LA Children's Chorus Announces 2017-18 Season

Los AngeLes Children's Chorus (LACC), one of the world's foremost children's choirs, announces its 2017-18 season, entitled "And This Shall be for Beauty," featuring exquisite repertoire that illuminates LACC's signature Bel Canto sound honed by highly regarded and much-loved Artistic Director Anne Tomlinson, who is stepping down at the conclusion of the season, her 22nd at the Chorus' artistic helm.

In tribute to Tomlinson and her remarkable legacy, LACC presents a number of her favorite works as well as cornerstones of the choral literature. In addition, LACC performs a selection of world, US and West Coast premieres and great masterworks with longtime artistic partners Los Angeles Philharmonic, LA Opera, Los Angeles Master Chorale and Pasadena Symphony and POPS, organizations with which Tomlinson has worked extensively over the years, preparing LACC choristers for numerous guest appearances.

Further expanding the Chorus' reach, LACC makes its performance debut with the Miami City Ballet in the Chorus' first-ever production with Glorya Kaufman Presents Dance at The Music Center. Tomlinson, in recognition of her immeasurable contributions to the Chorus over the past two decades, will assume the title of LACC Artistic Director Emeritus after her tenure concludes.

"Los AngeLes Children's Chorus is deeply indebted to Anne Tomlinson, whose consummate musical skills and dedicated leadership have impacted the lives of thousands of young LACC choristers as well as audiences around the globe for more than two decades," says LACC Chair Cheryl Scheidemantle. "She has been the driving force behind LACC's excellence, working selflessly to elevate the organization's artistry and educational practices and ensure the success of the Chorus' many key arts partnerships. Most significantly, Anne been a positive influence on each and every LACC chorister she has worked with during her long and distinguished tenure. We recognize Anne for making such a meaningful difference in the lives of children and look forward to celebrating and enjoying the music and special tributes planned to honor her."

"It has been a tremendous privilege and delight to serve as Artistic Director of the Los AngeLes Children's Chorus for more than two decades," says Tomlinson. "My greatest joy has been working with the children, who are so inspiring and dedicated. I also treasure the incredible opportunities LACC's artistic partners have provided the organization and reflect warmly upon the transformative aspect of touring, experiences that have enriched LACC and its choristers in innumerable ways. It is an honor to recognize my incredible LACC colleagues, the extraordinary teachers who are the foundation of the Chorus. I am profoundly grateful to them for their tremendous support of LACC and all that they bring to the Chorus day in and day out, including their incredible passion for music, superior talents and abiding commitment to excellence. This season, my final with LACC, I am proud to continue helping to shape children's lives and share the Chorus' incredible artistry with audiences locally and abroad. I know that the organization has a vital and rich future and will continue its stellar trajectory."

Among the varied repertoire LACC is presenting this season, Tomlinson conducts the Gregorian chant Veni Creator Spiritus; 36-year-old Norwegian composer Kim Arnesen's choral motet Even When He Is Silent, set to text found in a concentration camp after World War II; Bach's cantata Berite dich Zion; and Randall Thompson's Velvet Shoes, a stunning setting of the famous winter poem by Elinor Wylie, and Choose Something Like a Star, set to Robert Frost's poem "Frostiana." (The season title, "And This Shall be for Beauty," was extrapolated from Robert Louis Stevenson's poem, "I Will Make You Brooches.")

With its artistic partners, LACC participates in its first-ever collaboration with Glorya Kaufman Presents Dance at The Music Center as the featured choir in the world-premiere production of Miami City Ballet's new version of George Balanchine's The Nutcracker at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion (December 7-10, 2017). The Los Angeles Philharmonic honors Tomlinson by spotlighting her and LACC in a stand-alone performance on its highly regarded Sounds About Town Series at Walt Disney Concert Hall (December 3, 2017). LACC makes two Walt Disney Concert Hall appearances with the orchestra, including the US Premiere of Andrew Norman's opera A Trip to the Moon, conducted by Teddy Abrams (March 2 and 3, 2018), and Bernstein's Mass, led by Gustavo Dudamel and directed by Elkhanah Pulitzer (February 1-4, 2018).

In other collaborations, LACC joins LA Opera for the West Coast premiere of Hubble Cantata, an unprecedented live experience pushing the boundaries of art and science, at Ford Theatre (October 11, 2017), and six performances of Bizet's Carmen, directed by Ron Daniels and conducted by James Conlon, at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion (September 9, 14, 17, 20 and 23 and October 1, 2017). LACC also performs Orff's Carmina Burana with the Los Angeles Master Chorale, led by Artistic Director Grant Gershon, at Walt Disney Concert Hall (September 23 and 24, 2017), and makes a guest appearance with the Pasadena Symphony and POPS for matinee and evening performances of its annual Holiday Candlelight Concert, conducted by Grant Cooper, at Pasadena's All Saints Episcopal Church (December 16, 2016).

Additionally, LACC hosts a two-day masterclass with Maria Guinand, Artistic Director of Venezuela's Schola Contorum and preeminent interpreter and champion of Latin American choral music of the 20th and 21st centuries, at Pasadena Presbyterian Church (October 25 and 26, 2017), and a masterclass for the American Choral Directors Association with Dr. ShaRon Paul, Director of Choral Studies at Oregon State University, in Pasadena (March 17, 2018). This spring, the Chorus also hosts its annual Gala Bel Canto fundraiser and presents its signature Spring Concert (May 12 and 13, 2018). Enriching the community in myriad ways, LACC sings in the benefit performance "Bach to Broadway" to raise funds for the restoration of Pasadena's historic St. Andrew Church, founded in 1886 and among the oldest churches in Los Angeles (September 29, 2017). LACC wraps the 32nd season with an international tour, concluding Tomlinson's notable tenure.

Los AngeLes Children's Chorus is recognized throughout the country for its exceptional artistic quality and technical ability. Founded in 1986 and led by Tomlinson since 1995, LACC serves more than 400 children ages 6 to 18 through six choirs - Preparatory, Apprentice, Intermediate, Concert, Chamber Singers and Young Men's Ensemble for boys with changing voices - and offers First Experiences in Singing classes and a First Experiences in Choral Singing Ensemble for 6-8-year-olds. LACC has been described as "hauntingly beautiful" (Los Angeles Times), "astonishingly polished" (Performances Magazine), "extraordinary in its abilities" (Culture Spot LA), and "one heck of a talented group of kids" (LA Weekly). Recipient of Chorus America's 2014 Margaret Hillis Award for Choral Excellence, the nation's highest choral honor, LACC has toured North and South America, Africa, China, Japan, Australia, New Zealand and Western and Eastern Europe. LACC choristers can be heard on John Williams' latest recording, John Williams & Steven Spielberg: The Ultimate Collection, released in March 2017. LACC also appears on the Los Angeles Master Chorale's critically acclaimed Decca recording A Good Understanding, and Plácido Domingo's Deutsche Grammophon recording Amore Infinito ("Infinite Love"). The subject of a trilogy of documentaries by Academy Award-winning filmmaker Freida Mock, LACC is featured in the Academy Award-nominated Sing!, about a year in the life of the Chorus; Sing Opera!, documenting the production of the LACC-commissioned family opera Keepers of the Night; and Sing China!, chronicling its groundbreaking tour to China just prior to the Beijing Olympics. LACC has performed with John Mayer on NBC's "The Tonight Show" and has also been featured on PBS's "Great Performances," BBC Radio, and Public Radio International's nationally syndicated show "From the Top," among other credits.

For additional information on LACC, its auditions or programs, call (626) 793-4231 or visit www.lachildrenschorus.org.

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