GMCLA Appoints Acclaimed Jenny Wong As Interim Artistic Director And Conductor

Gay Men's Chorus of Los Angeles (GMCLA), one of the country's longest-running and largest LGBTQ arts organizations, announced today that internationally-acclaimed conductor Jenny Wong will serve as Interim Artistic Director and Conductor beginning in September and will conduct the upcoming concerts in December.

Wong, a two-time international Choral champion, is the Associate Conductor of the Los Angeles Master Chorale, a post she has held since 2017 after first becoming Assistant Conductor in 2016. She made her solo conducting debut at Walt Disney Concert Hall leading the Master Chorale in six Bach Motets BWV 225-230, and has conducted on the Master Chorale's various programs, including the premiere of Moira Smiley's five-movement Time in Our Voices.

"I am delighted that Jenny Wong has agreed to join us this fall and lead us through the holiday concerts," stated Lou Spisto, GMCLA Executive Director. "She is well known to the entire choral community here in Southern California, nationally, and internationally, as an inspiring musician, leader, and creative force. The members of GMCLA are looking forward to her direction and vision for us in the coming months as we conduct our search for the next permanent musical leader," Spisto further commented. "Gavin Thrasher will conduct our Gala Concert on August 16 at Walt Disney Concert Hall before he joins the New York City Gay Men's Chorus. Gavin will be missed by GMCLA. He is an incredible musician, teacher and friend. Gavin raised the bar for us musically and we are deeply grateful for his five years of service as Assistant Conductor and Interim Artistic Director."

Single Tickets for GMCLA's upcoming Gala ConcertGMCLA 40 / STONEWALL 50, presented by Hyundai, at Walt Disney Concert Hall are available at GMCLA.ORG/WDCH. The concert will celebrate the Chorus's 40thanniversary and the 50thanniversary of the Stonewall Riots. The evening will feature over 500 singers as GMCLA's 270 members will be joined by the New York City Gay Men's Chorus and others from around the country to perform the Los Angeles premiere of Quiet No More: A Choral Celebration of Stonewall. This original work,celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots, was co-commissioned by GMCLA and NYCGMC. Last month, both choruses performed Quiet No Moretogether at Carnegie Hall and received a standing ovation from the sold-out house.

In the coming season, Ms. Wong will conduct the Master Chorale in performances on March 28-29, 2019 of Faure's Requiem, Martin's Mass for Double Choir, and Roxanna Panufnik's Zen Love Song. As Associate Conductor of the Master Chorale, she has conducted performances of the Master Chorale's touring production of Lagrime di San Pietro, and has prepared choruses for Gustavo Dudamel and the LA Philharmonic, Susanna Mälkki, Eric Whitacre, María Guinand, and Music Academy of the West, including the U.S. premiere of Tan Dun's Buddha Passion, and the LA Philharmonic's first performance of Mahler's Symphony No. 8 at Walt Disney Concert Hall.

Recently, Wong conducted the LA Master Chorale in performances of Orlando di Lasso's Lagrime di San Pietro, staged by Peter Sellars, at the Melbourne International Arts Festival in Melbourne, Australia, the Festival Internacional Cervantino in Guanajuato, the Palacio de Bellas Artes in Mexico City, Mexico, at Carolina Performing Arts at University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, and the Wallis Annenberg Center for Performing Arts in Beverly Hills, Los Angeles. Wong also conducted Grammy-winning ensemble Phoenix Chorale in Phoenix, Arizona, as a finalist candidate for their Artistic Director position.

A native of Hong Kong, Jenny Wong was one of the youngest conductors to win two consecutive World Champion titles at the World Choir Games (China, 2010) and the International Johannes Brahms Choral Competition (Germany, 2011), conducting the Diocesan Girls' School Choir from Hong Kong. Wong has conducted and performed in Germany, Austria, Mexico, New Zealand, Australia, South Korea, China and across the United States.

For more information on Jenny Wong visit JennyWong-Conductor.com.

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