| Hidden Gem |
|
Christmas Lessons
We feature events at St. James' in the City fairly regularly in this space, and with good reason: under the leadership and superb musicianship of director and organist James Buonemani, this church has consistently presented some of the best music in town for more than a decade. Nestled in the crook between Hancock Park and Koreatown, St. James' is home to a diverse multi-lingual congregation, one of the best organs around, one of the top private schools in the area, and unusually active, finely tuned choirs. Monthly events such as Evensong and Compline services, an exceptional organ series that attracts the world's best keyboard talent, and an ongoing service schedule that features glorious music throughout have made this Episcopal treasure an important landmark in the local musical landscape, and their fans live far beyond their congregational reach: their hefty mailing list draws concertgoers and occasional worshippers from considerable distances on a regular basis.
But it is at Christmas that St. James' is at its peak. The annual Lessons & Carols service is carefully prepared and beautifully executed each year, filled to the brim with gorgeous selections from the Anglican tradition and the contemporary masters. The augmented choir is comprised of many of the best and brightest local singers, as this challenging environment both requires and draws the very best talent available.
Enough gushing. You simply won't want to miss this. Once you've experienced Christmas at St. James', it's likely to become an anticipated tradition.
An Advent Procession of
Lessons and Carols
Sunday, December 12, 4:30pm
Free church parking on the west side of Gramercy, one block north of Wilshire. (Come early to find your spot!)
By metro: Red Line to Wilshire/Western Station
(then walk two blocks west)
Admission is free.
A freewill offering will be accepted.
For more information, call (213) 388-3015 or click here.
|
|
In your Inbox, or online...
|
|
Follow us!
  
|
|
Vocal Focus from CCMN
|
|
Southern California Vocal Events
LAURI D GOLDENHERSH's Weekly Highlights
We're back! Thanks to all for your patience while my Internet struggled in the wind. We're back just in time for a big week of holiday concerts and "lite" opera:
Seasonal opera returns to the Pasadena Playhouse with OPERA POSSE (formerly Intimate Opera) performing Menotti's beloved 'Amahl and the Night Visitors'. The opera features the vocal talents of SUZANNA GUZMAN of LA Opera renown. The program also features the iconic and completely unique actor MALCOLM MACDOWELL, performing Dylan Thomas' 'A Child's Christmas in Wales'. For information and tickets, click here.
LA OPERA offers a special holiday gift to SoCal buffs this year, as performers from the Young Artists Program continue their tour of various local venues with 'Cosi Lite'. This scaled-down version of Mozart's beloved comic opera whips through the story in about 50 minutes, and all of these performances are free. For information and schedule, click here.
Friday night, some of the finest early music specialists in town perform 'A Baroque Christmas' at All Saints' Episcopal Church in Beverly Hills. Soprano SUZANNE ANDERSON joins an impressive list of musicians in this debut concert of the newly founded ensemble, LES SURPRISES BAROQUES. For information and tickets, click here.
Plenty more concerts are available to fit into your sure-to-be-hectic schedule: every day this week is chock full of musical goodies, including a plethora of Messiahs: you can hear Handel done by no fewer than six organizations just this week. But if your tastes run toward more variety or different styles, there are lovely programs planned by the PASADENA MASTER CHORALE, the DOMINANT MUSIC CLUB, the HOLLYWOOD MASTER CHORALE, the LOS ROBLES MASTER CHORALE, the FESTIVAL SINGERS, and more. Take a browse through the Calendar to get the gist and find your treasure.
Two imported ensembles merit special note once the weekend has passed, however: the celebrated CANADIAN TENORS come to Cerritos with an infectiously entertaining holiday show on Wednesday; and Thursday the 17th, CHANTICLEER makes its merry way to Disney Hall with their special blend of traditional and contemporary arrangements.
Take some time to sit back and listen to someone else make music this week: after all the hubbub, you deserve a break. Whatever you attend, 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
|
