Sing
ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION CONCERT
OCTOBER 6, 2024
GRANT GERSHON, KIKI & DAVID GINDLER ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
JENNY WONG, ASSOCIATE ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
REENA ESMAIL, SWAN FAMILY ARTIST-IN-RESIDENCE
contents
P1 Program
Cast, performances, who’s who, director’s notes and donors
6 In the Wings
Jason Alexander in Fiddler on the Roof at La Mirada Theatre; Digital Witness: Revolutions in Design, Photography, and Film at Los Angeles County Museum of Art; horror and parody screenings at Ford Theatre.
12 Stringed Beauty
With its graceful curves and melodic tones, the harp is an elegant yet powerful concert presence. It is also one of the most difficult instruments to play and to service.
18 California Comfort
Appreciating that every client, regardless of wealth or fame, craves comfort, interior designer Tobe Morrow creates inviting, approachable spaces
24 Tokyo, the Directors’ Cut
The best recent films of Japan—Godzilla Minus One, Perfects Days and The Boy and the Heron—inspire a fascinating tour of its capital.
32 Parting Thought
Performances’ program platform for shows and concerts can be accessed from any digital device.
A Celebration of Music ON THE DANUBE
Experience the rich musical heritage of the “Blue Danube” with an array of included excursions on AmaWaterways’ Celebration of Music river cruises. Walk in the footsteps of renowned composers during guided tours in Budapest and Bratislava. Visit the historic Mozart residence in charming Salzburg and find inspiration during an evening of live music at one of Vienna’s elegant venues.
Contact your travel advisor or scan the QR code for dates and details.
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PUBLISHER
Jeff Levy
EDITOR
Benjamin Epstein
ART DIRE CTOR
Carol Wakano
CONTIBUTING WRITERS
Roger Grody, Libby Slate, Caleb Wachs
PRODUCTION MANAGER
Glenda Mendez
PRODUCTION ARTIST
Diana Gonzalez
ADVERTISING DIRECTOR
Walter Lewis
ACCOUNT DIRE CTORS
Kerry Baggett, Jean Greene, Liz Moore
CIRCULATION MANAGER Christine Noriega-Roessler
BUSINESS MANAGER
Leanne Killian Riggar
MARKETING/ PRODUCTION MANAGER Dawn Kiko Cheng
DIGITAL PROGRAM MANAGER
Audrey Duncan Welch
DIGITAL MANAGER
Lorenzo Dela Rama
Contact Us
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HONORARY PRESIDENT
Ted Levy
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Olafur Eliasson
Image: Olafur Eliasson, Kaleidoscope for plural perspectives, 2024; Installation
view: Studio Olafur Eliasson, Berlin; Photo: Studio Olafur Eliasson; Courtesy of the artist; Tanya Bonakdar Gallery, New York/Los Angeles; neugerriemschneider, Berlin
© 2024 Olafur Eliasson
Presented by
Jason Alexander, this page in Fiddler on the Roof, and opposite.
JASON ALEXANDER IN FIDDLER
TO LOVE! TO LIFE! Fiddler on the Roof, Nov. 8-Dec. 1 at La Mirada Theatre for the Perfoming Arts, is a heartwarming story of fathers and daughters, husbands and wives, life, love and laughter. The musical overflows with Broadway hits including “Tradition,” “Sunrise, Sunset,” “If I Were a Rich Man,” “Matchmaker, Matchmaker” and “To Life (L’Chaim!).” The La Mirada engagement stars Jason Alexander as Tevya. Alexander is best known as George Costanza in television’s “Seinfeld”—for which he earned six Emmy nominations, several Screen Actor Guild awards and the Julie Harris Award for Lifetime Achievement—but his resume is wideranging. He’s starred and guested in The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Criminal Minds and Curb Your Enthusiasm; his films are as diverse as Pretty Woman, Rocky and Bullwinkle and The Hunchback of Notre Dame; his Broadway credits include Merrily We Roll Along and Jerome Robbin’s Broadway; he directed The God of Hell at the Geffen and Native Garden at Pasadena Playhouse; and he’s also worked as a writer, composer and producer. Fiddler on the Roof is based on stories by Sholom Aleichem. The original Broadway production was directed and choreographed by Jerome Robbins and produced by Harold Prince. 14900 La Mirada Blvd., La Mirada, 562.944.9801 lamiradatheatre.com
Well-Edited
OVER THE LAST four decades, image-editing software has radically transformed our visual world. The ease with which images and text can be digitally generated and altered has enabled new forms of creative experimentation—and have sparked philosophical debates about the very nature of representation. Digital Witness: Revolutions in Design, Photography, and Film examines the impact of digital manipulation tools from the 1980s to the present, assessing for the first time simultaneous developments and debates in the fields of photography, graphic design, and visual effects. The exhibition presents more than 150 works that trace the emergence of distinctive digital aesthetic strategies, relationships to realism, and storytelling modes. Nearly 200 artists, designers, and makers illuminate visual culture where digital editing tools are easier to access than ever before. 5905 Wilshire Blvd., L.A., 323.857.6000, lacma.org
Melanie Willhide, With the Exception of Blue, 2013. Top: Director Chino Moya’s music video for St. Vincent’s Digital Witness, 2014
ART
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SCREENINGS
THE HORROR!
THE FORD PRESENTS a triptych of screen classics ideal for the Halloween season. Oct. 27 brings the National Theatre Live Masterpiece production of Frankenstein, based on the Mary Shelley novel, directed by Academy Award-winner Danny Boyle and starring Jonny Lee Miller and Benedict Cumberbatch. Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining, Oct. 30—with Jack Nicholson, Shelley Duvall, Danny Lloyd and Scatman Crothers—is considered one of the greatest horror films of all time. Mel Brooks’ hilarious cult classic Young Frankenstein, Oct. 31, is among the greatest comedies, a surreal parody of the horror staple with Gene Wilder, Marty Feldman, Teri Garr and Peter Boyle. Young Frankenstein’s 50th anniversary
presentation includes pre-show entertainment and other goodies. Costumes are encouraged, dress to kill! 2580 Cahuenga Blvd. E., 323.850.2000, theford.com
On at the Ford: Jack Nicholson in The Shining and, below, Gene Wilder in Young Frankenstein
Stringed
BEAUT Y
With its graceful curves and melodic tones, the harp is an elegant yet powerful concert presence.
/ BY LIBBY SLATE /
LOS ANGELES PHILHARMONIC concertgoers may have noticed that, for a few years now, the orchestra’s harps have had a different look. Instead of the customary gleaming gold, they have a striking red lacquer finish.
The change is thanks to Emmanuel Ceysson, a Frenchman who joined the L.A. Phil as principal harpist in 2020; he came from the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and brought his distinctive red harp with him.
The L.A. Phil subsequently decided to purchase two more of the instruments.
Known as the Salzedo, the model was first crafted by leading harp-maker Lyon & Healy in 1928 and brought
L.A. Phil principal harpist Emmanuel Ceysson
back for the Chicago company’s 150th anniversary in 2014.
It is named for Carlos Salzedo, a French harpistcomposer-teacher who was a major force in the development of harp playing in the United States in the first decades of the 20th century. The harp’s color matches the ink in the pen Salzedo used to mark his students’ scores.
“Salzedo wanted an Art Deco design that would stray away from the cliché of a gilded,
overly-ornamented instrument,” explains Ceysson. He performs the world premiere of an L.A. Philcommissioned harp concerto by Japanese composer Joe Hisaishi Nov. 14, 15 and 17 at Walt Disney Concert Hall downtown.
“I was the first person to play on [the newer instrument],” Ceysson recalls. “I immediately saw the visual impact it had on the audience and decided to acquire it.
“It looks gorgeous!”
style, the harp’s elegant curves and imposing height make it one of the most majestic of musical instruments.
It’s also one of the most complicated to play.
A concert grand stands 6 feet tall; 47 strings spanning seven octaves are plucked by the hands—but no pinkie fingers, too short to reach the strings effectively.
the notes’ natural tones, sharps and flats.
The harpist, focusing on hand movements, doesn’t view the pedals while playing, a feat of coordination and muscle memory an Olympic gymnast might envy.
The type and integrity of the wood from which the harp is made —particularly that of the soundboard, to the bottom of which the strings are attached—are the predominant factors in
Whatever its color and /CONTINUED ON PAGE 28
Seven foot-operated pedals—one for each note in the scale—have three levels corresponding to
Japanese conductorcomposer Joe Hisaishi at the Hollywood Bowl
Embark on an L.A. adventure in Marina del Rey. From kayaking and sport-fishing to dining cruises and biking along the coast, our waterfront hotels, dockside restaurants and party-ready yachts make it easy to stay and play like a local. PLEASE DRINK
welcome
SCOTT ALTMAN, PRESIDENT & CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
Dear Friend of the Master Chorale,
I am so pleased to welcome you to the 2024/25 Season—our 60th Anniversary Season! I am honored and humbled to assume the leadership of this organization at such a pivotal time in its history. As we begin this season-long celebration of 60 years of world-class choral music, I must take a moment to express our sincere gratitude for your incredible support of the Los Angeles Master Chorale over the last six decades. Without you, our loyal patrons and donors, this watershed moment would not be possible.
From iconic masterpieces to innovative world premieres, this extraordinary commemorative season, led by Grant Gershon, Kiki & David Gindler Artistic Director, will not disappoint. Sing Joyfully, the 60th Anniversary Celebration Concert, opens the season and features some of the world’s most beloved a cappella choral works from the Renaissance to the present day. The title, Sing Joyfully, is especially fitting as there is a unique joy in gathering together in the spectacular Walt Disney Concert Hall where the singers’ incredible talent combines with unmatched acoustics to create truly transcendent experiences. “When people wish to express their innermost thoughts and dreams, they sing—and when they sing together, it is called choral music,” wrote Nick Strimple at the end of his acclaimed history of this art form in the twentieth century. The Los Angeles Master Chorale has brought people together to give a shared human voice to these thoughts and dreams—for singers and audiences alike—and has made itself indispensable in the process.
The GRAMMY® Award-winning Master Chorale is at a momentous time in its history. Created
by legendary conductor Roger Wagner in 1964, the Chorale is a founding resident company of The Music Center and choir-in-residence at Walt Disney Concert Hall. The Chorale reaches over 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. As we honor its legacy as the global leader in choral music, in this era of cultural change, the Master Chorale must also expand its role as innovator, educator, and standard bearer. The Chorale has an industry-defining commitment to fostering new music and living composers. Last year we 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, Jason Max Ferdinand, Ernesto Herrera, Zanaida Stewart Robles, Carlos Simon, and Rufus Wainwright. The Chorale’s education programs include Voices Within residencies that encourage students to write and perform their own songs, and an expansive Oratorio Project for high school students. The Chorale also presents an annual High School Choir Festival, which brings teenagers from around the Southland to perform in Walt Disney Concert Hall.
Choral music is for everyone. We genuinely believe it has the power to inspire and create a sense of belonging. We are so grateful to share this beautiful art form with our community.
Thank you for your support.
Scott Altman President & Chief Executive Officer
SING JOYFULLY A 60th Anniversary Celebration
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 6, 2024 AT 7 PM
WALT DISNEY CONCERT HALL
GRANT GERSHON
Kiki & David Gindler Artistic Director
JENNY WONG
Associate Artistic Director
REENA ESMAIL
Swan Family Artist-in-Residence
LOS ANGELES MASTER CHORALE GRANT GERSHON , conductor
Sing Joyfully William Byrd (1540–1623)
Music Divine Thomas Tomkins (1572–1656)
Crucifixus Antonio Lotti (1667–1740)
Mirabilia testimónia tua Juan Gutiérrez de Padilla (1590–1664)
Locus iste Anton Bruckner (1824–1896)
Os justi Anton Bruckner
Abendlied Josef Rheinberger (1839–1901)
Lay a Garland Robert Lucas Pearsall (1795–1856)
Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873–1943) (May Our Mouths Be Filled) Херувимская
Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840–1893) (The Cherubic Hymn)
Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky (O Praise the Lord)
INTERMISSIO N
Lobgesang
John Wakefield, glockenspiel
O Magnum Mysterium
Henrik Górecki (1933–2010)
Morten Lauridsen (b. 1943)
Hark, I Hear the Harps Eternal Traditional arr. Alice Parker (1925–2023)
At Midnight Elinor Remick Warren (1900–1991)
Zion’s Walls John G. McCurry (1821–1886) Lisa Edwards, piano adapted by Aaron Copland (1900–1990) arr. Glenn Koponen (1943–2021)
Amazing Grace John Newton (1725–1807)
Sunmi Shin, soprano* arr. Hyowon Woo (b. 1974)
Mata del anima sola
JJ Lopez, tenor*
Antonio Estévez (1916–1988)
Abide with Me William H. Monk (1823–1889) arr. Moses Hogan (1957–2003)
Elijah Rock Traditional Spiritual arr. Moses Hogan
Make Our Garden Grow
Leonard Bernstein (1918–1990) Lisa Edwards, piano
Alleluia Randall Thompson (1899–1984)
* 24/25 jennifer diener soloist
This program is made possible by generous support from Cheryl Petersen and Roger Lustberg, the Z. Wayne Griffin and Elinor Remick Warren Choral Classics Fund, and the Jennifer Diener Soloist Fund.
LOS ANGELES MASTER CHORALE
Acknowledgments
The Los Angeles Master Chorale acknowledges our presence on the ancestral and unceded territory of the Tongva people and their neighbors, whose ancestors ruled the region we now call Southern California for at least 9,000 years. We pay respects to the members and elders of these communities, past and present, who remain stewards, caretakers, and advocates of these lands, river systems, and ocean waters.
The Los Angeles Master Chorale’s 2024/25 season is made possible by generous support from Terri and Jerry Kohl; the Perenchio Foundation; the Z. Wayne Griffin and Elinor Remick Warren Choral Classics Fund; the Joan and Jeff Beal Artistic Innovation Fund; the Jennifer Diener Soloist Fund; the Susan Erburu Reardon and George Reardon Commissioning Fund; Bryant, Judi, and Debra Danner; Kiki Ramos Gindler and David Gindler; Cheryl Petersen and Roger Lustberg; Tom Strickler; Courtland Palmer; Joni and Miles Benickes; James R. Mulally; Ron Myrick; the Andrea and Gregory Williams Collaborating Artists Fund; the National Endowment for the Arts; and the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors through the Department of Arts and Culture.
The Los Angeles Master Chorale’s Swan Family Artist-in-Residence is made possible by Kristan and Philip Swan.
AmaWaterways is the Official River Cruise Line of the Los Angeles Master Chorale.
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.
Los Angeles Master Chorale at 60: Making This Garden Grow
THOMAS MAY
Exactly 60 years ago this month, the Los Angeles Times reported on the formation of a new choral ensemble, which would be known as the Los Angeles Master Chorale. Led by the visionary music director and educator Roger Wagner, long a key figure in the city’s choral music scene, the chorus launched its inaugural season on January 27, 1965, with a performance of Bach’s B minor Mass in the newly opened Dorothy Chandler Pavilion.
The LA Master Chorale thus became a founding resident company, alongside the LA Philharmonic, of the emerging Los Angeles Music Center. (Still to come were Los Angeles Opera and the Center Theatre Group.) In addition to its permanent partnership with the Philharmonic, the LA Master Chorale was established as an independent professional chorus with a season all its own—a status that from the beginning set it apart. None of America’s other major cultural centers from this era (think Lincoln Center and, a few years later, the Kennedy Center) envisioned a similarly prominent position for choral music.
This evening’s concert celebrates the start of the 60th anniversary season “with a focus on the ensemble itself,” says Grant Gershon, the LA Master Chorale’s Kiki & David Gindler Artistic Director. “I wanted to create a program that has lots of big, iconic choral pieces and is almost exclusively a cappella.”
The musical menu spans from the Renaissance to the turn of the 20th century (with an excursion into the present by way of South Korean choral composer Hyowon Woo’s unique arrangement of Amazing Grace). This
opening concert singles out peak moments from the LA Master Chorale’s past, while the season’s concluding program in June, New Renaissance , will turn our attention to voices of today who represent the future of the art.
Roger Wagner, who directed the Master Chorale from 1964 to 1986, described his “ideal of sound” as closely connected to “the purity of sound in church choirs and in Renaissance music.” The inaugural season reflected Wagner’s mission of presenting choral masterpieces from the repertoire—Bach’s B minor Mass and the Missa Solemnis of Beethoven (with Robert Shaw as guest conductor) were highlights—along with his love of early music.
Decades before the Master Chorale appeared, native Angeleno Paul Salamunovich had been mesmerized by hearing one of Wagner’s choirs singing Gregorian chant at his small church. He eventually joined the Roger Wagner Chorale and served as assistant conductor of the LA Master Chorale over its first decade. Following Scottish conductor John Currie’s five-year tenure at the helm, Salamunovich returned to become music director in 1991, reaffirming the founding values emphasized by his mentor Wagner.
Early music thus became an integral part of the Master Chorale’s DNA, as the first set on our program reflects. With its six-part texture, William Byrd’s English setting of Psalm 81 in Sing Joyfully is brilliantly tailored for the display of public festivity, while Music Divine by Thomas Tomkins revels in the word painting of the secular madrigal that flourished a generation later in the English Renaissance.
We fast forward to the Venetian Baroque with Antonio Lotti’s poignant Crucifixus , an eightpart motet (short choral piece to a sacred text), and then move back again to the Renaissance and another Psalm setting as we encounter Juan Gutiérrez de Padilla, a Spanish-born composer whose career centered around the Puebla de Los Angeles in 17th-century Mexico.
The next set presents four composers from the Romantic 19th century, including two motets by Anton Bruckner, whose 200th birthday the music world celebrated last month. Just as in his monumental symphonies, he beckons listeners beyond their routine sense of time in these reverberantly spacious, a cappella miniatures.
Josef Rheinberger, a Bach-loving Romantic, initially composed his beautiful motet Abendlied (“Evening Song”) when he was only 15. Lay a Garland, written by the English amateur composer Robert Lucas Pearsall in 1840, sets a famous secular poem.
Both Tchaikovsky and Rachmaninoff wrote choral music for the Russian Orthodox Divine Liturgy of Saint John Chrysostom—the former even declared the service to be “one of the greatest productions of art”—yet their efforts were rejected by Orthodox authorities as too distracting on account of their musical beauties. Rather than rely on existing chants, Rachmaninoff wrote entirely original music for his setting. The experience paved the way for his better-known All-Night Vigil, a signature work of the Master Chorale.
Since 2001, when he took on the reins from Salamunovich, Grant Gershon has introduced significant innovations by bringing music of our time into the spotlight while also furthering the LA Master Chorale’s legacy of interpreting the great works of the choral repertoire. On a program in 2008, he led the U.S. premiere of Henryk Górecki’s Lobgesang from 2000, two years before the Polish composer’s death. Górecki had composed this “song of praise” as a “musical greeting” paying homage to Johannes Gutenberg on his 600th birthday.
The first-ever composer residency actually began in the Salamunovich years, when Morten Lauridsen was invited to take on that role. In the process, he became one of the world’s most frequently performed choral composers at work
today—in no small part thanks to the enormous impact of his transportive Christmas motet, O Magnum Mysterium , which was commissioned in 1994 by founding board member Marshall Rutter as a gift for his wife, Terry Knowles, former President & CEO of the LA Master Chorale. The piece’s 30th anniversary marks the exact midway point in the ensemble’s lifespan to date, and O Magnum Mysterium remains one of its most awe-inspiring achievements.
Gershon’s creative programming has expanded the singers’ repertoire by exploring a variety of American vernacular musical styles as well as folk traditions from around the world. Both of these come together in South Korean composer Hyowon Woo’s arrangement of Amazing Grace , which incorporates a traditional Korean solo for soprano within the iconic hymn.
The late Alice Parker created her beloved arrangement Hark, I Hear the Harps Eternal from the shape-note hymn tradition. The music of the prolific Angeleno composer and pianist Elinor Remick Warren, who later married Master Chorale founding board member Z. Wayne Griffin, is represented by her mixed-chorus part song At Midnight from 1936, which sets a poem by James Russell Lowell. Zion’s Walls is a tentrevival spiritual that Aaron Copland also used in his sole opera, The Tender Land. Venezuelan composer Antonio Estévez draws on folk rhythms and imitative effects from the voices for Mata del anima sola (“Tree of the Lonely Soul”).
The influential arranger, pianist, and conductor Moses Hogan’s arrangement of the church hymn Abide with Me provided desperately needed balm on a virtual program during the pandemic, while his tour-de-force setting of the African American spiritual Elijah Rock captures both the pain and the jubilant hope of this quintessentially American genre.
Gershon remarks that Leonard Bernstein’s Make Our Garden Grow, the uplifting final number from his brilliant 1956 music theater work Candide, might serve as an alternate title for this anniversary program: “The theme really is how we’ve laid the soil and planted the seeds, continuing to nurture this organization and this art form. Like a garden, it’s not just one crop but a rich variety of genres and eras.” Time indeed to sing Alleluia!
Thomas May is the program annotator for the Los Angeles Master Chorale.
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 anniversary season with the Los Angeles Master Chorale, which he transformed into the “best-by-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.
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.
soloists
SUNMI SHIN SOPRANO
Sunmi Shin, a native of South Korea, holds a Graduate Certificate from the Flora L. Thornton School of Music at the University of Southern California.
Her operatic repertoire includes notable roles such as Morgana in Händel’s Alcina , Hero in Berlioz’s Beatrice et Benedict , Gilda in Verdi’s Rigoletto , and the Queen of the Night in Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte Beyond opera, she has demonstrated her vocal talents in solo performances of Händel’s Messiah , Vaughan Williams’ Dona nobis pacem, Pergolesi’s S tabat Mater, Brahms’ German Requiem, Mozart’s Mass in C minor, and Haydn’s Nelson Mass
Recent highlights of her career include her participation as a member of the Los Angeles Master Chorale in the staged production of Schütz’s Musikalische Exequien , directed by Peter Sellars at the Walt Disney Concert Hall and the 2023 Salzburg Festival. Additionally, she was a soloist at the Aspen Music Festival, performing Debussy’s Cantata La Damoiselle élue under the baton of Ludovic Morlot, Director of the Barcelona Orchestra.
JJ LOPEZ TENOR
Praised for being an “alluring lyric tenor having ample spinto leanings and an attractive and engaging stage demeanor with stylistic acumen,” Mexican-American tenor
JJ Lopez was recognized by Opera News for his performance of Rodolfo with Pacific Opera Project.
JJ is also a member of the Los Angeles Opera Chorus and performs regularly at the Walt Disney Concert Hall and the Hollywood Bowl with the Los Angeles Philharmonic. He has been a featured soloist for multiple occasions with the Master Chorale such as Bruckner’s Great Mass , Handel’s Messiah and he will have his Carmina Burana debut this spring.
As a Los Angeles-based professional session singer specializing in vocals for tv, film, and video games, JJ’s unique ability to incorporate a variety of styles and flexibility to be called upon as soloist or chorister makes him a valuable asset to many composers for any recording or performing project. He has performed on film scores such as Twisters , Despicable Me 4 , Super Mario Bros ., Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Haunted Mansion , Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, J umanji: Welcome to the Jungle , Mulan (2020), as well as many others.
los angeles master chorale
SOPRANO
April Amante
Tamara Bevard
Christina Bristow
Harriet Fraser
Graycen Gardner
Kelci Hahn
Karen Hogle Brown
Elissa Johnston
JuHye Kim
Caroline McKenzie
Beth Peregrine
Alina Roitstein
Anna Schubert
Holly Sedillos
Sunmi Shin
Kathryn Shuman
Addy Sterrett
Courtney Taylor
Chloé Vaught
Suzanne Waters
Andrea Zomorodian
ALTO
Garineh Avakian
Monika Bruckner
Anna Caplan
Mindy Ella Chu
Janelle DeStefano
Carmen Edano
Amy Fogerson
Michele Hemmings
Callista
Hoffman-Campbell
Shabnam Kalbasi
Sharon Chohi Kim
Sharmila G. Lash
Hannah Little
Sarah Lynch
Adriana Manfredi
Julia Metzler
Alice Kirwan Murray
Lindsay Patterson Abdou
Laura Smith Roethe
Jessie Shulman
Niké St. Clair
Nancy Sulahian
Ilana Summers
Kimberly Switzer
Kristen Toedtman
Tracy Van Fleet
Elyse Willis
TENOR
Casey Breves
Matthew Brown
Bradley Chapman
Adam Faruqi
Michael Jones
Jon Lee Keenan
Dermot Kiernan
Charlie Kim
Shawn Kirchner
Joey Krumbein
Bryan Lane
Kyuyoung Lee
Michael Lichtenauer
JJ Lopez
Sal Malaki
Matthew Miles
Robert Norman
Evan Roberts
Darita Seth
Todd Strange
Matt Thomas
Matthew Tresler
BASS
Michael Bannett
Mark Beasom
John Buffett
David Castillo
Kevin Dalbey
Dylan Gentile
Will Goldman
Scott Graff
Brandon Guzman
James Hayden
Jared Jones
David Dong-Geun Kim
Luc Kleiner
Chung Uk Lee
Scott Lehmkuhl
Ben Han-Wei Lin
Brett McDermid
Adrien Redford
Mark Edward Smith
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.
donor recognition 2024/25 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 from August 1, 2023, through August 30, 2024. 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. Members receive exclusive recognition and event experiences throughout the year.
Jeff and Joan Beal
Joni and Miles Benickes
Marla Borowski
Dr. Kathy Cairo
Margaret Sheehy Collins Bryant, Judi, and Debra Danner
Jennifer Diener
William and Patricia Flumenbaum
Kiki Ramos Gindler and David Gindler
Terri and Jerry Kohl
Lillian Pierson Lovelace*
Diane Morton
James R. Mulally
ARTISTIC DIRECTOR’S CIRCLE
Steven P. Neiffer and Eric Lassiter*
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
Kristan and Philip A. Swan
Laney and Tom*
Techentin
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. Enjoy special opportunities throughout the season to engage with artists, singers, and the music we love.
Denise and Robert Hanisee
Jenny S. Kim and Chip W. Baik
Ron Myrick
Marian and John* Niles
Elizabeth and Justus Schlichting
Jason Subotky and Anne Akiko Meyers in honor of Grant Gershon
ENSEMBLE CIRCLE ($25,000–$49,999)
Jerrie Paula OrtegaBrown and Abbott L. Brown
Capital Group
Kathleen Elowitt
Frank and Berta Gehry
Martha and Nora Groves
Jennifer Hoang and Brian Krechman
Terry Knowles and Marshall Rutter
Marjorie Lindbeck
The Lovelace Family in honor of
Lillian Lovelace
Molly Munger and Stephen English
Naseem Nixon
William M. Tully in loving memory of Jane W. Tully
Casper Partovi and Jackie Petitto
Melissa and Alex Romain
Phyllis and Larry Rothrock*
Grace Sheldon-Williams and Greg Williams
SPONSORS CIRCLE
Thomas and Judith Beckmen
John and Louise Bryson
Dr. Ann Graham Ehringer
Sue and James Femino
Lisa Field
Hon. Michael W. Fitzgerald and Mr. Arturo Vargas
Germaine Franco
Christine and Chester Griffiths
$5,000–$9,999
Evelyn Feintech
Susan and Bob Long
Robert and Sally Neely
$3,000–$4,999
Diane and Noel Applebaum
Vince Bertoni and Damon Hein
Theodore and Kathy Calleton, in memory of Edward J. McAniff
$1,500–$2,999
Dr. Christina Benson, M.D. and Dr. Kenneth Wells, M.D.
Jerry Bluestein and Regine Wood
James Cronk
Kathleen and Terry* Dooley
Dr. William and Mrs. Mary Duxler
Richard Eberhart
($10,000–$24,999)
Berkeley and Kristin Harrison
Judith Jenkins
Robin and Craig Justice
Thomas F. Kranz
Shawn Kravich
Anahita and Jim Lovelace
Jane and Edward J.* McAniff
Kenneth and Patricia McKenna
Robert L. Mendow
Carolyn L. Miller
Steven and Jerri Nagelberg
Christine M. Ofiesh
Orange County Opera
Dr. Clifford and Joyce Penner
Linda L. Pierce
Lisa Richardson
Ann* and Robert Ronus
Rosemary Schroeder
Eva and Marc Stern
Catherine and Howard* Stone
Priscilla and Curtis Tamkin
Ian and Barbara White-Thomson
Alyce de Roulet
Williamson
Bea Nemlaha
Eric Olson and Carol Brode
John Perkins in memory of Ann Perkins
Claudette Rogers
Lorraine Saunders
Booker and Sarita White
Estate of Elizabeth Hofert Dailey
Craig and Mary Deutsche
Patrick R. Fitzgerald
Greg and Jill Hoenes
Lawrence and Mireya Jones
Dr. Patricia A. Keating
Frank* and Mona Mapel
Estate of Robert W. Olsen
Nishan and Cindy Partamian
John Powell
Sue Stamberger
Neeyah Lynn
Rose Stephens
Jocelyn Towne and Simon Helberg
Craig Webb
Rudolf H. Ziesenhenne
Irma Fitzgibbons in honor of Sonia Randazzo
Andrew Glassford and Andrew Graff
Ann and Christine Horton
Elissa Johnston and Grant Gershon
David Kalifon
Thomas and Gloria Lang
Estate of Louise Lepley
June and Simon Li
Jennifer and Joey Li
John Lundgren, M.D. and Susan Jay, Ph.D.
Rob and Christie Martin
Dr. Joseph Matthews in honor of Grant Gershon
Kathleen McCarthy
Mr. Robin Meadow and Ms. Margaret Stevens
Jeff Melvoin in honor of Martha Groves
Hannah Pastrano
Gary and Marina Raines
Ilean and Steve* Rogers in honor of Grant Gershon
Frank D. Rubin
Kristina Segesvary
Nancy and Dick Spelke
J. Theodore Struck and Al Whitley*
Melanie and Bill Switzer
Elizabeth Turner
Betsey Tyler
Marilene Wang
$600–$1,499
Rob Bailis
Lorri and Steve Benson
Jennifer and Chris Bertolet
Wade and JoAnn Bourne
Barbara Byrne
Jim B. Clarke in honor of
Martha Groves
John and Sue Clauss
Eleanor Congdon
Molly and Walter* Coulson
Thomas Dwyer and Pamela Perkins-Dwyer
Dr. Annette L. Ermshar and Mr. Dan Monahan
Dr. Reena Esmail and Vijay Gupta
Gordon and Vacharee Fell
Michael Fishbein
Jeanie Fiskin
Lorna Fitzgerald in honor of Ron Myrick
Jane Galbraith
Keith Gayhart
Steve Gilbreath in memory of Lauran Gilbreath
Suzanne Gilman
Sandra Helen Goodenough
Paul and Janet Gordon
Ms. Diana Gould and Dr. Kirsten Grimstad
Alma Guzman
Beth Hansen in honor of Sonia Randazzo
Mira Hashmall
Liz Levitt Hirsch
Travis J. Howell in memory of
James Howell
James Ingalls
Tomoko Iwakawa
Frank Jarvis
Paul and Missy Jennings
Richard P. Jensen
Carrie Kirshman and Jerry Podczaski
G. Brad Klein, M.D. and Victoria Hansen
Christopher W. Knight
Ellen Kurth
Mr. Ken Kwapis and Ms. Marisa Silver
Edie Lehmann Boddicker
Peggy Loukas
Susan Mackensen
Masako Maki
Barbara and Joel Marcus
Ernesto Martinez
Terry and Chip Marvin
Jerilyn and Peter McAniff
Dr. Minnie McMillan
Dr. Nicholas K. Menzies and Dr. Melinda Herrold-Menzies
Michael and Lori Milken
Chip and Sharyn Moore
Ilca Moskos
Heidi Novaes
Vic Pallos and Emilie Pallos
Marilyn J. Prewoznik
Kathleen and Freddie Reiss
Edwin T. Robinson
Penelope C. Roeder, Ph.D.
Carli V. Rogers in memory of Anthony Rogers
Mary Rourke
Barbara and Heinrich Schelbert
in memoriam
TED MCANIFF 1934–2024
The artists, staff and board of directors of the Los Angeles Master Chorale deeply mourn the passing on June 24 of Edward “Ted” McAniff, Emeritus Director and dear friend of the organization for more than four decades.
Ted served on the Los Angeles Master Chorale Board of Directors from January 1987 through June 2023. Marshall Rutter (Emeritus Director) served alongside Ted on the Board of Directors, nominating him to the Board. Ted filled nearly every role possible within the organization, holding various positions such as Chair, President, Audit Committee Chair, Finance Committee Chair, legal counsel, and liaison with The Music Center.
Professionally, as a lawyer, Ted was involved in many aspects of banking law including corporate and securities law, mergers and acquisitions, and public finance transactions. He was a partner at O’Melveny & Myers in Los Angeles for more than 30 years.
Marc Seltzer and Chris Snyder in memory of
James Howell
Laurie Samitaur Smith
Carol A. Smith
Tom and Susan Somerset
Barbara A. Teichert
Marjorie Thomson
Rick and Becky Thyne
Paul and Catherine Tosetti
Dr. Iwona Trybus
Christine Upton
David and Rebekah Yanni
Kat and Thomas Zimmerman
In addition to the Los Angeles Master Chorale Board of Directors, Ted was member of the Walt Disney Concert Hall Board FY98, member of the Music Center Foundation Board of Directors, and Emeritus Director of the Music Center/Performing Arts Center of L.A. County.
In June 2023, Ted agreed to be an Emeritus Director. He said that serving on the Los Angeles Master Chorale Board of Directors was one of the most remarkable things in his life. Choral music had been very important in his family since he was seven years old. Last December, an ensemble of Master Chorale singers surprised Ted and his family at his home with a special performance of holiday carols. He was the Los Angeles Master Chorale’s most loyal patron and fan
Ted leaves behind his beloved wife Jane, his precious children and grandchildren.
roger wagner society
Jeff and Joan Beal
Joni and Miles Benickes
James A. Bond in honor of
Morten Lauridsen
Michael Breitner
Abbott Brown
Linda McNeal Brown
Raun and Jerry Burnham
Dr. Kathy Cairo
Robert Churella
Colburn Foundation
Margaret Sheehy Collins
Elizabeth Hofert Dailey*
Bryant, Judi, and Debra Danner
William Davis* in honor of Ted McAniff
Jennifer Diener
Dr. Ann Graham Ehringer
Hon. Michael and Mr.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*
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*
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 Elizabeth Greenway, Chief Advancement Officer, at egreenway@lamasterchorale.org or 213-972-3114.
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
Hugh Ralston
Susan Erburu Reardon and George Reardon
Elizabeth Redmond
Penelope C. Roeder, Ph.D.
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
Anne Shaw and Harrison Price*
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+
LA Arts Recovery Fund
Perenchio Foundation
U.S. Small Business Administration
$100,000–$999,999
The Ahmanson Foundation
AmaWaterways
California Venues Grant Program
Colburn Foundation
FEMA & California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services
The Music Center Foundation
$50,000–$99,999
Anonymous
Ann Peppers Foundation
The Blue Ribbon
California Arts Council
Consulate General of the Republic of Korea in Los Angeles
Los Angeles County Department of Arts and Culture
Moore Family Foundation
Dan Murphy Foundation
The Ralph M. Parsons Foundation
The Rose Hills Foundation
Edward A. & Ai O. Shay Family Foundation
$20,000–$49,999
California Small Business COVID-19 Relief Grant Program, Nonprofit Cultural Institutions
Capital Group Corporate Charitable Giving
Chorus America Music Education Partnership
City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs
Dwight Stuart Youth Fund
The Green Foundation
LA County Arts and Culture Creative Recovery LA
National Endowment for the Arts
Walter J. and Holly O. Thomson Foundation, Bank of America, N.A., Co-Trustee
$10,000–$19,999
Hope & Grand Events
Mid Atlantic Arts
Munger, Tolles & Olson, LLP
The Kenneth T. and Eileen L. Norris Foundation
The Riordan Foundation
The SahanDaywi Foundation
$1,000–$9,999
The Aaron Copland Fund for Music
David Bohnett Foundation
Employees Community Fund of The Boeing Company California
Friars Charitable Foundation
William H. Hannon Foundation
Kraft-Engel Management
The Michael and Lori Milken Family Foundation
The Music Man Foundation
The E. Nakamichi Foundation
Ornest Family Foundation
Pasadena Showcase House for the Arts
The Lon V. Smith Foundation
The John and Beverly Stauffer Foundation
Sidney Stern Memorial Trust
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
OFFICERS
Susan Erburu Reardon Chair
DIRECTORS
Bryant Danner
Jennifer Diener
Lorna Fitzgerald
Grant Gershon*
Kiki Ramos Gindler
William Goldman**
Martha Groves
Robert Hanisee
ARTISTIC & EXECUTIVE LEADERSHIP
Scott Altman
President & Chief Executive Officer
Grant Gershon
Kiki & David Gindler
Artistic Director
Jenny Wong
Associate Artistic Director
Reena Esmail
Swan Family
Artist-in-Residence
Lisa Edwards Pianist/Musical Assistant
PRODUCTION & OPERATIONS
Kevin Koelbl Vice President of Artistic Operations
Susie McDermid Director of Production
Anthony Crespo
Production & Personnel Manager
Chris Fox
Production Manager
Jeff Wallace
Technical Director
Brady Steel Orchestra Manager
Scott Altman* President & CEO
Kristin Techentin
Harrison
Jenn Hoang
Jenny Soonjin Kim
Shawn Kravich
Ron Myrick
Naseem Nixon
Casper Partovi
Lisa Richardson
Tom Strickler Vice Chair
Miles Benickes Treasurer Courtland Palmer Secretary
Laura Smolowe
Phil Swan
William Tully
Tracy Van Fleet**
Andrea D. Williams
HONORARY
Morten J. Lauridsen
Lillian Pierson Lovelace***
ADMINISTRATION
Mark Fugina Orchestra Music Librarian
ADVANCEMENT
Elizabeth Greenway Vice President of Advancement
Pamela Perkins-Dwyer Director of Major Gifts
Andrea Barkan-Kennedy Director of Institutional 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
Ana Paula Farano
Education Intern
Michael Cassady
Teaching Artist
Saunder Choi
Teaching Artist
Ayana Haviv
Teaching Artist
Alice Kirwan Murray
Teaching Artist
David O
Teaching Artist
Brett Paesel
Teaching Artist
Brian Sonia-Wallace
Teaching Artist
FINANCE & ADMINISTRATION
Steven Neiffer
Vice President of Finance/ Chief Financial Officer
Pablo Corá Controller
Allie Fukushima
Compensation & Accounting Specialist
Esther Palacios Office Manager
Myrna Diaz
Executive Assistant & Board Liaison
MARKETING & PUBLIC RELATIONS
Lisa Bellamore
Crescent Communications
Ciara Curran
Interim Marketing Manager
EMERITUS
Edward J. McAniff***
Albert J. McNeil***
Clifford A. Miller***
Marshall A. Rutter
Laney Techentin
* Ex-officio
** Chorale Representative ***In Memoriam
Eli Frances Interim Digital Content Manager
CONSULTANTS
Studio Fuse, Inc.
Design Firm
David Lieberman Artist
Booking Representation
Dream Warrior Group
Web Design
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
California COMFORT
Appreciating that every client craves comfort, regardless of wealth or fame, interior designer Tobe Morrow creates inviting, approachable spaces. / by ROGER GRODY /
IN A CITY filled with celebrity designers, it is refreshing to encounter Tobe Morrow. Morrow is a former elementary school teacher whose passion for creating engaging learning environments ultimately evolved into a prestigious interior design practice. Grounded by an affinity for natural California materials, the work of Morrow & Co. is as approachable as it is sophisticated.
The Brentwood-based designer has been a resident of Los Angeles for 25 years but grew up in the Central Coast community of Paso Robles. She describes her studio's style as “California chic.”
“I feel like a native, but really love my small-town roots,” says Morrow, who is inspired as much by her adopted city’s natural environment as its cosmopolitan assets. “When people think of L.A., they
Above and opposite: In Brentwood Park, Tobe Morrow showcases her California-chic style with warm materials and bold concepts.
think of the city. But the truth is we have natural beauty all around us.”
Morrow’s designs are mostly informed by her travels. She favors natural materials and, like many contemporary designers, has rediscovered the magic of wallpaper.
“I’m a sucker for great wallpaper and enjoy designing spaces in the home that provide jewel-box moments,” she says, citing her use of bold wallcoverings in powder rooms, parlor bars or dining rooms.
“I love mixing old with new,” says the
designer. “I like to show clients that their grandma's old candy jar can actually be a feature moment on the coffee table and doesn't need to be hidden in the cabinet.”
Morrow believes that effective client communication s what separates good designers from great ones.
“Your home should be a reflection of you. It should make you happy to be there and embrace your unique style,” she says. “I listen a lot, I process and ask questions.”
She believes it is important, and revealing, to visit clients’ current homes to assess how their existing spaces fit their lifestyles. “It’s my job to listen ... and to make their dreams a reality.”
At a home in Sherwood Country Club, outside Westlake Village, Morrow repurposed a monogramed Louis Vuitton trunk as a side table in the family room; vintage items throughout the home reinforce its French Colonial architecture.
A bubbly Talia chandelier from Visual Comfort & Co. hangs above the dining room
Dining table at a Sherwood Country Club home with fanciful chandelier by Visual Comfort & Co. Below: A cozy parlor bar in Brentwood Park.
Hailed as America’s fi nest major chorus, the Grammy® Award-winning Los Angeles Master Chorale celebrates six decades of excellence and artistry. The 2024/25 Season features world premieres, classic favorites and a special 60th Anniversary Concert.
SUBSCRIPTIONS ON SALE NOW!
2024/25 SEASON
GRANT GERSHON
KIKI & DAVID GINDLER
ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
JENNY WONG ASSOCIATE
ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
REENA ESMAIL
SWAN FAMILY
ARTIST-IN-RESIDENCE
EMBRACE THE GIFT OF VITALITY.
table and, consistent with her daring approach to small spaces, Morrow dressed up a powder room with Gucci wallpaper and a 19th-century marble-topped vanity.
For a celebrity-owned, 11,000-square-foot Brentwood Park residence, the designer introduced an elevated California-chic vibe with fanciful elements such as conversationstarting Future Perfect chairs in the entryway and a custom-made seating swing in a striking blackand-white dining nook.
According to Morrow, her client base is diverse— growing families as well as celebrities and emptynesters.
“They all have their own style, but at the end of the day, it's California casual," she says. "Even the owners of the biggest, fanciest homes want comfortable spaces where they can gather."
Morrow & Co. 11661 San Vicente Blvd. Brentwood, morrowco.net
Designer Tobe Morrow
Belong
Randall Goosby
London Philharmonic Orchestra
Edward Gardner, conductor
Randall Goosby, violin
Aida Cuevas
Canta a Juan Gabriel
Lark, Roman & Meyer
Tessa Lark, violin
Joshua Roman, cello
Edgar Meyer, double bass ONSTAGE SESSIONS
Coco Live-to-Film Concert
Featuring Orquesta Folclórica
Nacional de México
Mummenschanz
50th Anniversary Tour
Emanuel Ax, piano
Explore the full 2024-25 Season Single Tickets & Membership Discounts Available Now
Leyendas del Mariachi
Reuniendo a Los Mejores
Talentos del Mariachi
Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra
Avi Avital, mandolin
Estelí Gomez, soprano ONSTAGE SESSIONS
Conrad Tao & The Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra
Gershwin’s Rhapsody in JAZZ
Christopher Rountree, conductor with musicians from Wild Up
Ballet BC
New Works by Medhi Walerski and Crystal Pite
Conrad Tao
Tokyo, Directors’ Cut
The best Japanese films of the past year—Godzilla Minus One, Perfect Days and The Boy and the Heron —inspire a fascinating tour of the country’s capital. / by BENJAMIN EPSTEIN /
TOKYO SKYTREE, THE WORLD’S TALLEST TOWER at more than 2,000 feet…. Shibuya Crossing, the world’s busiest pedestrian intersection…. Senso-Ji, the city’s oldest temple, completed in the year 645…. These are typical attractions on Tokyo itineraries.
But lovers of cinema might prefer a particularly timely agenda inspired by this past year’s top Japanese films.
Godzilla Minus One, highest-grossing Japanese live-action film ever in the U.S.—and the best in the
franchise’s 70-year history—took home this year’s Oscar for best visual effects. Takashi Yamazaki was responsible for those effects as well as writing and directing.
For many, Godzilla Minus One is a more poignant and relatable commentary on nuclear holocaust than best-picture-winner Oppenheimer. The embodiment of Japanese fears about nuclear weapons following the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Godzilla is among the most potent symbols/metaphors in film history.
The Toho Building’s Godzilla head looms over Shinjuku City
Tokyo’s landmark Godzilla head, “life-sized” at 40 feet high, looms over the Shinjuku Toho Building. Though recently closed for maintenance and construction, you could touch the head
on the 8th-floor terrace of the Hotel Gracery Shinjuku, which also has Godzilla-themed rooms.
Hokusai’s The Great Wave Off Kanagawa joins Godzilla on pens, t-shirts and note cards at Godzilla
Store Tokyo, at nearby Shinjuku Marui Annex.
Director Wim Wenders is known for masterpieces including Paris, Texas (1984)—in re-release for its 40th anniversary—and Wings of Desire (1987).
Wenders’ new Perfect Days earned the Cannes Film Festival best actor award for star/executive producer Koji Yakusho, and was Oscar-nominated for best international film. It eclipsed Wenders’ global box office records.
In it, Yakusho plays a cleaner for the Tokyo Toilet—17 architecturally
extraordinary public restrooms by 16 designers in the Shibuya neighborhood (tokyotoilet.jp.en); the film features about half of the locations.
Clockwise: Ghibli Museum and architecturally significant Tokyo Toilets at Ebisu Station and Nabeshima Shoto Park
Kengo Kuma describes his secluded Nebeshima Shoto Park project as “a toilet village…. The five huts, each covered with eared cedar board louvers installed at random angles, are connected by a walk in the woods.”
Shigeru Ban’s glass-walled wonder at Haru-noOgawa Community Park is transparent when available, opaque when in use.
Studio Ghibli’s The Boy and the Heron—No. 1 at the North American box office earlier this year and likely Japanese master Hayao Miyazaki’s final film—was named best animated feature at both the Academy Awards and the Golden Globes.
Studio Ghibli has produced such landmark animated films as Spirited Away (2001) and Howl’s Moving Castle (2004) and unforgettable characters Totoro and No-Face.
Designed by Miyazaki and described as "portal to a storybook world," the maze-like Mitaka Forest Ghibli Museum in the Tokyo suburbs is one of the city’s hottest tickets. Online tickets sell out instantly; pricier tour operators are an option.
In addition to exhibits on animation art and technique, the venue offers a gift shop, bookstore, cafe, rooftop garden, theater and children’s play area.
Brett Mitchell MUSIC DIRECTOR
SYMPHONY SERIES AT AMBASSADOR AUDITORIUM
MAHLER SYMPHONY
No. 1
OCT 26, 2024
AKIKO SUWANAI, violin
MOZART “JUPITER” SYMPHONY
JAN 25, 2025
INON BARNATAN, piano
by
MOZART VIOLIN CONCERTO No. 5
MAR 22, 2025
STEFAN JACKIW, violin
RHAPSODY IN BLUE NOV 16, 2024
STEWART GOODYEAR, piano
DVORÁK CELLO CONCERTO FEB 15, 2025
MARK KOSOWER, cello ˇ
BEETHOVEN “PASTORAL” SYMPHONY MAY 3, 2025
WILLIAM HAGEN, violin
Photo
Tim Sullens
sound tone and quality; spruce and maple are the woods most commonly used. Concert grand harp strings are primarily made of sheep gut or cow gut; the former creates a full, warm sound easily heard from within the orchestra. Highest-note strings are made of nylon, the lowest of steel wire.
Orchestra and Pasadena Symphony and a faculty member at the USC Thornton School of Music, Colburn Conservatory and Colburn School.
“I believe that acoustically, you have two parts to sound,” she says.
Producing a rich, resonant sound is also up to the person playing, notes JoAnn Turovsky. Turovsky is principal harpist for Los Angeles Opera, Los Angeles Master Chorale, Los Angeles Chamber
“If you’ve swung a /CONTINUED FROM PAGE 14
“One is when you actually make the impact on the sound by plucking the string. The second is what happens to the sound after you pluck it. I call that the bloom.”
The motion and position of the hands ”after you pluck the string allows for the sound to bloom,” she explains. “It’s the follow-through.
tennis racket, a baseball bat, a golf club, you know that you have to allow there to be a continuity of the energy. If you hit the ball and stop, the ball goes one inch. If you allow for a graceful follow-through, the ball hopefully goes far. It’s the same with sound.”
Turovsky uses a smaller Celtic harp for recording film and television scores; the instrument has levers instead of pedals and strings made of nylon. “The sound is more ringing,” she says.
Barring emergencies or a player’s preference,
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JoAnn Turovsky, principal harpist for several leading orchestras
FEATURE
concert grand harps get routine maintenance— “regulation,” in harp vernacular—every 12 to 24 months, says Gabriel Diaz. He attended music school in his native Honduras and became a member of the Lyon & Healy/Salvi Technicians Guild following a two-year apprenticeship. Based in Culver City, he travels as far as Seoul, South Korea to service harps.
“It goes beyond just tuning a harp,” Diaz explains. “We look at its structure. We look at its movement, the way that the wood has shifted with time and according to its environment—the harp behaves according to where it lives.
“We look at the posture of the instrument and the tension of the strings, the joints, the nuts and bolts and screws.” The pull of the strings against the wooden soundboard can, over time, cause the wood to break.
With about 1,300 parts in a harp, Diaz keeps busy.
Having worked on Ceysson’s and the LA Phil’s harps, he notes that almost all harps have a lacquer finish to protect the wood, though not usually red. All three instruments will be on view in Disney Hall next month; the Nov. 14 and 17 programs also feature
Hisaishi’s Adagio for Strings and Two Harps.
The Harp Concerto bears an air of kismet: About three years ago, Ceysson told Meghan Umber, now the LA Phil’s chief content officer, that it was his dream to have a harp concerto written by Hisaishi—not knowing that Umber had just booked Hisaishi, famed for his scores for animated films by director Hayao Miyazaki—for what would turn out to be a sold-out concert at the Hollywood Bowl in 2023. The two men hit it off over Zoom, met at the Bowl and again in Japan this June.
“It has been my immense privilege to work alongside Joe to bring his amazing creativity and ideas to life on the harp,” Ceysson says. “I was amazed by his humility in wanting to learn what the harp could do as a solo instrument.
“I am truly fascinated to have witnessed how he seems to have caught the true essence of the harp in so many ways—but is also challenging it, turning it into a percussion instrument at times, a jazz/rock instrument at others.
“My biggest wish,” he adds, “is for the audience to realize that the harp is much more than a hidden instruent at the back of the orchestra. It can be powerful. It can take the spotlight anytime.”
TRAILBLAZERS:
2024/25 SEASON
MARTÍN + BRAHMS + BAUER
SAT, OCT 19 | 7:30 PM | Alex Theatre
SUN, OCT 20 | 4 PM | The Wallis
Jaime Martín MUSIC DIRECTOR
ARTISANS:
MARTÍN + HAYDN + BEAL
SAT, NOV 2 | 7:30 PM | Alex Theatre
SUN, NOV 3 | 4 PM | The Wallis
Jaime Martín MUSIC DIRECTOR
CURRENT: ROUTES
SAT, NOV 23 | 7:30 PM
Autry Museum of the American West
Lara Downes CURATOR
Thomas Bauer BARITONE
Kelly Hall-Tompkins VIOLIN
Dom Flemons THE AMERICAN SONGSTER®
reprogrammed !
Performances Magazine unveils a digital program platform for shows and concerts
DROP DOWN MENU Table of app contents.
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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 new Performances program platform, accessed on any digital device, is among the more enduring innovations to have come out of the pandemic. The 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.
The touchless platform 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 features include video and audio streams, translations and expanded biographies.
For those who consider printed
Find whatever it is you want to know—easily.
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Link to your performing-arts companies and venues. SEARCH
THE PLAYERS
Bios and background for cast, crew and creators.
WHAT’S ON
What’s coming at a glance and ticket information.
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.
When theaters and concert halls reopened after their long intermission, the digital Performances was but one more reason for audience excitement. Activate your link and enjoy the shows. —CALEB WACHS
