Angel City Chorale Celebrates Connectivity with INTERACTIVE

Angel City Chorale (ACC), the esteemed Los Angeles choir led by Founder-Artistic Director Sue Fink, will present Interactive, an imaginative and multidimensional concert event during the first weekend in June. An engaging, one-of-a-kind event that rebels against the traditions of choral performance, Interactive will fuse choir and cyberspace to break down the barriers between performer and audience and honor the notion of connectivity in our modern world. The inclusive, participatory concerts will take place at Wilshire United Methodist Church in Los Angeles over two very special nights on Saturday, June 3, and Sunday, June 4, 2017. Tickets range in price from $22 for children to $75 for VIP packages (see "Ticketing & Venue Details" towards the bottom of this press release). The performances will start at 7:00pm. For additional information on ACC and Interactive, please visit http://www.angelcitychorale.org.

"Angel City has always been known for our fresh, spontaneous approach to choral performance and our devotion to diversity of membership and material, but this time we are out to break the choral mold entirely," says ACC Founder-Director Fink. "The music is breathtakingly varied from Bach to R&B Gospel but that's just the beginning of the adventure. Traditional pieces will be reinvented with multi-dimensional tools. We will use apps, screens, visual artists, and audience participation to break down the fourth wall and take our audience where no choir has ever gone before. We will have virtual guest performers from South Africa and visual artists interpreting our performance live and more. I don't want to give away all the surprises but for once we are going to ask the audience to NOT turn their cell phones off."

Interactive -
Interactive is a brand new, one-of-a-kind production that will fuse choir and cyberspace to break down the barriers between performer and audience. Featuring a nontraditional mass with a diverse range of musical selections rooted in Jazz, South American cultures, Classical, Urban/R&B scenes, and more, ACC's 160+ member choir and 22-piece orchestra will guide audiences on a participatory trip that honors the multifaceted idea of connection in our complex, modern world.

The concert will blend pieces from traditional masters like Bach and Mozart with contemporary favorites including Cyndi Lauper and The Beatles to create a radical, cross-generational experience that will resonate with attendees of any age or background. ACC's innovative mixture of musical styles and forms - a reflection of the diversity of the choir itself - will reach new heights with Interactive, embracing virtual reality, mobile apps, and live streams to concoct a truly unconventional and captivating event.

Interactive will also feature the world premiere of "A Vibration," an original composition by Los Angeles-based composer and ACC choir member Andrew Cheeseman. This stunning song, which incorporates gravity waves and other astrophysics data converted into sound, will reimagine the power of choral performance as a vehicle for technological exploration and universal connection.

"A Vibration" and a few other selections from Interactive will test drive a brand new mobile app called YourchestraApp, which will have its world premiere at this concert as well. The app will allow phones to be 'played' live from the stage. It will use the phone's speakers for sounds, and the screen for images.

The show will finish with a dazzling rendition of "All You Need Is Love," which melds past and present as a beautiful ode to the 50th anniversary of The Beatles performing their song for the World's FIRST simulcast in 1967, heard and seen around the world from Abbey Road.

For ACC, the Abbey Road connection is quite significant, having recorded at the famed studio one year ago this July. Award-winning composer Christopher Tin had invited Angel City Chorale to record his brand new composition, "Sogno Di Volare," the title theme song for the popular video game Civilization VI, while the choir was on tour in England with Tin (see the "making of" video). "Sogno Di Volare" (a Leonardo Da Vinci-inspired piece capturing "the essence of flight") will be included in Interactive's repertoire this June.

Additional Angel City Chorale News -

ACC at the Chorus America Conference: Angel City Chorale is thrilled to announce that it has been invited to perform during the Opening Night Concert of Chorus America's Conference 2017 on June 21, 2017 at 7:30pm in Los Angeles, CA. Chorus America is the premiere organization for professional development, research, and advocacy for the choral field.

ACC Goes Viral: Angel City Chorale's joyous version of "Africa," the 1982 hit song by Toto, continues to circulate on YouTube and other video sharing sites, with over 7 million combined views to date. Starting in January 2016, the video began to attract an astonishing number of hits from around the world. ACC's arrangement of the song was directed by Sue Fink and recorded at the choir's 20th anniversary concert performance in 2013. Alex Chaloff and Annika Benitz edited the video.

Sue Fink, ACC Founder, Artistic Director, & Conductor -
As founder, artistic director, and conductor, Sue Fink brings a dynamic energy to Angel City Chorale that distinguishes it from other choral groups. She has worked with many acclaimed composers including Morten Lauridsen and Christopher Tin. In 2016, she conducted the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in London and the Mowbray Orchestra at the Harrogate International Festival in York, and recorded at famed Abbey Road Studios. Fink has also conducted in Ireland, South Africa, and many distinguished venues in the U.S. including the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles.

Fink attended UCLA, and also studied conducting and toured with internationally renowned musician-choral director Roger Wagner. She established the Oriana Renaissance Ensemble and the Los Angeles Women's Community Chorus, serving as conductor for both groups prior to founding Angel City Chorale. As a singer-songwriter she has toured extensively, recorded albums, and won international songwriting contests. She maintains a private voice studio in Los Angeles, composes and arranges for choral groups, and writes songs for television and film. As a respected vocal coach, Fink has worked with well-known recording artists including BrIan Wilson, Luther Vandross, Stevie Wonder, Weezer, the Foo Fighters, and more. She has released two full-length solo albums and four with ACC.

Angel City Chorale -
Angel City Chorale, conducted by Founder-Artistic Director Sue Fink, is a multitalented, multicultural group of men and women that truly reflects the spirit of Los Angeles, the city it calls home. Formed by Fink in 1993 at the world-famous McCabe's Guitar Shop with just 18 singers, ACC has since grown into a 160+ member choir with a worldwide audience. The choir offers a diverse selection of musical material including Classical, Jazz, Folk, Gospel, Urban, Rhythm & Blues, and more. ACC produces two concerts seasonally, in spring and winter every year, to standing-room only crowds, and is often invited to perform at other events throughout Los Angeles and the world.

ACC has performed over the years at a variety of internationally respected venues, from Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles to Carnegie Hall in New York; appeared on national television; sung with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, conducted by Gustavo Dudamel; and worked with artists including Stevie Wonder, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Luther Vandross, Chester Bennington, Dave Navarro, and Natasha Bedingfield. ACC has recorded four highly acclaimed albums, which are available on CD through iTunes and other online retailers. Angel City Chorale strives to give back to the Los Angeles community through the gift of song, donations, and volunteerism. Each year in December, around 100 members of the choir participate in the organization's Tour of Hope, where the singers take their holiday program on the road for one full day of joy, performing concerts for the homeless, veterans, the elderly, and others who could genuinely benefit from an infusion of holiday spirit.

ACC is proudly independent and is not affiliated with any particular religion, school, or guiding organization. ACC's associate conductor is Dan Barnett and the choir's principal accompanists are Mark McCormick and Gordon Glor.

Ticketing & Venue Details -
General admission tickets for Angel City Chorale's innovative spring concerts, which will guide Angelenos on a participatory trip through cyberspace and connectivity, are $30 in advance and $35 at the door. Children's tickets (ages 5-12) are $22 and seniors are $27 (both in advance and at the door). Preferred front-of-house seating may be reserved online for $50 in advance and $55 at the door; children's preferred tickets are $42/$47; and seniors' preferred seats are $47/$52. VIP tickets (all categories) for first tier seating are $75. Advance tickets are available via the ACC website or by calling 310-943-9231. Online ticket sales close at 10:00pm on the day prior to each show. Same day tickets may be purchased at the door. Wilshire United Methodist Church is located at 4350 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90010 (between Highland Ave. and Crenshaw Blvd.; map). Free parking is available in the venue's small parking lot and on neighborhood streets. Early arrival is strongly encouraged.

http://www.angelcitychorale.org

Photo credit: Moloshok Photography, Inc.

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