Grant Gershon leads the Master Chorale in a 50th season celebration
The Los Angeles Times declared that the Chorale “has become the most exciting chorus in the country under Grant Gershon.”
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In celebration of the Los Angeles Master Chorale’s (LAMC) 50th season, Thornton alumnus Grant Gershon conducted the 2013-2014 season opener highlighting the Chorale’s musical history on September 22, 2013, at Walt Disney Concert Hall. Broken down into five sections, the program looked back at groundbreaking, signature works, including Thornton composition faculty Morten Lauridsen’s O Magnum Mysterium, that have defined the Los Angeles Master Chorale and its music directors.
In addition to an evening of music, LAMC provided multi-media highlights and guest appearances. Disney Hall was transformed into a gallery of living history with special exhibits in the lobbies and a complimentary champagne toast for all attendees with the singers after the performance.
Grant Gershon was named Music Director of the Los Angeles Master Chorale in 2001, and also serves as Resident Conductor of the LA Opera. During his tenure with the Chorale, he has led more than 100 performances at the Walt Disney Concert Hall, including virtually all of the major works in the choral repertoire. Heralded by critics, the Los Angeles Times declared that the Chorale “has become the most exciting chorus in the country under Grant Gershon.”
Gershon has also led world premiere performances of major works by John Adams, Louis Andriessen, Christopher Rouse, Steve Reich, and Chinary Ung, among many others.
His discography includes two Grammy Award-nominated recordings: Sweeney Todd (New York Philharmonic Special Editions) and Ligeti’s Grand Macabre (Sony Classical); and five CDs with the Chorale: Glass-Salonen (RCM), You Are (Variations) (Nonesuch), Daniel Variations (Nonesuch), A Good Understanding (Decca), and Miserere (Decca).
During the Los Angeles Master Chorale’s 50th season, Gershon will conduct 14 performances at Walt Disney Concert Hall, including a season finale featuring four world premieres by Esa-Pekka Salonen, David Lang, Francisco Núñez, and LAMC Swan Family Composer-In-Residence Shawn Kirchner.
Gershon, who, among other accolades, was named Outstanding Alumnus of the USC Thornton School of Music in 2002, is a member of the Board of Advisors for the Thornton School and the Board of Directors of Chorus America.
Review with photos from the concert
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