Name: New Renaissance
Start: 2025-06-01T19:00:00
Location: Walt Disney Concert Hall

Experience an unforgettable musical journey with the Los Angeles Master Chorale at the Walt Disney Concert Hall. From the enchanting 'Festival of Carols' to the innovative 'New Renaissance' finale, each performance blends tradition and modernity, showcasing the artistic brilliance of conductors like Grant Gershon and Jason Max Ferdinand. With a lineup featuring the symphonic grandeur of Mozart's version of Handel's 'Messiah', the evocative 'Carmina Burana', and Rufus Wainwright's 'Dream Requiem', this season promises to uplift spirits and inspire awe. Join us in celebrating diverse choral traditions and groundbreaking new works.

Harmonies of the Season: A Journey with the LA Master Chorale

As the Los Angeles Master Chorale celebrates its 60th anniversary, this season promises to be a breathtaking journey through the world of choral music. Featuring groundbreaking premieres and collaborations, the Chorale presents a series of concerts that explore themes of hope, history, and harmony. From Jason Max Ferdinand's uplifting 'Lift Every Voice' to the evocative 'Dream Requiem' by Rufus Wainwright, each performance offers a unique narrative. This season also marks the continuation of the '25 in 5' commission series, spotlighting innovative works like Reena Esmail's folk-inspired masterpiece.

Harmonious Journeys: A Season of Choral Brilliance with the Los Angeles Master Chorale

Join the Los Angeles Master Chorale for an unforgettable season that celebrates the past, present, and future of choral music. Experience the pulsating rhythms of Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana, the U.S. premiere of Rufus Wainwright’s Dream Requiem, and a spectacular finale with New Renaissance, featuring a range of musical eras and styles. At the Walt Disney Concert Hall, these performances will showcase the brilliance of conductors Jenny Wong and Grant Gershon, along with innovative works by Reena Esmail, creating a vibrant tapestry of sound and emotion.

A Harmonious Celebration: Los Angeles Master Chorale's Remarkable Season

Brace yourself for an exhilarating season with the Los Angeles Master Chorale, where the realms of cultural heritage and contemporary artistry converge. From the medieval echoes of Carmina Burana to the U.S. premiere of Rufus Wainwright's opulent Dream Requiem, and concluding with a New Renaissance, this season at the Walt Disney Concert Hall promises to be a harmonious journey. With esteemed conductors, innovative compositions, and an homage to choral legacies, the Chorale invites you to immerse in an unforgettable tapestry of sound and emotion.

A Symphony of Culture and Creativity: Los Angeles Master Chorale's Monumental Season

Los Angeles is set to host an extraordinary series of events that promise to captivate music lovers and culture enthusiasts alike. From the U.S. premiere of Rufus Wainwright's 'Dream Requiem' to the thrilling performances by the Los Angeles Philharmonic, each event is a testament to the city's vibrant artistic scene. With celebrated conductors like Gustavo Dudamel and Esa-Pekka Salonen at the helm, these events offer a rich tapestry of musical experiences, blending traditional compositions with contemporary works. Join us as we delve into this harmonious journey, celebrating creativity and innovation.

A Harmonious Journey: Exploring Premieres and Masterpieces in Los Angeles

The Los Angeles Master Chorale and Philharmonic are set to enchant audiences with a series of captivating events filled with harmony, innovation, and cultural exploration. From timeless classical compositions to inclusive sing-alongs, the 2025-2026 season promises a rich tapestry of musical experiences. Highlights include the illustrious 'New Renaissance' season finale, Gustavo Dudamel's invigorating interpretations, and beloved holiday traditions. Each event captures the spirit of artistic excellence that both honors tradition and embraces modern creativity, inviting music lovers on a journey through sound and emotion.

Celebrating Harmony: A Season of Musical Wonders in Los Angeles

Grant Gershon

Los Angeles Master Chorale

The Master Chorale’s beloved holiday concerts return, including English Cathedral Christmas. Imagine that you’re in the majesty of Canterbury Cathedral, experiencing the great, unbroken tradition of British choral works from the 16th century to the present. The English holiday tradition includes centuries-old pilgrimages to cathedrals and churches for community celebrations of hope and joy.

English Cathedral Christmas

Walt Disney Concert Hall

Joining these cherished traditions is the inaugural family-friendly Carols for Kids, which is specially designed for kids under 6, welcoming seat wiggles and giggles, and featuring favorite childhood carols. Holiday-themed activities, including photos with Santa, will take place in the lobby of Walt Disney Concert Hall prior to the concert.

Carols for Kids

The Master Chorale brings back perennial holiday favorites Festival of Carols, featuring spectacular arrangements of traditional carols from around the world. Hear some of your favorite carols and explore new songs sung by the incomparable voices of the LA Master Chorale, in the world-class acoustics of Walt Disney Concert Hall. Festival of Carols has become one of L.A.’s most beloved family holiday traditions.

Festival Of Carols

Experience the Grammy Award-winning voices of the Master Chorale in the iconic holiday masterpiece— Handel’s Messiah.

Handel's Messiah

Don’t be shy! You are the artist! Sing along with the world-class Master Chorale vocalists in this beloved holiday work. This year marks the 45th year for this annual celebration of music and community. Two thousand voices lifted together in the Walt Disney Concert Hall! There’s no experience quite like the Master Chorale’s Messiah Sing- Along.

Messiah Sing-along

The first of the Master Chorale's commissioned world premieres this season is by five-time Emmy®-winning composer Jeff Beal, known for his scores for TV shows like House of Cards, Monk, and Rome, as well as films such as Pollock and Blackfish. Part of Common Ground: The Music of Górecki and Jeff Beal, Beal’s new work, The Beatitudes, will be paired with Henryk Górecki’s Miserere, a deeply moving piece inspired by the Polish Solidarity movement of the 1980s. Composed in 1981 as a protest against Soviet-backed government intervention, Miserere was not premiered until 1987 due to martial law. With just five words in its text—“Domine Deus noster, Miserere nobis” (“Lord our God, have mercy on us”)—Górecki creates an oasis of peace and compassion. The Chorale first performed Miserere in 2002 during Grant Gershon’s inaugural season as Artistic Director and recorded Miserere in 2013 for Decca.

Common Ground: The Music Of Górecki And Jeff Beal

The Master Chorale most recently performed a movement from Mozart's Requiem live during the 97th OSCARS® 2025 In Memoriam segment, showcasing the power and enduring relevance of one of the most iconic and emotionally charged choral works ever composed. Written in 1791, just months before Mozart’s death at the age of 35, Requiem remains one of the composer’s greatest masterpieces, both a profound reflection on mortality and a stunning display of his compositional genius.

Mozart’s Requiem

Sound Waves: The Music of Esmail, Garrett, and Woo offers three powerful meditations on water including Malhaar: A Requiem for Water by Swan Family Artist-in-Residence Reena Esmail, alongside new works by composers Marques L. A. Garrett and Hyowon Woo. With Malhaar, Reena explores the universal theme of water through a cross-cultural lens, emphasizing that we are all citizens of the earth connected by a huge ecosystem in which water is a life force. Reena was inspired by William O’Daly’s book “Water Ways,” a poetic exploration of the disappearance of water. O'Daly is known for his English translations of the poetry of Pablo Neruda, and is also a Research Writer at the California Department of Water Resources and is the Lead Writer for the California Water Plan. Reena uses O’Daly’s text throughout the piece, intermingled with movements from the traditional requiem text. Overlaid on this texture are passages in Sanskrit and Hindi. The work moves through the various forms of Raag Malhaar (monsoon raags), to convey the importance and power of water, which holds a sacred place in Indian classical music. The work features Hindustani vocalist Saili Oak.

Sound Waves: The Music Of Esmail, Garrett, And Woo

We conclude our monumental 60th Anniversary season with a spectacular celebration of harmony and innovation that honors our storied past, embraces the vibrant present, and set the stage for an exciting future. We are thrilled to present an extraordinary playlist of music ranging from Shakespeare’s England to the choral Renaissance happening in Los Angeles right now. These composers represent the creative forces that have both shaped the Chorale and solidified its place at the epicenter of the choral world.

New Renaissance

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