plaza for all celebration featuring

BIG SING 2019August 31, 2019

&

WELCOME

Since our first Big Sing in Grand Park, in the summer of 2017, we’ve raised our voices in song with thousands here in L.A. and throughout California. Our annual sing-along has become a summer highlight for many in the Los Angeles Master Chorale community, a chance to share in the joy of the art form that we all love so much. Thank you to Terri and Jerry Kohl for generously providing the resources for us to grow this program over the past two years, and to Lillian Lovelace for adding her support to Big Sing 2019.

Today, we are pleased to share Big Sing with you as we participate in the opening celebration of The Music Center’s renovated Plaza. As a resident ensemble of Walt Disney Concert Hall, and a founding organization of The Music Center, the Master Chorale knows how important the new Plaza will be as a meeting place for Angelenos from all walks of life. It promises to enrich all of our lives and make events like Big Sing a part of the culture of our city as a whole.

Thank you so much for coming to Big Sing 2019, enjoy this fabulous day, and keep singing!

Jean DavidsonPresident & CEO, Los Angeles Master Chorale

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WELCOME

Welcome to the new Music Center Plaza and the Plaza for All Celebration!

We are thrilled you are a part of this incredible weekend of festivities as Angelenos claim their new Plaza as the principal public square for Los Angeles County. Today’s event is truly one of community, where people from all over the county are joining together to sing, dance, make art and more. This new Plaza is a beautiful new place to connect with one another and experience the cultural vibrancy of Los Angeles.

My thanks to our partners at the Los Angeles Master Chorale and LA Commons for their support in making this a wonderful day. I hope you will come back and experience all The Music Center Plaza has to offer.

Enjoy!

Rachel S. MoorePresident & CEO, The Music Center

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Plaza for all celebration featuring

BIG SING 2019A U G U ST 3 1 , 2 0 1 9

S C H E D U L E

4 P M Plaza for All Celebration begins at Grand Park

5 P M Procession from Grand Park to Plaza

6 P M Big Sing 2019 on the Plaza

The Music Center thanks The Grand for its generous support of the

Plaza for All Celebration.

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BIG SING 2019

P R O G R A M

Siyahamba . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . South African Traditional

Ob-La-Di Ob-La-Da . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Lennon-McCartney

Wimoweh: The Lion Sleeps Tonight . . . . . . . . Solomon Linda

Dancing Queen . . . . . . . . . . Bonnie Anderson, Björn Ulvaeus, Stig Anderson (ABBA)

Performed by the Los Angeles Master Chorale:

Let the River Run . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Carly Simon, arr. Craig Hella Johnson

True Colors . . . . . Tom Kelly, Billy Steinberg (Cyndi Lauper)

De Colores . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mexican Traditional

Africa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . David Paich, Jeff Porcaro (Toto)

I Love L.A. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Randy Newman

SING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Pentatonix, arr. Ben Bram

Big Sing 2019 is made possible by generous support from

The Lovelace Family Trust, Terri and Jerry Kohl, and Philip A. Swan.

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Siyahamba ADRIEN REDFORD, CONDUCTOR

See-yah-hahm-beh, koo-kah-nyeh-nee kwehn-kohs (4X)See-yah-hahm-bah, ham-bah, hahm-bah, hahm-bah, oh!

See-yah-hahm-beh, koo-kah-nyeh-nee kwehn-kohsSee-yah-hahm-bah, ham-bah, hahm-bah, hahm-bah, oh!

See-yah-hahm-beh, koo-kah-nyeh-nee kwehn-kohs

VERSE 2 : We are marching in the light of God (4X)

VERSE 3:

We are dancing in the light of God (4X)

VERSE 4: We are singing in the light of God (4X)

(turn)

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Ob-La-Di Ob-La-DaERIC WHITACRE, CONDUCTOR

Desmond has a barrow in the marketplaceMolly is the singer in a band

Desmond says to Molly, girl, I like your faceAnd Molly says this as she takes him by the hand

CHORUS: Ob la di, ob-la-da, life goes on, bra

La-la, how the life goes onOb-la di, ob-la-da, life goes on, bra

La-la, how the life goes on

Desmond takes a trolley to the jeweler’s storeBuys a 20-carat golden ring

Takes it back to Molly waiting at the doorAnd as he gives it to her she begins to sing

CHORUS

In a couple of years, they have builtA home sweet home

With a couple of kids running in the yardOf Desmond and Molly Jones

(turn)

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Happy ever after in the marketplaceDesmond lets the children lend a hand

Molly stays at home and does her pretty faceAnd in the evening she still sings it with the band

CHORUS

In a couple of years, they have builtA home sweet home

With a couple of kids running in the yardOf Desmond and Molly Jones

Happy ever after in the marketplaceMolly lets the children lend a hand

Desmond stays at home and does his pretty faceAnd in the evening she’s a singer with the band

CHORUS

And if you want some fun, sing ob-la-di, bla-da

OB-LA-DI OB-LA-DA (CONTINUED)

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Wimoweh: The Lion Sleeps Tonight

GRANT GERSHON, CONDUCTOR

Ah wimoweh, ah wimoweh / Ooo-eee!

In the jungle, the mighty jungle,The lion sleeps tonight.

In the jungle, the quiet jungle,The lion sleeps tonight.

Near the village, the peaceful village,The lion sleeps tonight.

Near the village, the quiet village,The lion sleeps tonight.

Hush my darling, don’t fear my darling,The lion sleeps tonight.

Hush my darling, don’t fear my darling,The lion sleeps tonight.

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Dancing Queen SUE FINK, CONDUCTOR

Ooh, you can dance, you can jiveHaving the time of your life

Ooh, see that girl, watch that sceneDiggin’ the dancing queen

Friday night and the lights are low, looking out for a place to go

Where they play the right music, getting in the swingYou come to look for a king

Anybody could be that guy, night is young and the music’s high

With a bit of rock music, everything is fineYou’re in the mood for a danceAnd when you get the chance …

CHORUS: You are the dancing queen

Young and sweet, only seventeenDancing queen, feel the beat from the tambourine,

oh yeahYou can dance, you can jiveHaving the time of your life

Ooh, see that girl, watch that scene

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Diggin’ the dancing queen

You’re a teaser, you turn ‘em on, leave ‘em burning and then you’re gone

Looking out for another, anyone will doYou’re in the mood for a danceAnd when you get the chance …

CHORUS (Repeat: Diggin’ the dancing queen)

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true colors JENNY WONG, CONDUCTOR

You with the sad eyes, don’t be discouragedOh I realize, it’s hard to take courage

In a world full of people, you can lose sight of it allAnd the darkness inside you,

can make you feel so small

But I see your true colors shining throughI see your true colors and that’s why I love you

So don’t be afraid to let them show Your true colors, true colors Are beautiful like a rainbow

Show me a smile then, don’t be unhappy, can’t remember

When I last saw you laughing, if this world makes you crazy

And you’ve taken all you can bear, you call me upBecause you know I’ll be there

And I’ll see your true colors shining throughI see your true colors and that’s why I love you

So don’t be afraid to let them show Your true colors, true colors Are beautiful like a rainbow

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If this world makes you crazy, and you’ve taken all you can bear

You call me up, because you know I’ll be there

And I’ll see your true colors shining throughI see your true colors and that’s why I love you

So don’t be afraid to let them showYour true colors, true colors, true colors,

are shining throughI see your true colors, and that’s why I love you

So don’t be afraid to let them show, your true colorsTrue colors are beautiful, like a rainbow

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De Colores KRISTEN TOEDTMAN, CONDUCTOR

De colores,de colores se visten los campos en la primavera.

De colores,de colores son los pajaritos que vienen de afuera.

De colores,de colores es el arco iris que vemos lucir.

Y por eso los grandes amores de muchos coloresme gustan a mí. (repeat)

Canta el gallo,canta el gallo con el quiri, quiri, quiri, quiri, quiri,

la gallina,la gallina con el cara, cara, cara, cara, cara,

los polluelos,los polluelos con el pío, pío, pío, pío, pi.

Y por eso los grandes amores de muchos coloresme gustan a mí. (repeat)

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Africa SUE FINK, CONDUCTOR

Doodoot doot doot doot doodoot doot bah! (repeat)

I hear the drums echoing tonightBut she hears only whispers of some quiet conversation

She’s coming in, 12:30 flightThe moonlit wings reflect the stars that guide me

towards salvationI stopped an old man along the way

Hoping to find some old forgotten words or ancient melodies

He turned to me as if to say, “Hurry boy, it’s waiting there for you”

CHORUS: It’s gonna take a lot to drag me away from you

There’s nothing that a hundred men or more could ever do

I bless the rains down in AfricaGonna take some time to do the things we never had

(ooh, ooh)

Doodoot doot doot doot doodoot doot bah! (repeat)

(turn)

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Wild dogs cry out in the nightAs they grow restless,

longing for some solitary companyI know that I must do what’s rightAs sure as Kilimanjaro rises like Olympus above the Serengeti

I seek to cure what’s deep inside, frightened of this thing that I’ve become

CHORUS

Doodoot doot doot doot doodoot doot bah! (repeat)

Hurry boy, she’s waiting there for you

CHORUS:It’s gonna take a lot to drag me away from you

There’s nothing that a hundred men or more could ever do

I bless the rains down in AfricaI bless the rains down in Africa (I bless the rain)I bless the rains down in Africa (I bless the rain)

I bless the rains down in AfricaI bless the rains down in Africa (ah, gonna take the time)

Gonna take some time to do the things we never hadDoodoot doot doot doot doodoot doot bah!

AFRICA (CONTINUED)

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I Love L.A. ERIC WHITACRE, CONDUCTOR

Hate New York City, it’s cold and it’s dampAnd all the people dressed like monkeys,

let’s leave Chicago to the EskimosThat town’s a little bit too rugged,

for you and me you bad girl

Rollin’ down the Imperial Highway, with a big nasty redhead at my side

Santa Ana winds blowing hot from the north and we was born to ride

Roll down the window, put down the top, crank up the Beach Boys, baby

Don’t let the music stopWe’re gonna ride it till,

we just can’t ride it no more

From the South Bay to the Valley, from the West Side to the East Side

Everybody’s very happy, ‘cause the sun is shining all the time

Looks like another perfect dayI love L.A. (we love it), I love L.A. (we love it)

We love it

(turn)

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Look at that mountain, look at those treesLook at that bum over there, man he’s down on his knees

Look at these women, there ain’t nothing like ‘em nowhere

Century Boulevard (we love it), Victory Boulevard (we love it)

Santa Monica Boulevard (we love it), Sixth Street (we love it, we love it)

We love L.A.

I love L.A. (we love it)I love L.A. (we love it)I love L.A. (we love it)

I LOVE L .A . (CONTINUED)

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singERIC WHITACRE, CONDUCTOR

ADRIEN REDFORD, GUEST SOLOIST

Sing, sing, sing, sing, sing it out as hard as you canMake ‘em hear ya from LA to Japan

don’t let ‘em bring you downDown, down, down, down, down, down

Sing, sing, sing, sing, sing it with your hands in the skyLight it up like it’s the Fourth of July

don’t let ‘em bring you downDown, down, down, down, down, down (2X)

Ooh …

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SOPRANOTamara Bevard

Christina BristowKaren Hogle Brown

Emma-Grace DunbarHayden Eberhart

Claire Fedoruk Harriet Fraser

Kelci HahnElissa Johnston

Caroline McKenzieJennifer PazHolly Sedillos

Courtney TaylorSuzanne Waters

Elyse WillisAndrea Zomorodian

ALTOGarineh Avakian

Aleta BraxtonAmy Fogerson

Michele HemmingsShabnam Kalbasi

Sharmila LashSarah Lynch

Adriana Manfredi Alice Kirwan Murray

Eleni PantagesLaura Smith RoetheLeslie Inman Sobol

Ilana SummersKimberly Switzer Kristen Toedtman

TENORMatthew Brown

Adam FaruqiTimothy Gonzales

Steven HarmsBlake Howard

Dermot Kiernan Bryan Lane

Charles LaneMichael Lichtenauer

Joseph LopezMatthew Miles

Robert Norman Anthony RayTodd StrangeNate Widelitz

BASSMichael Bannett

David CastilloKevin DalbeyDylan Gentile Will Goldman

Abdiel Gonzalez Scott Graff

James HaydenDavid Dong-Geun Kim

Luc KleinerChung Uk Lee

Scott LehmkuhlEdward Levy

Ben LinAdrien Redford

Mark Edward Smith

The singers of the Los Angeles Master Chorale are represented by the American Guild of Musical Artists, AFL-CIO, Elyse Willis,

AGMA Delegate.

LOS ANGELESMASTER CHORALE

CHORISTERs

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Under the leadership of Grant Gershon, Kiki & David Gindler Artistsic Director, the Los Angeles Master Chorale has become “the most exciting chorus in the country.” (Los Angeles Times). A fervent champion of new music, Gershon has led more than 200 Master Chorale performances at Walt Disney Concert Hall, including world premieres of major works by John Adams, Esa-Pekka Salonen, David Lang, Louis Andriessen, Christopher Rouse, Steve Reich, Morten Lauridsen, Ricky Ian Gordon, Gabriela Lena Frank, Shawn Kirchner, Ellen Reid, and Chinary Ung, among

many others. In July 2019, Gershon and the Master Chorale opened the Salzburg Festival with their acclaimed Peter Sellars–directed production of Lagrime di San Pietro, earning rave reviews and standing ovations. Gershon is the Resident Conductor of LA Opera, and conducted the West Coast premiere of Philip Glass’s Satyagraha in November 2018. He made his Dutch National Opera debut conducting the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra in performances of John Adams’s Girls of the Golden West in March 2019. His discography includes two recordings nominated for Grammy Awards: Sweeney Todd (New York Philharmonic Special Editions) and Ligeti’s Grand Macabre (Sony Classical).

The works of Grammy Award–winning conductor and composer Eric Whitacre have been programmed worldwide by millions of amateur and professional performers, while his ground-breaking Virtual Choirs have united singers from over 120 different countries.

As conductor of the Eric Whitacre Singers, he has released chart-topping albums, and he is in high demand as guest conductor. He has collaborated with legendary Hollywood composer Hans Zimmer and British pop icons Laura Mvula, Imogen Heap, and

Annie Lennox, and received major classical commissions for, among others, the BBC Proms, Minnesota Orchestra, Rundfunkchor Berlin, The Tallis Scholars, Chanticleer, Los Angeles Master Chorale, and The King’s Singers. He reached new audiences in 2018 with Deep Field, a pioneering audiovisual collaboration between Eric, NASA, the Space Telescope Science Institute, Music Productions and 59 Productions.

CONDUCTORSGRANT GERSHON, KIKI & DAVID GINDLER ARTISTIC DIRECTOR

ERIC WHITACRE, SWAN FAMILY ARTIST-IN-RESIDENCE

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A native of Hong Kong, Wong assumed the position of Associate Conductor of the Los Angeles Master Chorale in 2017, after first becoming Assistant Conductor in 2016. She made her solo conducting debut at Walt Disney Concert Hall conducting the six Bach motets BWV 225–230, and has conducted on various Master Chorale programs, including the premiere of Moira Smiley’s five-movement Time in Our Voices.

Outside of Walt Disney Concert Hall, Wong has conducted the Master Chorale in performances

of Orlando di Lasso’s Lagrime di San Pietro, staged by Peter Sellars, at the Melbourne International Arts Festival; the Festival Internacional Cervantino in Guanajuato; the Palacio de Bellas Artes in Mexico City; the Carolina Performing Arts at University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill; and the Wallis Annenberg Center for Performing Arts in Beverly Hills.

Sue Fink brought together a small group of 18 singers in 1993 to form the Angel City Chorale, which enriches the lives of more than 180 singers with diverse musical experiences, creating a world-class choral sound.

Her 25-year career includes conducting worldwide, from Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles to Cadogan Hall with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in London. Most recently she conducted four performances on NBC’s America’s Got Talent, advancing to the semi-finals and receiving the coveted gold buzzer. She

founded and conducted the Oriana Renaissance Ensemble and the Los Angeles Women’s Community Chorus, and as a singer-songwriter she has released two award winning albums.

JENNY WONG, ASSOCIATE CONDUCTOR

SUE FINK

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Kristen Toedtman is a long-time singer with the Los Angeles Master Chorale who has shared the stage with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Philip Glass Ensemble, Frank Zappa’s Mothers of Invention, and the Bang on a Can All-Stars. She is a founding member of the Baltimore Afrobeat Society, and frequent collaborator with singer-songwriters Moira Smiley, Brendan Hines, and David Poe. Kristen has two self-released records of original material and has sung on the soundtracks of Frozen, Minions, Despicable Me 3, Godzilla, and others.

Kristen is passionate about inspiring others to sing. She is the Director of Baltimore’s Chorus of Peabody, and has worked with Los Angeles’s Street Symphony and Urban Voices Project. Most recently, she led singers at a health clinic in the Dominican Republic.

In 2017, Adrien Redford joined the Los Angeles Master Chorale, which led to his participation in the touring production of Orlando di Lasso’s Lagrime di San Pietro, performed fully memorized with staging by director Peter Sellars. In recent years, Adrien has enjoyed singing with the Gay Men’s Chorus of Los Angeles and the Trans Chorus of Los Angeles, and has worked with L.A.-based choral ensembles Tonality and Golden Bridge.

He is a member of the 2018–19 VOCES8 U.S. Scholars Program, sponsored by the highly acclaimed British

ensemble of the same name, and has also just launched a new project as Co-Artistic Director of PRISM, a 17-member conductorless ensemble specializing in Renaissance-era choral works. Adrien was greatly involved with the coordination of Master Chorale’s Big Sing L.A. and Big Sing California, and he is delighted to return to share the gift of music with his peers and community.

KRISTEN TOEDTMAN

ADRIEN REDFORD

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L.A. COUNTY DISTRICT 1SELF HELP GRAPHICS, BOYLE HEIGHTS

Edna CerritosIsabel Martinez-Torres

Ingrid Oliu

Elle TeaGloria Vasquez-Warner

Norma Sutherland

THE MUSIC CENTER

Frances AgoncilloBenjamin BuedaYessica ChavezTracy ChaviraUyi Chhorvirat

Anjanette CollazoSuzanne Ecker

Anita GarciaDon Garza

Andrew GrantJose HernandezSonia Hernandez

Philip HonIra Kusuma

Maple NavarroRd Plasschaert

Diane PondDeborah Prince

Carla SheppardErin SuyeharaLarry Swanson

Samantha TafoyaNatalie TafoyaEmma ZornerNelly Zuniga

GRAND PARK

Rusti BluSharon ClerkinJeremy Dodgen

Andrissa DominguezSilvia Figueroa

Courtney HearnDaniel Hernandez

Josefina Islas

Amelia LeeJacqueline Legazcue

Susana LeyvaValentina Moleene

Martin RamosJessica RevelesCicero Salvera

Kai su Shu

plaza for allart-making workshops

The Music Center partnered with Los Angeles-based LA Commons, which engages communities in artistic and cultural expressions, to facilitate artmaking workshops throughout Los Angeles County as part of the Plaza for All Celebration. With their help, along with our workshop partners—Angels Gate Cultural Center, Lancaster Museum of Art and History, Self Help Graphics, and Tía Chucha’s Centro Cultural & Bookstore—we engaged more than 100 participants in creating images inspired by their hopes, dreams and lives in Los Angeles. Thank you to LA Commons and our workshop partners, as well as all the participants, for helping to make The Music Center Plaza a “plaza for all.”

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L.A. COUNTY DISTRICT 2LA COMMONS, LEIMERT PARK

Josephine AustinAsong Bush

Larry CaldwellCourtney Jackson

Marley Katega

Akilah LynchChristian PerezElise PetersonWinnie Thomas

L.A. COUNTY DISTRICT 4ANGELS GATE CULTURAL CENTER, SAN PEDRO

Stacy ArensteinElena Dahl

Ernie GarciaSandy HooperMiguel Lopez

Gillish McCarthy

Thomas NormanAndres Rodriguez

Martha RuizDavid Salas

Marlene SandovalMiho Shindo

L.A. COUNTY DISTRICT 3TÍA CHUCHA’S CENTRO CULTURAL & BOOKSTORE,

SYLMAR

Jaslene AlvarezAngel Casillas

Wendy CentenoAdelmo EcheverriaJoaquin O. Flores

Lilian GarciaValeria Gomez

Berenice MachuchaLarissa Manzo

Jacqueline McRae

Kapuri OrozcoGeorge Ortega

Hossanaa PachecoMireyari PachecoYesenia Palomera

Sandra PeñaPatty Reyes

Ilancueitl SoberanisAlina ZaragozaAlyssa Zenner

L.A. COUNTY DISTRICT 5

Zechariah AdenijiArianna Bradley

Taahirah EdwardsDavid HicksLeah Levitt

Geoffrey LevittKatilyn Nicastro

Jasmine ParkerJeremy Sanders

Simmer SimsKatherine Stocking-Lopez

Alison VasquezSaharra White

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LOS ANGELESMASTER CHORALE

19/20 seasonopening concert

The Los Angeles Master Chorale is widely recognized as the country’s leading professional choir and one of Southern California’s most vibrant cultural treasures. Hailed for its powerful performances, technical precision, and artistic daring, the Master Chorale is led by Grant Gershon, Kiki & David Gindler Artistic Director, and Jean Davidson, President & CEO. It is a founding resident company of The Music Center and choir-in-residence at Walt Disney Concert Hall, where it performs a season of 13 concerts.

Since the 2018–19 season, the Master Chorale has been touring its production of Lagrime di San Pietro, directed by Peter Sellars, with performances in London and Paris, and at the Salzburg Festival, where it received standing ovations and rave reviews. The Los Angeles Master Chorale has performed in more than 500 concerts with the Los Angeles Philharmonic at both Disney Hall and the Hollywood Bowl. Praised for its definitive performances, the Los Angeles Master Chorale also has an esteemed discography that includes seven recordings under Gershon, and is featured on the soundtracks of many major motion pictures, including Star Wars: The Last Jedi.

Committed to community engagement, the Los Angeles Master Chorale’s education programs include the annual High School Choir Festival, which brings teenagers from around the Southland to perform in Walt Disney Concert Hall.

BRUCKNER’S GREAT MASSO C T O B E R 1 9 A N D 2 0

20% off for Big Sing 2019 participants Use code BIG

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About the music center

About The Music Center Plaza

As one of the nation’s largest performing arts centers and a cultural anchor in Los Angeles County, The Music Center convenes artists, communities, and ideas to deepen the cultural lives of all. Our programming engine, The Music Center Arts (TMC Arts), reflects the diverse voices and interests of the many communities of Los Angeles with relevant, engaging arts experiences and arts education programs at The Music Center, in Grand Park, and in schools and other locations all over Los Angeles County. Both the force behind and home of some of the most creative expression today, The Music Center also features four renowned resident companies: Center Theatre Group, Los Angeles Master Chorale, LA Opera, and LA Phil.

More information at musiccenter.org

Serving as a principal public square for Los Angeles County, The Music Center Plaza is a welcoming outdoor urban space for all to enjoy. Recently renovated, “The Plaza for All” offers a place where people can not only dine and gather, but also connect with friends and colleagues. With a number of restaurants at a variety of price points, including the one-of-a-kind Abernethy’s with its emerging chef program, The Music Center Plaza will be home to free and low-cost events and activities that showcase the talents of the many artists and distinctive communities that make up the culturally rich County of Los Angeles.

More information at musiccenter.org/plaza