Annual L.A. County Holiday Celebration at The Music Center Announced

The Emmy Award-winning 58th Annual L.A. County Holiday Celebration - Music ensembles, choirs and dance companies from the many neighborhoods and cultures of the region celebrate the season during this free three-hour holiday show that is perfect for the whole family. PBS SoCal KOCE will broadcast this beloved program.

Highlights of the Holiday Celebration include the Harmonic Bronze Handbell Ensemble performing a classical handbell piece that celebrates Christmas and Hanukkah; holiday songs sung by the Palmdale High School Choral Union and Sunday Night Singers; the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department Band playing a medley of holiday favorites; MUSYCA Children's Choir performing Christmas songs written by contemporary artists; Mostly Kosher playing upbeat Jewish folk and holiday songs; the Jung Im Lee Korean Dance Company on Korean drums; and Las Colibri performing a collection of holiday songs. .

New groups to the show include City Ballet of Los Angeles, adding a new twist to The Nutcracker; JC Culture Foundation performing both Chinese dragon and Chinese lion dances; West African drum and dance company Le Ballet Dembaya with a West-African mask dance; and the Los Angeles-based ensemble vocal group m-pact singing popular holiday songs.

For those who can't make the free event at The Music Center on Dec. 24, the program will air live on PBS SoCal KOCE and stream live on pbssocal.org from 3 p.m. - 6 p.m. The program will be re-broadcast from 9 p.m. until midnight on Dec. 24. On Christmas Day, Dec. 25, the show will be available to stream beginning at noon.

WHEN:
Sunday, Dec. 24 from 3 p.m. - 6 p.m.
• Doors open at 2:30 p.m.
• Patrons may come and go throughout the three-hour performance
• A live broadcast of the show airs from 3 p.m. - 6 p.m. on PBS SoCal KOCE
• Live streaming at pbssocal.org
• The PBS SoCal KOCE broadcast repeats from 9 p.m. - midnight on Dec. 24, and again on Dec. 25 at noon with streaming also available; the program will air on PBS SoCal 2 on Dec. 25 at 3 a.m., 6 a.m. and 7 p.m., and on Dec. 26 at 11 a.m.

WHO:
• Performing artists from across Los Angeles County (see below for complete list)
• Sponsored by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors
• A presentation of The Music Center produced in association with CDK Productions
• Live telecast on PBS SoCal KOCE is produced by CDK Productions

WHERE:
The Music Center's Dorothy Chandler Pavilion
135 N. Grand Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90012

HOW:
Information hotline: (213) 972-3099 or MusicCenter.org/holidaycelebration

ADMISSION:
FREE; no reservations or tickets to the show; first come, first seated

PARKING:
FREE in The Music Center parking garage

ARTISTS PERFORMING IN 58th ANNUAL L.A. COUNTY HOLIDAY CELEBRATION:

• Citrus Singers is a 45 member voice and handbell ensemble from Citrus College.

• City Ballet of Los Angeles, blending classical and contemporary dance with music from around the world, will perform Nutcracker Swings to a mix of Tchaikovsky and Duke Ellington.

• Colburn Children's Choir and Young Men's Chorus, the advanced vocal ensembles of the Colburn School of Performing Arts, will perform festive songs for the holiday season.

• Daniel Ho & Halau Keali'i o Nalani will present Ho's original songs in English and Hawaiian with captivating hula choreography.

• Gay Men's Chorus of Los Angeles returns to the Holiday Celebration for the 23rd year in a row to perform traditional holiday songs.

• Harmonic Bronze Handbell Ensemble, a music ensemble of 11 to 18-year olds representing the communities of Acton and Agua Dulce, will perform iconic holiday classics.

• Immaculate Heart of Mary and Precious Blood School Children's Choir, a dynamic youth ensemble with an arsenal of multilingual and multi-genre repertoire, will perform songs that celebrate the Christmas holiday.

• JC Culture Foundation, a cultural and arts organization that provides programs for Chinese cultural activities, will perform both a Chinese lion and a Chinese dragon dance.

• Jung Im Lee Korean Dance Academy, the official Korean cultural ambassador to Southern California, will perform Korean drumming in traditional costume.

• Korean American Youth Performing Artists (KAYPA) will perform a traditional Korean fan dance.

• Las Colibrí, or "The Hummingbirds," is an all-female mariachi ensemble that will perform holiday songs blending vocal harmonies with unique arrangements and interpretations of traditional sones, huapangos and rancheras.

• Le Ballet Dembaya, a professional West African drum and dance company based in Los Angeles, will perform a mask dance from the Mandenyi people of Guinea.

• The Los Angeles Children's Orchestra, known for its members' young ages and their advanced level of musicianship, will perform classical repertoire that celebrates the holidays.

• Los Angeles Sheriff's Department Band, an all-volunteer group of musicians dedicated to giving their very best for the band, the Sheriff's Department and the community, will play a traditional medley of Christmas and holiday carols.

• m-pact, an award-winning professional a cappella group, will perform unique renditions of popular holiday songs.

• Mostly Kosher, a Jewish cultural revival band, will play upbeat klezmer, plaintive Yiddish melodies and other Jewish heritage folk genres spun with a modern twist.

• Mt. San Antonio College Chamber Singers, an award-winning 38-member vocal ensemble, will perform a medley of traditional holiday songs.

• MUSYCA Children's Choir, bringing together gifted young people ages four to 18 to create a community of singers built on respect, love for music and artistic excellence, will perform Christmas songs by contemporary artists.

• Pacifico Dance Company, a 32 member ensemble dedicated to the preservation and reconstruction of classical and contemporary Mexican dance forms, will perform an excerpt from Jaranas y Danzones de Yucatan - a glimpse into the Yucatan Peninsula.

• Palmdale High School Choral Union and Sunday Night Singers, a 45-member chorus made up of current high school singers and alumni singers from Palmdale High School, will perform traditional holiday repertoire.

• The Spirit Chorale of Los Angeles, a professional ensemble dedicated to keeping alive the Negro spiritual along with jazz, blues and original Gospel works, will perform inspirational songs of the season.

• Vox Femina Los Angeles, a choir of 34 women that gives women voice through the performance of quality choral literature, will perform songs celebrating Christmas and Hanukkah.

As Los Angeles' largest multicultural holiday celebration, the annual L.A. County Holiday Celebration, presented by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, provides Angelenos of all ages an opportunity to come together on December 24 to experience and honor the dynamic, rich cultures of the County. During the event, many diverse L.A.-based artists and community groups showcase their talent, artistry and traditions on The Music Center's iconic Dorothy Chandler Pavilion stage. The show is broadcast live in Southern California on PBS SoCal KOCE - home to PBS for Greater Los Angeles and Southern California - and on the Armed Forces Network. Viewers can also live stream it on pbssocal.org. While an estimated audience of more than 4,000 watch the show live at The Music Center, more than 18 million local viewers can enjoy the program on television and online.

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