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plaza for all celebration featuring BIG SING 2019 August 31, 2019 WELCOME
Since our first Big Sing in Grand Park, in the summer of 2017, we’ve raised our voices in song with thousands here in L.A. and throughout California. Our annual sing-along has become a summer highlight for many in the Los Angeles Master Chorale community, a chance to share in the joy of the art form that we all love so much. Thank you to Terri and Jerry Kohl for generously providing the resources for us to grow this program over the past two years, and to Lillian Lovelace for adding her support to Big Sing 2019.
Today, we are pleased to share Big Sing with you as we participate in the opening celebration of The Music Center’s renovated Plaza. As a resident ensemble of Walt Disney Concert Hall, and a founding organization of The Music Center, the Master Chorale knows how important the new Plaza will be as a meeting place for Angelenos from all walks of life. It promises to enrich all of our lives and make events like Big Sing a part of the culture of our city as a whole.
Thank you so much for coming to Big Sing 2019, enjoy this fabulous day, and keep singing!
Jean Davidson President & CEO, Los Angeles Master Chorale WELCOME
Welcome to the new Music Center Plaza and the Plaza for All Celebration!
We are thrilled you are a part of this incredible weekend of festivities as Angelenos claim their new Plaza as the principal public square for Los Angeles County. Today’s event is truly one of community, where people from all over the county are joining together to sing, dance, make art and more. This new Plaza is a beautiful new place to connect with one another and experience the cultural vibrancy of Los Angeles.
My thanks to our partners at the Los Angeles Master Chorale and LA Commons for their support in making this a wonderful day. I hope you will come back and experience all The Music Center Plaza has to offer.
Enjoy!
Rachel S. Moore President & CEO, The Music Center
1 Plaza for all celebration featuring BIG SING 2019 AUGUST 31, 2019 SCHEDULE
4 PM Plaza for All Celebration begins at Grand Park
5 PM Procession from Grand Park to Plaza
6 PM Big Sing 2019 on the Plaza
The Music Center thanks The Grand for its generous support of the Plaza for All Celebration.
2 BIG SING 2019
PROGRAM
Siyahamba...... South African Traditional Ob-La-Di Ob-La-Da...... Lennon-McCartney Wimoweh: The Lion Sleeps Tonight ...... Solomon Linda Dancing Queen...... Bonnie Anderson, Björn Ulvaeus, Stig Anderson (ABBA)
Performed by the Los Angeles Master Chorale: Let the River Run...... Carly Simon, arr. Craig Hella Johnson
True Colors...... Tom Kelly, Billy Steinberg (Cyndi Lauper) De Colores...... Mexican Traditional Africa...... David Paich, Jeff Porcaro (Toto) I Love L.A...... Randy Newman SING...... Pentatonix, arr. Ben Bram
Big Sing 2019 is made possible by generous support from The Lovelace Family Trust, Terri and Jerry Kohl, and Philip A. Swan.
3 Siyahamba ADRIEN REDFORD, CONDUCTOR
See-yah-hahm-beh, koo-kah-nyeh-nee kwehn-kohs (4X) See-yah-hahm-bah, ham-bah, hahm-bah, hahm-bah, oh! See-yah-hahm-beh, koo-kah-nyeh-nee kwehn-kohs See-yah-hahm-bah, ham-bah, hahm-bah, hahm-bah, oh! See-yah-hahm-beh, koo-kah-nyeh-nee kwehn-kohs
VERSE 2: We are marching in the light of God (4X)
VERSE 3: We are dancing in the light of God (4X)
VERSE 4: We are singing in the light of God (4X)
(turn)
4 Ob-La-Di Ob-La-Da ERIC WHITACRE, CONDUCTOR
Desmond has a barrow in the marketplace Molly is the singer in a band Desmond says to Molly, girl, I like your face And Molly says this as she takes him by the hand
CHORUS: Ob la di, ob-la-da, life goes on, bra La-la, how the life goes on Ob-la di, ob-la-da, life goes on, bra La-la, how the life goes on
Desmond takes a trolley to the jeweler’s store Buys a 20-carat golden ring Takes it back to Molly waiting at the door And as he gives it to her she begins to sing
CHORUS
In a couple of years, they have built A home sweet home With a couple of kids running in the yard Of Desmond and Molly Jones
(turn)
5 OB-LA-DI OB-LA-DA (CONTINUED)
Happy ever after in the marketplace Desmond lets the children lend a hand Molly stays at home and does her pretty face And in the evening she still sings it with the band
CHORUS
In a couple of years, they have built A home sweet home With a couple of kids running in the yard Of Desmond and Molly Jones
Happy ever after in the marketplace Molly lets the children lend a hand Desmond stays at home and does his pretty face And in the evening she’s a singer with the band
CHORUS
And if you want some fun, sing ob-la-di, bla-da
6 Wimoweh: The Lion Sleeps Tonight GRANT GERSHON, CONDUCTOR
Ah wimoweh, ah wimoweh / Ooo-eee!
In the jungle, the mighty jungle, The lion sleeps tonight. In the jungle, the quiet jungle, The lion sleeps tonight.
Near the village, the peaceful village, The lion sleeps tonight. Near the village, the quiet village, The lion sleeps tonight.
Hush my darling, don’t fear my darling, The lion sleeps tonight. Hush my darling, don’t fear my darling, The lion sleeps tonight.
7 Dancing Queen SUE FINK, CONDUCTOR
Ooh, you can dance, you can jive Having the time of your life Ooh, see that girl, watch that scene Diggin’ the dancing queen
Friday night and the lights are low, looking out for a place to go Where they play the right music, getting in the swing You come to look for a king
Anybody could be that guy, night is young and the music’s high With a bit of rock music, everything is fine You’re in the mood for a dance And when you get the chance …
CHORUS: You are the dancing queen Young and sweet, only seventeen Dancing queen, feel the beat from the tambourine, oh yeah You can dance, you can jive Having the time of your life Ooh, see that girl, watch that scene
8 Diggin’ the dancing queen
You’re a teaser, you turn ‘em on, leave ‘em burning and then you’re gone Looking out for another, anyone will do You’re in the mood for a dance And when you get the chance …
CHORUS (Repeat: Diggin’ the dancing queen)
9 true colors JENNY WONG, CONDUCTOR
You with the sad eyes, don’t be discouraged Oh I realize, it’s hard to take courage In a world full of people, you can lose sight of it all And the darkness inside you, can make you feel so small
But I see your true colors shining through I see your true colors and that’s why I love you So don’t be afraid to let them show Your true colors, true colors Are beautiful like a rainbow
Show me a smile then, don’t be unhappy, can’t remember When I last saw you laughing, if this world makes you crazy And you’ve taken all you can bear, you call me up Because you know I’ll be there
And I’ll see your true colors shining through I see your true colors and that’s why I love you So don’t be afraid to let them show Your true colors, true colors Are beautiful like a rainbow
10 If this world makes you crazy, and you’ve taken all you can bear You call me up, because you know I’ll be there
And I’ll see your true colors shining through I see your true colors and that’s why I love you So don’t be afraid to let them show Your true colors, true colors, true colors, are shining through I see your true colors, and that’s why I love you So don’t be afraid to let them show, your true colors True colors are beautiful, like a rainbow
11 De Colores KRISTEN TOEDTMAN, CONDUCTOR
De colores, de colores se visten los campos en la primavera. De colores, de colores son los pajaritos que vienen de afuera. De colores, de colores es el arco iris que vemos lucir.
Y por eso los grandes amores de muchos colores me gustan a mí. (repeat)
Canta el gallo, canta el gallo con el quiri, quiri, quiri, quiri, quiri, la gallina, la gallina con el cara, cara, cara, cara, cara, los polluelos, los polluelos con el pío, pío, pío, pío, pi.
Y por eso los grandes amores de muchos colores me gustan a mí. (repeat)
12 Africa SUE FINK, CONDUCTOR
Doodoot doot doot doot doodoot doot bah! (repeat)
I hear the drums echoing tonight But she hears only whispers of some quiet conversation She’s coming in, 12:30 flight The moonlit wings reflect the stars that guide me towards salvation I stopped an old man along the way Hoping to find some old forgotten words or ancient melodies He turned to me as if to say, “Hurry boy, it’s waiting there for you”
CHORUS: It’s gonna take a lot to drag me away from you There’s nothing that a hundred men or more could ever do I bless the rains down in Africa Gonna take some time to do the things we never had (ooh, ooh)
Doodoot doot doot doot doodoot doot bah! (repeat)
(turn)
13 AFRICA (CONTINUED)
Wild dogs cry out in the night As they grow restless, longing for some solitary company I know that I must do what’s right As sure as Kilimanjaro rises like Olympus above the Serengeti I seek to cure what’s deep inside, frightened of this thing that I’ve become
CHORUS
Doodoot doot doot doot doodoot doot bah! (repeat)
Hurry boy, she’s waiting there for you
CHORUS: It’s gonna take a lot to drag me away from you There’s nothing that a hundred men or more could ever do I bless the rains down in Africa I bless the rains down in Africa (I bless the rain) I bless the rains down in Africa (I bless the rain) I bless the rains down in Africa I bless the rains down in Africa (ah, gonna take the time) Gonna take some time to do the things we never had Doodoot doot doot doot doodoot doot bah!
14 I Love L.A. ERIC WHITACRE, CONDUCTOR
Hate New York City, it’s cold and it’s damp And all the people dressed like monkeys, let’s leave Chicago to the Eskimos That town’s a little bit too rugged, for you and me you bad girl
Rollin’ down the Imperial Highway, with a big nasty redhead at my side Santa Ana winds blowing hot from the north and we was born to ride Roll down the window, put down the top, crank up the Beach Boys, baby Don’t let the music stop We’re gonna ride it till, we just can’t ride it no more
From the South Bay to the Valley, from the West Side to the East Side Everybody’s very happy, ‘cause the sun is shining all the time Looks like another perfect day I love L.A. (we love it), I love L.A. (we love it) We love it
(turn)
15 I LOVE L.A. (CONTINUED)
Look at that mountain, look at those trees Look at that bum over there, man he’s down on his knees Look at these women, there ain’t nothing like ‘em nowhere
Century Boulevard (we love it), Victory Boulevard (we love it) Santa Monica Boulevard (we love it), Sixth Street (we love it, we love it) We love L.A.
I love L.A. (we love it) I love L.A. (we love it) I love L.A. (we love it)
16 sing ERIC WHITACRE, CONDUCTOR ADRIEN REDFORD, GUEST SOLOIST
Sing, sing, sing, sing, sing it out as hard as you can Make ‘em hear ya from LA to Japan don’t let ‘em bring you down Down, down, down, down, down, down Sing, sing, sing, sing, sing it with your hands in the sky Light it up like it’s the Fourth of July don’t let ‘em bring you down Down, down, down, down, down, down (2X) Ooh …
17 LOS ANGELES MASTER CHORALE CHORISTERs
SOPRANO TENOR Tamara Bevard Matthew Brown Christina Bristow Adam Faruqi Karen Hogle Brown Timothy Gonzales Emma-Grace Dunbar Steven Harms Hayden Eberhart Blake Howard Claire Fedoruk Dermot Kiernan Harriet Fraser Bryan Lane Kelci Hahn Charles Lane Elissa Johnston Michael Lichtenauer Caroline McKenzie Joseph Lopez Jennifer Paz Matthew Miles Holly Sedillos Robert Norman Courtney Taylor Anthony Ray Suzanne Waters Todd Strange Elyse Willis Nate Widelitz Andrea Zomorodian
ALTO BASS Garineh Avakian Michael Bannett Aleta Braxton David Castillo Amy Fogerson Kevin Dalbey Michele Hemmings Dylan Gentile Shabnam Kalbasi Will Goldman Sharmila Lash Abdiel Gonzalez Sarah Lynch Scott Graff Adriana Manfredi James Hayden Alice Kirwan Murray David Dong-Geun Kim Eleni Pantages Luc Kleiner Laura Smith Roethe Chung Uk Lee Leslie Inman Sobol Scott Lehmkuhl Ilana Summers Edward Levy Kimberly Switzer Ben Lin Kristen Toedtman Adrien Redford Mark Edward Smith
The singers of the Los Angeles Master Chorale are represented by the American Guild of Musical Artists, AFL-CIO, Elyse Willis, AGMA Delegate.
18 CONDUCTORS GRANT GERSHON, KIKI & DAVID GINDLER ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
Under the leadership of Grant Gershon, Kiki & David Gindler Artistsic Director, the Los Angeles Master Chorale has become “the most exciting chorus in the country.” (Los Angeles Times). A fervent champion of new music, Gershon has led more than 200 Master Chorale performances at Walt Disney Concert Hall, including world premieres of major works by John Adams, Esa-Pekka Salonen, David Lang, Louis Andriessen, Christopher Rouse, Steve Reich, Morten Lauridsen, Ricky Ian Gordon, Gabriela Lena Frank, Shawn Kirchner, Ellen Reid, and Chinary Ung, among many others. In July 2019, Gershon and the Master Chorale opened the Salzburg Festival with their acclaimed Peter Sellars–directed production of Lagrime di San Pietro, earning rave reviews and standing ovations.
Gershon is the Resident Conductor of LA Opera, and conducted the West Coast premiere of Philip Glass’s Satyagraha in November 2018. He made his Dutch National Opera debut conducting the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra in performances of John Adams’s Girls of the Golden West in March 2019. His discography includes two recordings nominated for Grammy Awards: Sweeney Todd (New York Philharmonic Special Editions) and Ligeti’s Grand Macabre (Sony Classical).
ERIC WHITACRE, SWAN FAMILY ARTIST-IN-RESIDENCE
The works of Grammy Award–winning conductor and composer Eric Whitacre have been programmed worldwide by millions of amateur and professional performers, while his ground-breaking Virtual Choirs have united singers from over 120 different countries.
As conductor of the Eric Whitacre Singers, he has released chart-topping albums, and he is in high demand as guest conductor. He has collaborated with legendary Hollywood composer Hans Zimmer and British pop icons Laura Mvula, Imogen Heap, and Annie Lennox, and received major classical commissions for, among others, the BBC Proms, Minnesota Orchestra, Rundfunkchor Berlin, The Tallis Scholars, Chanticleer, Los Angeles Master Chorale, and The King’s Singers. He reached new audiences in 2018 with Deep Field, a pioneering audiovisual collaboration between Eric, NASA, the Space Telescope Science Institute, Music Productions and 59 Productions.
19 JENNY WONG, ASSOCIATE CONDUCTOR
A native of Hong Kong, Wong assumed the position of Associate Conductor of the Los Angeles Master Chorale in 2017, after first becoming Assistant Conductor in 2016. She made her solo conducting debut at Walt Disney Concert Hall conducting the six Bach motets BWV 225–230, and has conducted on various Master Chorale programs, including the premiere of Moira Smiley’s five-movement Time in Our Voices.
Outside of Walt Disney Concert Hall, Wong has conducted the Master Chorale in performances of Orlando di Lasso’s Lagrime di San Pietro, staged by Peter Sellars, at the Melbourne International Arts Festival; the Festival Internacional Cervantino in Guanajuato; the Palacio de Bellas Artes in Mexico City; the Carolina Performing Arts at University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill; and the Wallis Annenberg Center for Performing Arts in Beverly Hills.
SUE FINK
Sue Fink brought together a small group of 18 singers in 1993 to form the Angel City Chorale, which enriches the lives of more than 180 singers with diverse musical experiences, creating a world-class choral sound.
Her 25-year career includes conducting worldwide, from Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles to Cadogan Hall with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in London. Most recently she conducted four performances on NBC’s America’s Got Talent, advancing to the semi- finals and receiving the coveted gold buzzer. She founded and conducted the Oriana Renaissance Ensemble and the Los Angeles Women’s Community Chorus, and as a singer-songwriter she has released two award winning albums.
20 ADRIEN REDFORD
In 2017, Adrien Redford joined the Los Angeles Master Chorale, which led to his participation in the touring production of Orlando di Lasso’s Lagrime di San Pietro, performed fully memorized with staging by director Peter Sellars. In recent years, Adrien has enjoyed singing with the Gay Men’s Chorus of Los Angeles and the Trans Chorus of Los Angeles, and has worked with L.A.-based choral ensembles Tonality and Golden Bridge.
He is a member of the 2018–19 VOCES8 U.S. Scholars Program, sponsored by the highly acclaimed British ensemble of the same name, and has also just launched a new project as Co-Artistic Director of PRISM, a 17-member conductorless ensemble specializing in Renaissance-era choral works. Adrien was greatly involved with the coordination of Master Chorale’s Big Sing L.A. and Big Sing California, and he is delighted to return to share the gift of music with his peers and community.
KRISTEN TOEDTMAN
Kristen Toedtman is a long-time singer with the Los Angeles Master Chorale who has shared the stage with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Philip Glass Ensemble, Frank Zappa’s Mothers of Invention, and the Bang on a Can All-Stars. She is a founding member of the Baltimore Afrobeat Society, and frequent collaborator with singer-songwriters Moira Smiley, Brendan Hines, and David Poe. Kristen has two self- released records of original material and has sung on the soundtracks of Frozen, Minions, Despicable Me 3, Godzilla, and others.
Kristen is passionate about inspiring others to sing. She is the Director of Baltimore’s Chorus of Peabody, and has worked with Los Angeles’s Street Symphony and Urban Voices Project. Most recently, she led singers at a health clinic in the Dominican Republic.
21 plaza for all art-making workshops
The Music Center partnered with Los Angeles-based LA Commons, which engages communities in artistic and cultural expressions, to facilitate artmaking workshops throughout Los Angeles County as part of the Plaza for All Celebration. With their help, along with our workshop partners— Angels Gate Cultural Center, Lancaster Museum of Art and History, Self Help Graphics, and Tía Chucha’s Centro Cultural & Bookstore—we engaged more than 100 participants in creating images inspired by their hopes, dreams and lives in Los Angeles. Thank you to LA Commons and our workshop partners, as well as all the participants, for helping to make The Music Center Plaza a “plaza for all.”
L.A. COUNTY DISTRICT 1 SELF HELP GRAPHICS, BOYLE HEIGHTS Edna Cerritos Elle Tea Isabel Martinez-Torres Gloria Vasquez-Warner Ingrid Oliu Norma Sutherland
THE MUSIC CENTER Frances Agoncillo Andrew Grant Carla Sheppard Benjamin Bueda Jose Hernandez Erin Suyehara Yessica Chavez Sonia Hernandez Larry Swanson Tracy Chavira Philip Hon Samantha Tafoya Uyi Chhorvirat Ira Kusuma Natalie Tafoya Anjanette Collazo Maple Navarro Emma Zorner Suzanne Ecker Rd Plasschaert Nelly Zuniga Anita Garcia Diane Pond Don Garza Deborah Prince
GRAND PARK Rusti Blu Amelia Lee Sharon Clerkin Jacqueline Legazcue Jeremy Dodgen Susana Leyva Andrissa Dominguez Valentina Moleene Silvia Figueroa Martin Ramos Courtney Hearn Jessica Reveles Daniel Hernandez Cicero Salvera Josefina Islas Kai su Shu
22 L.A. COUNTY DISTRICT 2 LA COMMONS, LEIMERT PARK Josephine Austin Akilah Lynch Asong Bush Christian Perez Larry Caldwell Elise Peterson Courtney Jackson Winnie Thomas Marley Katega
L.A. COUNTY DISTRICT 3 TÍA CHUCHA’S CENTRO CULTURAL & BOOKSTORE, SYLMAR Jaslene Alvarez Kapuri Orozco Angel Casillas George Ortega Wendy Centeno Hossanaa Pacheco Adelmo Echeverria Mireyari Pacheco Joaquin O. Flores Yesenia Palomera Lilian Garcia Sandra Peña Valeria Gomez Patty Reyes Berenice Machucha Ilancueitl Soberanis Larissa Manzo Alina Zaragoza Jacqueline McRae Alyssa Zenner
L.A. COUNTY DISTRICT 4 ANGELS GATE CULTURAL CENTER, SAN PEDRO Stacy Arenstein Thomas Norman Elena Dahl Andres Rodriguez Ernie Garcia Martha Ruiz Sandy Hooper David Salas Miguel Lopez Marlene Sandoval Gillish McCarthy Miho Shindo
L.A. COUNTY DISTRICT 5 Zechariah Adeniji Jasmine Parker Arianna Bradley Jeremy Sanders Taahirah Edwards Simmer Sims David Hicks Katherine Stocking-Lopez Leah Levitt Alison Vasquez Geoffrey Levitt Saharra White Katilyn Nicastro
23 LOS ANGELES MASTER CHORALE
The Los Angeles Master Chorale is widely recognized as the country’s leading professional choir and one of Southern California’s most vibrant cultural treasures. Hailed for its powerful performances, technical precision, and artistic daring, the Master Chorale is led by Grant Gershon, Kiki & David Gindler Artistic Director, and Jean Davidson, President & CEO. It is a founding resident company of The Music Center and choir-in-residence at Walt Disney Concert Hall, where it performs a season of 13 concerts.
Since the 2018–19 season, the Master Chorale has been touring its production of Lagrime di San Pietro, directed by Peter Sellars, with performances in London and Paris, and at the Salzburg Festival, where it received standing ovations and rave reviews. The Los Angeles Master Chorale has performed in more than 500 concerts with the Los Angeles Philharmonic at both Disney Hall and the Hollywood Bowl. Praised for its definitive performances, the Los Angeles Master Chorale also has an esteemed discography that includes seven recordings under Gershon, and is featured on the soundtracks of many major motion pictures, including Star Wars: The Last Jedi.
Committed to community engagement, the Los Angeles Master Chorale’s education programs include the annual High School Choir Festival, which brings teenagers from around the Southland to perform in Walt Disney Concert Hall.
19/20 season opening concert
BRUCKNER’S GREAT MASS OCTOBER 19 AND 20
20% off for Big Sing 2019 participants Use code BIG
LAMASTERCHORALE.ORG/BRUCKNER-MASS 213-972-7282
24 About the music center
As one of the nation’s largest performing arts centers and a cultural anchor in Los Angeles County, The Music Center convenes artists, communities, and ideas to deepen the cultural lives of all. Our programming engine, The Music Center Arts (TMC Arts), reflects the diverse voices and interests of the many communities of Los Angeles with relevant, engaging arts experiences and arts education programs at The Music Center, in Grand Park, and in schools and other locations all over Los Angeles County. Both the force behind and home of some of the most creative expression today, The Music Center also features four renowned resident companies: Center Theatre Group, Los Angeles Master Chorale, LA Opera, and LA Phil.
More information at musiccenter.org
About The Music Center Plaza
Serving as a principal public square for Los Angeles County, The Music Center Plaza is a welcoming outdoor urban space for all to enjoy. Recently renovated, “The Plaza for All” offers a place where people can not only dine and gather, but also connect with friends and colleagues. With a number of restaurants at a variety of price points, including the one-of-a-kind Abernethy’s with its emerging chef program, The Music Center Plaza will be home to free and low-cost events and activities that showcase the talents of the many artists and distinctive communities that make up the culturally rich County of Los Angeles.
More information at musiccenter.org/plaza