Jean Davidson is six months into her job as President & CEO of the Los Angeles Master Chorale, and in some ways, she’s still settling in. She’s lived much of the past two decades in New York. Her most recent ten years were spent as the administrative yin to the artistic yang of acclaimed choreographer … Continue reading
Earlier today, the Los Angeles Master Chorale announced that Jean Davidson will be its new President and CEO beginning August 31, 2015. She takes over the position from Terry Knowles, who is retiring at the end of this season after having led the organization for the past 15 years. Ms. Davidson comes to the Master Chorale from New York … Continue reading
Delaram Kamareh is not a big believer in doing exactly what everyone thinks a soprano should do, and by extension, what they think SHE should do. As we chat over a bite to eat, she recalls a recent conversation with a would-be agent: “It was pretty clear that we weren’t a good fit for each other. … Continue reading
If you’re trying to pack ’em into a concert hall for a choral concert, the usual course of action involves programming a warhorse, preferably one with a big orchestra. Carmina Burana. Beethoven’s 9th. A requiem by Verdi or Mozart. The Los Angeles Master Chorale has an alternate formula that works just as well: program something written … Continue reading
Tant y a feme scet bon taire! Femme est dehors religiouse, Dedanz poignaunt e venimose . . . (When it comes to women, men, hold your tongue! On the outside she’s religious, On the inside keen and venomous . . .) — excerpt from “The Vices of Women,” 13th Century poem, used in the … Continue reading
This coming Sunday marks the final concert of the Los Angeles Master Chorale’s landmark 50th Anniversary Season. For the occasion, Music Director Grant Gershon has put together a typically forward-looking program of works by Shawn Kirchner, David Lang, Francisco Núñez, Gabriela Lena Frank, and – last but certainly not least – Esa-Pekka Salonen. All … Continue reading
“Bach’s B-minor Mass? Wow. That is the mountaintop,” says Grant Gershon. He should know. When it comes to choral music in Southern California, likely even the entire country, there isn’t a more prominent musician than the man who is both Music Director of the Los Angeles Master Chorale and Resident Conductor & Chorus Master of … Continue reading
