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Vocal Focus from CCMN
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Southern California Vocal Events
LAURI D GOLDENHERSH's Weekly Highlights
Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! One of the advantages of living in a culturally rich area like Southern California is that even on big holiday weekends like this one, there are luscious musical events to be found. If your threshold for food, football, shopping or even family has its limits, or if you're looking for a special way to celebrate the season, this relatively quiet week still holds some particular treasures:Big stuff: The last performance of this year's Roméo et Juliette at LA OPERA is Saturday. The LA PHIL is in full swing next door, as they welcome ESA-PEKKA SALONEN back to the podium to conduct two gorgeous orchestral works from Beethoven, and Sirens, a world premiere from Swedish composer ANDERS HILLBORG. With the likes of pianist EMMANUEL AX, soprano HILA PLITMANN, mezzo ANNA SOPHIE VON OTTER and the LOS ANGELES MASTER CHORALE on board, this is worth tossing aside the football jersey and taking a little trip downtown. Three performances: Friday and Saturday evening and Sunday afternoon. The website still appears to have tickets available for all three -- click here: The beautiful and historic Nixon Library kicks off holiday Handel with two performances of the Messiah on Sunday. This annual tradition is part of the library's Family Concert Series, with free admission and a lovely time to be had by all. Allow extra time to check out the exhibits and the beautiful grounds, regardless of your political leanings... For information, click here. For a more contemplative end to the weekend's big doings, join the SCHOLA CANTORUM at St. James' in the City (between Koreatown and Hancock Park) for their monthly Compline service on Sunday night. It's a beautiful way to unwind and face the new week. For a description and details, click here. Need more time to recover from the pile of poultry? Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday all hold unusual events with surprises in store. Check the calendar for details... I wish you all a lovely holiday and good eats. Rest well, play well, and we'll see you on the other side, with December in full blossom. Thank you for supporting live singing!
Lauri D. Goldenhersh
lauri@laurislist.com
There's never enough room here, and we're always adding more there -- For details about these and many other vocal events, see the Calendar at LaurisList.com, now the largest centralized resource for vocal events in the area. Visit the calendar by clicking http://bit.ly/ListerCalendar and send a message to the email address above to learn how to register with us, so you can add your vocal events!
Want weekly updates? Subscribe to 'Next 7', the free newsletter from LaurisList.com, to keep up with vocal-related events like these are more. All are welcome! Click here to sign up:
http://tinyurl.com/ListerNews
or click here to see the latest issue:
http://www.laurislist.com/Next7
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Vocal Focus from CCMN
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Southern California Vocal Events
LAURI D GOLDENHERSH's Weekly Highlights
This is one of those weekends that gets packed because it's in-between. Two weeks after Halloween, two weeks before Thanksgiving, this is the perfect weekend for a concert outing, and fall programming abounds. Let's start with some opera:
John Adams' instant-classic 'A Flowering Tree' may only be a few years old, but it's already a hit, with performances all over the country. It now comes to the Inland Empire in a much-anticipated production from RIVERSIDE LYRIC OPERA. Presented in the lovely Culver Center for the Arts, pre-sales have been straong: tickets are only available for the Friday night performance as of press time. But if you can make it, don't miss this opportunity to see an unusual contemporary opera that's unlikely to come back to Southern California terribly soon. For details, click here.
This weekend and next, CELESTIAL OPERA COMPANY creates a chamber opera twofer with drama and verve: Purcell's 'Dido and Aeneas' meets Mozart's 'The Impresario'. Come early for a pre-show talk by musicologist (and marvelous mezzo) Marcela Pan, commencing one hour before each show time. For the event listing, click here.
More opera flourishes across the counties this weekend, as DIANA BRISCOE appears at the new Harlequin Room space on Saturday; powerful tenor STEVE GRABE gives a recital at the Nixon Library on Sunday; the OPERA BUFFS take a 'Romantic Journey' for their fall showcase, and the celebrated CASA ITALIANA opera company fetes its 40th birthday.
Contemporary music also has a strong foothold this week, with offerings from the DOMINANT CLUB; the new-music ensemble CONUNDRUM; an independent program entitled 'Sing a New Song' in Long Beach; two performances by the TRILLIUM ENSEMBLE, featuring the works of Richard Pearson Thomas; and the newly expanded 'Little Match Girl Passion' from composer David Lang, premiered by the LOS ANGELES MASTER CHORALE at Disney Hall.
For glorious new choral music, you won't want to miss Sunday's Concert for All Souls' at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in downtown LA. The event starts with a short Evening Prayer service, then features Andrew Wright's intriguing and surprising 'Requiem for Peace', followed by a cappella works sung in the white-marble acoustics of the mausoleum downstairs. The contemporary requiem is quite a find, and this performance features soprano SUZANNE WATERS (currently taking LA by storm) and tenor favorite CHARLES LANE. The CATHEDRAL CHOIR is led by music director FRANK BROWNSTEAD and SAMUEL SORIA will be at the spectacular Cathedral organ. Full disclosure requires that I admit to singing on this concert, but this inspiring event speaks for itself. For details, click here.
The bottom line: Don't stay home. Find something you'll remember and gear up with great music before the stores start piping in their Christmas ditties. Although we're not quite there yet, let's start our peace and love now. Have a happy week, and thank you for supporting live singing! Lauri D. Goldenhersh lauri@laurislist.com There's never enough room here, and we're always adding more there -- For details about these and many other vocal events, see the Calendar at LaurisList.com, now the largest centralized resource for vocal events in the area. Visit the calendar by clicking http://bit.ly/ListerCalendar and send a message to the email address above to learn how to register with us, so you can add your vocal events! Want weekly updates? Subscribe to 'Next 7', the free newsletter from LaurisList.com, to keep up with vocal-related events like these are more. All are welcome! Click here to sign up: http://tinyurl.com/ListerNews or click here to see the latest issue: http://www.laurislist.com/Next7 |
