byrne

Tom Strickler

Jason Subotky and Anne Akiko Meyers

Kristan and Philip A. Swan

Laney and Tom* Techentin

William M. Tully in loving memory of Jane W. Tully

Andrea and Gregory Williams

The Artistic Director’s Circle brings together generous Los Angeles Master Chorale donors in support of the bold vision of Grant Gershon, Kiki & David Gindler Artistic Director. As key stakeholders, members play a vital role in advancing our mission and programs through significant contributions of $50,000-$99,999.

Anonymous Jenny S. Kim and Chip W. Baik

ENSEMBLE CIRCLE

Kathleen Elowitt

Frank and Berta Gehry

The Estate of Margaret

Parker Grauman

Martha and Nora Groves

Molly Munger and Stephen English

($25,000–$49,999)

Jennifer Hoang and Brian Krechman

Terry Knowles and Marshall Rutter*

Marjorie Lindbeck

MADRIGAL CIRCLE

Robin and Craig Justice

Robert L. Mendow

Casper Partovi and

Jackie Petitto

Phyllis and Larry Rothrock*

Rudi Schreiner

($15,000–$24,999)

Naseem Nixon

Christine M. Ofiesh

SPONSORS CIRCLE

Anonymous

Thomas and Judith Beckmen

John and Louise Bryson

Marian and John* Niles

Catherine and Howard* Stone

Grace Sheldon-Williams and Greg Williams

Priscilla and Curtis Tamkin in memory of Marshall Rutter

Ian and Barbara White-Thomson

($10,000–$14,999)

Theodore and Kathy Calleton in memory of Marshall Rutter

Berkeley and Kristin Harrison

Shawn Kravich

Jane and Edward J.* McAniff

Carolyn L. Miller

Dr. Clifford and Joyce Penner

Lisa Richardson

Melissa and Alex Romain

Eva and Marc Stern in memory of

Marshall Rutter

Alyce de Roulet Williamson

$5,000–$9,999

Tsan Abrahamson

Otis and Deborah Booth

Thomas Dwyer and Pamela Perkins-Dwyer

Kathleen and Jerry Eberhardt

Evelyn Feintech

Victoria and Frank Hobbs in memory of Marshall Rutter

Stephen and Eileen Leech

Susan and Bob Long

$3,000–$4,999

Diane and Noel Applebaum

Vince Bertoni and Damon Hein

Craig and Mary Deutsche

Kathleen and Terry* Dooley

Dr. William and Mrs. Mary Duxler

$1,500–$2,999

Anonymous

Meghan and Monte Baier

Dr. Christina Benson, M.D. and Dr. Kenneth

Wells, M.D.

Susan Bienkowski and Wang Lee

Jerry Bluestein and Regine Wood

$600–$1,499

Michael Abels

Brent and Jan Assink

Brandon Badalato

Benevity Community Impact Fund

Jennifer and Chris Bertolet

Elise Black

Kacey Bonner

JoAnn Bourne

Janet Buck

Barbara Byrne

John and Sue Clauss

Eleanor Congdon

Dr. David H. Conney, M.D.

Judson and Lalo Crane

Julia and John Eidsvoog

Dr. Reena Esmail and Vijay Gupta

Gordon and Vacharee Fell

Corey Field

Michael Fishbein

Jane Galbraith

$300-$599

Anonymous (2)

Allyson and Todd Aldrich

Rick and Susan Amante

Cecelia R. Andrews

Dr. Gloria Avrech

Bobbie and Paul Bent

Jeffrey and Susan Berman

Marsha Berman

Annette Billings

Dr. Andrew Blaine and Dr. Leigh Lindsey

Mandy and Steve Brigham

Suzanne C. Brown in memory of Marshall Rutter

Deborah and William H. Brown, III

Dr. Jayne E. Campbell in memory of

Nina Hinson

Merle M. Mullin

Tim and Rebecca Mullin

Sally and Robert Neely

Bea Nemlaha

Estate of Robert W. Olsen

Graham Bothwell

Dr. Lawrence and Jane Z. Cohen

James Cronk

James Ellfeldt

Irma Fitzgibbons

Ms. Diana Gould and Dr. Kirsten Grimstad

Tomoko Iwakawa

Suzanne Gilman

Andrew Glassford and Andrew Graff

Olivia Goodkin and Lee Schwartz in memory of Marshall Rutter

Janet Griswold Gordon

Barbara Knowles Hanson in memory of

Marshall Rutter

Greg and Jill Hoenes

Ann and Christine Horton

Travis J. Howell in memory of

James Howell

Cynthia Ison

Frank Jarvis

Richard P. Jensen

Carrie Kirshman and Jerry Podczaski

Linda and Harry Kusuda

Sandra Christensen

Jim B. Clarke

Marie Cohen

Brent Collins

Bette Cook

Michael Deal

Arline Dillman

Sarah Doering in memory of Fred Doering

Rajan Dosaj

Kevin and Marianne Droney

Kathleen and James Drummy

Ozair and Alda Esmail in memory of Marshall Rutter

Randall T. Espinoza, M.D.

Steven Fraider

Margaret Garvey

Donald P. Gould

John Perkins in memory of

Ann Perkins

John Powell

Madison F. Richardson, M.D.

Elissa Johnston and Grant Gershon

Lawrence and Mireya Jones

David Kalifon

Thomas and Gloria Lang

Sarah J. Lang

June and Simon Li

Jennifer and Joey Li

Rob and Christie Martin

Kathleen McCarthy

Mr. Robin Meadow and Ms. Margaret Stevens

Sharon Morrill

Mr. Ken Kwapis and Ms. Marisa Silver

Rhonda Lawrence

Edie and Michael

Lehmann Boddicker

John Lundgren, M.D. and Susan Jay, Ph.D.

James Lyerly and Tracy Van Fleet

Frank* and Mona Mapel

Lou and Denise Marchant

Barbara and Joel Marcus

Terry and Chip Marvin

Steven D. McGinty

David and Kimberly Meyer

Elizabeth and

Leslie Michelson

Dennis Moeller

Chip and Sharyn Moore

Marsha Nakanishi

Soseh H. Nelson

Kim Noltemy

Robert and Patricia Hayden

Linda J. Hodge

Robert Israel

Jerry Johnson and Leana Kleinman

Stewart Johnston

Catherine Keig and James Hayes in memory of Marshall Rutter

Michael and Emily Laskin in honor of

Marshall Rutter

Beverly Marksbury

Patricia Martinez-Miller

Mary D. Nichols

Michael and Marianne S. Newman in honor of

Ted and Jane McAniff

Ilean Yaghlegian Rogers and Steven Rogers*

Theodore Rutter

Deborah F. Rutter in memory of Marshall Rutter

Rosemary Schroeder

Dr. Patricia A. Keating

Thomas F. Kranz

Judith Miller

Claudette Rogers

Sue Stamberger

Jane C. Parks in memory of

Marshall Rutter

Rodney and Ruth Punt

Harold and Penny Ray

Nancy and Dick Spelke

J. Theodore Struck and Adrian H. Schreiber

Neeyah Lynn

Rose Stephens

Melanie and Bill Switzer

Rick and Becky Thyne

Rudolf H. Ziesenhenne

Paul and Catherine Tosetti

Elizabeth Turner

Betsey Tyler

Marilene Wang

Booker and Sarita White

Jann and Kenneth S. Williams

Karen Zfaty

Judi O’Sullivan

Susan Olsen

Eric Olson and Carol K. Broede

Vic Pallos and Emilie Pallos

Daryl and Sandy Phillips

Drea Pressley

Kathleen Wilcox Reiss

Drs. Gail and Richard Rice

Carol and François Rigolot

Edwin T. Robinson

Penelope C. Roeder, Ph.D.

Kenneth Roehrs and Sara McGah

Carli V. Rogers in memory of Anthony Rogers

Jay Rosenlieb

Mary Rourke

Daniel Angus Ryan

Kathleen Scheinfeld

Arnold* and Joan Seidel

Neil Olson

Glenn Orton

Nancy Perloff

Thomas Peterson

Lewis and Catherine Phelps

Monique Poon

Kai-Li and Hal Quigley

Daniel and Jeanne Rankin

Bob and Phyllis Reid

Maggie Rheinstein

Geri Rotella

Elisabeth Salonen

Nancy and Barry Sanders

Marleen Scheffy

Adrian Schreiber in honor of

Scott and Lisa Altman

Trudy Sonia

Marc Seltzer and Chris Snyder

Ray and Eleanor Siebert

Laurie Samitaur Smith

Carol A. Smith

Lisa Smolen

Tom and Susan Somerset

Donald and Jill Spuehler

Lisa Strlmar

Barbara Augusta Teichert

Katherine and Douglas Thompson

Jocelyn Towne and Simon Helberg

Christine Upton

Arturo Velasquez

JoBeth Williams

Jonathan and Julie Williams

Michele and David Wilson

Kat and Thomas Zimmerman

The Sunshine Family in memory of Ted J. McAniff

Diane Thomas and Ray Frauenholz

Amy P. Tice in memory of

Daniel J. Chaney

Haydee and Jim Toedtman

Anita and Harold* Tsuji

Jason Vierzba

Barbara E. Wagner

Ann W. Wang

Brian L. Wong

John Woodall and Linda Woodall M.D. Jean Woodrow

roger wagner society

Named for Los Angeles Master Chorale’s founding music director, the Roger Wagner Society honors and recognizes individuals who have expressed their commitment to the art of choral music by making an endowment or planned gift benefitting the Master Chorale.

Through this support, Roger Wagner Society members ensure the long-term fiscal stability of the Master Chorale by creating a legacy that preserves a vital cultural resource for future generations.

The Master Chorale works with The Music Center Foundation as our partner in the secure investment and stewardship of your planned gift.

To learn more about becoming a member of the Roger Wagner Society, please contact Michael Rossetto, Vice President of Advancement, at mrossetto@lamasterchorale.org or 213-972-3114.

Joni* and Miles Benickes

James Arthur Bond in honor of Morten Lauridsen

Michael Breitner

Abbott Brown

Linda McNeal Brown

Jerry Burnham in memory of Raun MacKinnon

Burnham

Dr. Kathy Cairo

Robert Churella Colburn Foundation

Margaret Sheehy Collins

Elizabeth Hofert Dailey*

Bryant, Judi, and Debra Danner

William Davis*

Jennifer Diener

Dr. Ann Graham Ehringer*

Hon. Michael and

Patrick Fitzgerald in honor of

James P. Fitzgerald

Claudia* and Mark Foster

Kathie and Alan Freeman

Janice Roosevelt Gerard

Kiki Ramos Gindler and David Gindler

Denise and Robert Hanisee

Geraldine Healy*

Violet Jabara Jacobs*

Jeff and Joan Beal

Curtis Ray Joiner, Jr.*

David Kalifon

Stephen A. Kanter*

Terry Knowles and Marshall Rutter*

Joyce* and Kent Kresa

Lesley Leighton

Louise Lepley*

Marjorie and Roger* Lindbeck

Patricia A. MacLaren

Drs. Marguerite and Robert Marsh*

Jane and Edward J.* McAniff

Nancy and Robert Miller*

Diane Morton

Ron Myrick

Raymond R. Neevel*

Steven P. Neiffer and Eric Lassiter*

Joyce and Donald J.* Nores

Robert W. Olsen*

Courtland Palmer

Cheryl Petersen and Roger Lustberg

Anne Shaw and Harrison Price*

Hugh Ralston

Susan Erburu Reardon and George Reardon

Elizabeth Redmond*

Penelope C. Roeder, Ph.D.

Ronus Foundation

Phyllis and Larry Rothrock*

Carolyn and Scott Sanford

Barbara and Charles Schneider*

Dona* and David Schultz

Martha Ellen Scott*

Shirley and Ralph Shapiro in honor of

Peter Mullin

Nancy and Richard Spelke

Sue Stamberger

George Sterne and Nicole Baker

Francine and Dal Alan* Swain

Kristan and Philip A. Swan

Dr. Jonathan Talberg

Laney and Tom* Techentin

William M. Tully in loving memory of Jane W. Tully

Madge van Adelsberg*

Margaret White

Robert Wood*

* In memoriam

FOUNDATION, GOVERNMENT, AND CORPORATE SUPPORT

$1,000,000+

The Ahmanson Foundation

LA Arts Recovery Fund

Perenchio Foundation

$100,000–$999,999

AmaWaterways

The Blue Ribbon Colburn Foundation

Dan Murphy Foundation

The Music Center Foundation

$50,000–$99,999

Anonymous

Ann Peppers Foundation

Capital Group Corporate Charitable Giving

Los Angeles County Department of Arts and Culture

Moore Family Foundation

National Endowment for the Arts

The Ralph M. Parsons Foundation

Edward A. & Ai O. Shay Family Foundation

$20,000–$49,999

Anonymous

Chorus America Music Education Partnership

City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs

Dwight Stuart Youth Fund PNC Foundation

The SahanDaywi Foundation Ronus Foundation

Walter J. and Holly O. Thomson Foundation, Bank of America, N.A., Co-Trustee

$10,000–$19,999

California Arts Council Munger, Tolles & Olson, LLP

Orange County Opera

The Kenneth T. and Eileen L. Norris Foundation

$1,000–$9,999

David Bohnett Foundation

The E. Nakamichi Foundation

Employees Community Fund of The Boeing Company California Friars Charitable Foundation

William H. Hannon Foundation

Ornest Family Foundation

Lloyd E. Rigler-Lawrence E. Deutsch Foundation

Pasadena Showcase House for the Arts

The Lon V. Smith Foundation

Los Angeles City Council District 14, Council Member Ysabel Jurado

The John and Beverly Stauffer Foundation

Sidney Stern Memorial Trust

OFFICERS

Susan Erburu Reardon Chair

DIRECTORS

Bryant Danner

Jennifer Diener

Grant Gershon*

Kiki Ramos Gindler

William Goldman**

Martha Groves

Robert Hanisee

Kristin Techentin Harrison

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Scott Altman* President & CEO

Jenn Hoang

Jenny Soonjin Kim

Shawn Kravich

Ron Myrick

Naseem Nixon

Casper Partovi

Lisa Richardson

Rudi Schreiner

Laura Smolowe

Tom Strickler Vice Chair

Phil Swan

William Tully

Miles Benickes Treasurer Courtland Palmer Secretary

Tracy Van Fleet**

Andrea D. Williams

HONORARY

Morten J. Lauridsen

Lillian Pierson Lovelace***

ADMINISTRATION

EXECUTIVE & ARTISTIC LEADERSHIP

Scott Altman President & Chief Executive Officer

Grant Gershon

Kiki & David Gindler Artistic Director

Jenny Wong

Associate Artistic Director

ARTISTIC & PRODUCTION

Kevin Koelbl Vice President of Artistic Operations

Susie McDermid Director of Production

Anthony Crespo Production & Personnel Manager

Chris Fox

Production Manager

Lisa Edwards

Pianist/Musical Assistant

Jeff Wallace

Technical Director

Adam Noel

Supertitle Operator

Brady Steel Orchestra Manager

Mark Fugina Orchestra Music Librarian

ADVANCEMENT

Michael Rossetto Vice President of Advancement

Andrea Barkan-Kennedy Director of Institutional Giving

Elizabeth DelloRusso Associate Director of Annual Giving

Lulu Maxfield Advancement Manager

Kiyono McDaniel Annual Fund Manager

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT & EDUCATION

José Meza

Associate Director of Education

Sarah Gonzalez Director, Youth Chorus LA

Michael Cassady Teaching Artist

Saunder Choi Teaching Artist

Don Del Barrio Education Intern

Ayana Haviv Teaching Artist

Alice Kirwan Murray Teaching Artist

David O Teaching Artist

Brett Paesel Teaching Artist

Brian Sonia-Wallace Teaching Artist

Wells Leng Youth Chorus LA Accompanist

EXTERNAL AFFAIRS

Claudia Bill-de la Peña Vice President of External Affairs

FINANCE & ADMINISTRATION

Jim Suh Vice President of Finance/Chief Financial Officer

EMERITUS

Edward J. McAniff***

Albert J. McNeil***

Clifford A. Miller***

Marshall A. Rutter***

Laney Techentin

* Ex-officio ** Chorale Representative ***In Memoriam

Myrna Diaz Administration & Operations Manager

Kelsi McGlothlin Executive Assistant/ Board Liaison

Roey Yitzhary Staff Accountant

MARKETING & PUBLIC RELATIONS

Tom Michel

Interim Vice President of Marketing & Communications

Nicole Doll Marketing Specialist

Laura Ferreiro Marketing Manager

Eli Frances Interim Digital Content Manager

CONSULTANTS

Lisa Bellamore Crescent Communications

Studio Fuse, Inc. Design Firm

Opus 3 Artist Management

Capacity Interactive Digital Marketing Consultant

Dream Warrior Group

Web Design

Terry Knowles Executive Consultant

Joanna Elliott

Special Gifts Officer

Corey Field Counsel

Jackson Lewis Counsel

Singer Lewak Public Accountant

WALT DISNEY CONCERT HALL

Greg Flusty House Manager

Serge Quintanar Master Carpenter

Charlie Miledi

Property Master

Marcus Conroy

Master Electrician

Kevin F. Wapner

Master Audio/Video

Mike Wilson Conservator of the Organ

MEET SANTA

AT THE GROVE

A magical meet and greet with festive photo packages.

Presented By

GRAMMY MUSEUM

WHERE MUSIC COMES ALIVE

Discover the GRAMMY Museum — where music comes to life.

From iconic artifacts and unforgettable exhibitions to our new hands-on experience, Sonic Playground, you’ll find 17 interactive experiences inviting you to play, create and collaborate.

Tickets at grammymuseum.org

FREE ADMISSION for AGES 17 & Under SCAN FOR TICKETS

ARTISTRY UNDERFOOT

Rugmaker Ben Soleimani threads his way through Los Angeles with museum-quality Persian treasures and bold expressions of modern design. by ROGER GRODY

FLOORING IS SOMETIMES underappreciated—yet it can have a profound impact on the overall aesthetics of a space.

Ben Soleimani is a fourth-generation rugmaker from a prominent Persian family of craftsmen that settled in London in 1980; the British royal family was among its many prestigious clients.

Today, he is a premier resource

for luxury rugs in Los Angeles.

“This isn’t just business for me— it’s my life, my passion, part of my DNA,” Soleimani says, adding that his love of art and the craft are what keep him engaged. “My heritage and family history in the rug industry instilled a deep love for the artistry and craftsmanship of antique rugs.”

He arrived in L.A. in 1988. Noting, however, that his expertise extends

Inventory at the Ben Soleimani showroom. Below: the founder.

beyond antiques, he adds, “That foundation informs my contemporary designs through a focus on nuanced texture and subtle color.”

Soleimani’s West Hollywood

showroom is an impressive structure on a stretch of Melrose Avenue rich in the fine textile trade.

Its 20,000-plus square feet of space encompasses a seemingly endless

collection of rugs—rolled upright, hanging from walls like massive canvases or integrated into living-space vignettes alongside other Soleimani products.

“The design of our showroom was inspired by a less-is-more approach,” says Soleimani. “There’s a calm refined vibe that really lets the products shine. We focused on clean lines, then layered in beautiful, textured stone to bring depth without overcomplicating things.”

Soleimani shares his personal collection of antique rugs in a private room that’s designed to feel intimate, exclusive and curated.

“Antique rugs add life to a space with their color, texture and

Endless rugs. Below: a vignette showcasing Soleimani rugs and other products.

history. They tell a story and work as well in a contemporary setting as they do in a traditional one,” he says.

Soleimani’s showroom offers antique rugs, many heirloom- and museum-quality, from throughout Asia and the Middle East.

More approachable are rugs featuring traditional designs but handcrafted by contemporary artisans, some inspired by designs from the height of Persian rugmaking in the 16th and 17th centuries.

“I respect traditional design by focusing on timeless forms and quality craftsmanship,” says Soleimani, who adapts ancient principles of rugmaking to suit modern sensibilities. For those who

perceive traditional Persian rugs as overly formal, many of his contemporary designs are compatible with sleek, minimalist architecture.

Among the company’s more contemporary rugs is the Akula, handcrafted in India from New Zealand wool and featuring handsheared organic lines that gracefully flow across the product. Soleimani is also proud of his innovative line of stain-resistant performance fabrics, ideal for young and active families.

The brand has expanded into contemporary furniture and lighting fixtures well-suited for steel-andglass homes in the Hollywood Hills.

Neveretheless, Soleimani says, “I don’t design for trends. I design

pieces that will always feel relevant.” Compelling items include the Kingsley dining table with abstract fluted base and the fanciful Maris chandelier, which diffuses its light through ethereal alabaster discs.

“My style is created to fit seamlessly in modern and traditional spaces,” says Soleimani of his creations, which nevertheless seem timeless.

Though most of his clients are professional designers, the showroom provides great inspiration for freestyling homeowners.

Ben Soleimani

8650 Melrose Ave., West Hollywood 323.486.3491, bensoleimani.com

Cirra contemporary rug with Soleimanidesigned furniture

A GRAND BAROQUE SALON

JAN 17+18, 2026

Pierre Hantaï, Leader + Harpsichord Margaret Batjer, Violin

C.P.E. Bach, Symphony No. 3 in F major, H.659

J.S. Bach, Brandenburg Concerto No. 5 in D major

J. Leclair, Concerto in D major for Violin, Strings, and Basso Continuo

J. Rameau, Selections from Operas

2025/26 SEASON

PASSION + MYSTERY: MARTÍN + SAY + BEETHOVEN

FEB 14+15, 2026

Jaime Martín, Music Director Fazıl Say, Piano

Michael Abels, Meraki WORLD PREMIERE

G. Fauré, Pelléas et Mélisande

L. Beethoven, Piano Concerto No. 3 in C minor

TURNING POINTS:

FAUST + SOUSA + MENDELSSOHN

MAR 12+14, 2026

Dinis Sousa, Guest Conductor Isabelle Faust, Violin

Huang Ruo, The Tipping Point CO-COMMISSION

R. Schumann, Violin Concerto in D minor

F. Mendelssohn, Symphony No. 4 in A major, “Italian”

INVENTIONS REIMAGINED

MAR 28, 2026

Christian Sands, Piano Lara Downes, Curator + Piano

A special one-night-only performance featuring jazz takes on Bach’s Sinfonias and Inventions.

TEMPORAL ECHOES: MARTÍN + BANSAL +

APR 11, 2026

SHOSTAKOVICH

Jaime Martín, Music Director Anne Akiko Meyers, Violin

Juhi Bansal, SOUND INVESTMENT COMMISSION / WORLD PREMIERE

Eric Whitacre, THE PACIFIC HAS NO MEMORY CO-COMMISSION / WEST COAST PREMIERE

R. Vaughan Williams, The Lark Ascending

D. Shostakovich, Chamber Symphony for Strings in C minor

S. Prokofiev, Symphony No. 1 in D major, “Classical”

RADIANCE + REVERIE: MARTÍN + MARWOOD + MOZART

MAY 16+17, 2026

Jaime Martín, Music Director Anthony Marwood, Violin

Coleman Itzkoff, Cello

W. A. Mozart, Symphony No. 35 in D major, “Haffner”

Christopher Cerrone, Double Concerto for Violin & Cello LACO COMMISSION / WORLD PREMIERE

P. Tchaikovsky, Orchestra Suite No. 4, “Mozartiana”

MAY 30+31, 2026

BAROQUE IN BLOOM

Margaret Batjer, Leader Amanda Forsythe, Soprano

Andrew Brady, Bassoon

J.S. Bach, Weichnet nur, betrübte Schatten, “Wedding Cantata”

H. Biber, Battalia à 10

G.F. Handel, Selections from Giulio Cesare in Egitto

A. Vivaldi, Concerto for Bassoon in A minor

G. Telemann, Don Quixote

Jaime Martín MUSIC DIRECTOR

Oh My Darling!

Darling in West Hollywood: Greatness emerges when passion and creativity collide.

by JENN TANAKA

SEAN BROCK’S EXPERIENCE at a listening lounge in Japan unleashed a new passion: He had noticed the connection between music and dining, how sounds and flavors together triggered memories. Now, one ponders the fascinating relationship of food, time and place when dining at his new Darling.

In West Hollywood, Brock recreated his own hi-fi listening lounge. A rotation of his personal vinyl is piped into the 90-seat space and those 45 rpms become an integral

part of the experience. The sound system sets the restaurant’s tempo.

But for the James Beard Foundation-honored chef, the story at Darling still begins with the ingredients. “We’re chasing this moment, when we’re capturing the food at its perfection,” he said on PBS’s Mind of a Chef. “The person who grew it harvested at its prime time.”

Brock’s previous restaurants celebrated Appalachian and lowcountry cooking. At Darling, his

PHOTOS BY RON DE ANGELIS

Cuisine by Sean Brock at Darling

enthusiasm for California’s terroir and locally harvested produce emerges. The menu was developed with Husk alum Ben Norton, who oversees the kitchen; Brock splits

his time between L.A. and Nashville. Both were blown away by California stonefruit; the opening menu featured several varieties of plums. But as the season changes,

so does the menu. In fact, it changes every month.

For fall, chanterelles and a creamy celeriac hollandaise garnish a grilled bone-in strip steak. A reconfigured pizza oven burns citrus, oak and almond woods.

The restaurant’s dry-aged steak burger, made with grilled Holstein beef, is Darling’s viral dish. No surprise—L.A. is the land of cheeseburgers, after all. As the patty cooks, it’s basted with drippings. Then it’s sandwiched inside Glassell Park’s Bub and Grandma’s sesame seed bun and layered with raw onion, a cornichon secret sauce and melted Monterey Jack cheese.

The kitchen prepares 24 burgers each evening, encouraging diners to try other dishes.

The hi-fi listening lounge at Darling and, below from left, Sean Brock and chef de cuisine Ben Norton

Holidays

SCAN FOR TICKETS

Gregory Porter

Christmas Wish

The Klezmatics

Happy Joyous Hanukkah

Christian Sands Quartet

Christmas Stories ONSTAGE

Nochebuena: A Christmas Spectacular Featuring Ballet Folklórico de Los Ángeles and Mariachi Pueblo Viejo With Special Guest Ximena Sariñana

Gregory Porter

Christian Sands

Beyond the listening-lounge inspiration, Japanese influences emerge: Crunchy red kuri mochi fritters, oysters laden with umamipacked dashi jelly, and peanut amazake with shiso vinegar on apple sorbet for dessert.

Brock and Norton are inspired by the bounty of Santa Monica’s farmers market and seafood caught off the California coast. Tastes of southeast Asia—honey-calamansi vinaigrette on a market lettuce & herb salad, turmeric and young ginger in a yellowfin tuna tartare —showcase L.A.’s world influences.

A local abalone dish is a menu item that Brock plans to keep. It’s served with a celtuce stew filled with soulful flavors, a nod to his southern lineage. It also harks back to southern California’s coastline in

the 1950s, when residents harvested abalone from shore, and looks to a hopeful future.

Bar veteran Jason Lee concocts the drinks. He’s known for his modern spins on classics, infusing milk punches and negronis with spices and seasonal ingredients to match

what’s coming out of the kitchen.

Lee elevated the cocktails at other L.A. hotspots such as Baroo, n/soto and Pija Place. The drinks are named after seasonal produce: Sunchoke, Squash, Quince, Apple. An amaro and gin cocktail sips like a passionfruit-chai cream soda.

Jacob Jonas The Company

Photo by

Julieta Cervantes

Photo courtesy of the artist

Darling cocktails

97% of audiences read the

6.2 million readers annually. 65% support advertisers who support the

A dirty martini-inspired drink is flavored with roasted sunchokes and white bitters.

True to Brock’s other restaurants, even the bread at Darling tells a story. It’s made with flour milled from the Tehachapi Grain Project, which is dedicated to California heritage grains that are drought-tolerant and low in gluten.

Brock is regarded as a savior of American heritage grains so it’s no surprise that he honors the project.

Thanks to his work with Southern farmers and academics, Brock has also reintroduced long-overlooked native plants to our tables.

He draws the connection between the food we consume today and its link to history—a process that continues even in bustling West Hollywood.

“The history and the future of the plant, that changes the way you tell that story, the way you cook that plant,” Brock said on Mind of a Chef.

“Take that seed, put the knowledge of the ground ... on a plate and preserve and share that story.... It’s a pretty fascinating thing.”

Darling

631 N. Robertson Blvd., West Hollywood

323.203.0236, darling.la

Grilled bread, Bordier butter, Nardello pepper jelly; below, dry-aged Holstein beef burger

members.

The Music Center’s free annual L.A. County Holiday Celebration, Christmas Eve at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion downtown, has always presented a mix of artists and cultures, classic and contemporary.

“The producers seek performers who are entertaining, professional, and can lift people’s spirits,” says Rachel S. Moore, Music Center president and CEO. “Above all, they seek performers who embody and reflect the rich diversity of Los Angeles County’s

communities.”

Performers this year include Kim Eung Hwa & Korean Dance Company,

Le Ballet Dembaya West African drum and dance ensemble, Mariachi Divas de Cindy Shea and Mostly

Kosher klezmer band.

About half of those chosen are new each year. Last year, to mark the

At the Music Center: Andre Cruz and Chris Lujan and, right, Le Ballet Dembaya

show’s 65th anniversary, the Music Center brought on a new producer and changed the customary first-come-first-served admission format to online reserved ticketing.

Performers included those of new-to-the-show artistic genres such as the Bob Baker Marionette Theater, which returns this year. The Music Center and PBS SoCal will produce this time around. Tickets are available beginning Dec. 16.

The Holiday Candlelight concert of the Pasadena Symphony and Pops at All Saints Church in Pasadena (Dec. 12-13) is steeped in tradition.

The program always includes the Los Angeles Children’s Chorus, Donald Brinegar Singers and L.A. Bronze Handbell Ensemble, and a different vocalist each year— this year Broadway star

Sarah Uriarte Berry.

“The program always promotes the joys, goodwill and family traditions that time-honored carols and favorite holiday chestnuts can provide at this time of year,” says Pasadena Symphony Association CEO Andrew Brown. “The format has stayed relatively the same —the changes come in offering our audiences a little bit of surprise and delight from year to year.”

New arrangements of old favorites might premiere.

Two years ago, singer Jamal Moore performed the song “Umoja,” the Swahili word for “unity,” the key principle of Kwanzaa. “We always strive to offer a little bit of something for everyone,” Brown says.

Whatever the locale and format, McNicholl says, “The holiday season

is an opportunity to bring families and communities together—an opportunity to do something to lift spirits and deliver on that promise of togetherness.

“I think if we look back on our lives, we think about holidays and we think about friends and families and those times we spent together.

“When you go to see one of these shows,” he says, “you leave with a shared memory. It becomes part of the emotional memory scrapbook of your life.”

Passion Meets Purpose

Los Angeles Unified is looking for passionate and talented educators to help students express their creativity.

Music

Dance Theater Visual Arts

Scan the QR Code to learn more.

Mostly Kosher and, below, Harmonic Bronze at the Music Center

REPROGRAMMED!

Performances Magazine unveils a digital program platform for shows and concerts

DROP DOWN MENU Table of app contents.

Stay arts-engaged, access past programs.

THE ESSENTIALS

Acts, scenes, synopses, repertory and notes.

CONTRIBUTORS

Donors and sponsors who make it all possible—you!

NO RUSTLING PAGES, no killing trees . . . the digital Performances program platform has proved to be one of the more enduring recent theater innovations.

The touchless platform provides the programs for 20 Southern California performing-arts organizations, from the Los Angeles Philharmonic and Ahmanson Theatre to San Diego Opera, where the app made its debut.

Among a variety of features, it provides cast and player bios, donor and season updates, and numerous

other arts-centric features.

Audiences receive a link and a code word that instantly activate the app; QR codes are posted, too.

Screens go dark when curtains go up and return when house lights come back on.

Updates—such as repertory changes, understudy substitutions and significant new donations —can be made right up to showtime, no inserts necessary.

Other plusses include video and audio streams, translations and expanded biographies.

Find whatever it is you want to know—easily.

Link to your performing-arts companies and venues.

THE PLAYERS

Bios and background for cast, crew and creators.

WHAT’S ON

What’s coming at a glance and ticket information.

For those who consider printed programs to be keepsakes, a limited number, as well as commemorative issues for special events, continue to be produced. Collectibles!

Meanwhile, there is less deforestation, consumption of petroleum inks and programs headed for landfills.

For the ecologically minded, the platform gets a standing ovation.

The digital Performances is but one more reason for audience excitement. Activate your link and enjoy the shows. CALEB

WACHS