LOS ANGELES MASTER CHORALE’S 39th SEASON AT DOROTHY CHANDLER PAVILION CONCLUDES WITH “IT’S A WRAP!” CONCERT AND “ON WINGS OF STEEL” GALA,HONORING WALT DISNEY CONCERT HALL ARCHITECT FRANK GEHRY,ON SATURDAY, JUNE 7, 7 P.M. AT DOROTHY CHANDLER PAVILION

Concert Features World Premiere of Leading Video Game Composer Jeremy Soule’s Extasé (“Ecstasy”)

        With its impending move to the Walt Disney Concert Hall just months away, the Los Angeles Master Chorale, conducted by Music Director Grant Gershon, concludes its 39th and final season at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in grand style with “It’s a Wrap!”, a concert saluting film composers, and “On Wings of Steel”, a black-tie gala, honoring Walt Disney Concert Hall architect Frank Gehry, on Saturday, June 7, 7 p.m., at the Pavilion. 

Celebrating the choir’s long association with the film industry and the important role that cinema has played in furthering choral music, the concert includes great works that Hollywood has borrowed from the choral repertoire as well as those written by leading composers specifically for film.  The nod to Hollywood promises to be an engaging and dramatic finale to the Chorale’s nearly four-decade reign as resident company of the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion.

Among the pieces on the program are Patrick Doyle’s haunting Non Nobis Domine from “Henry V”; The Mission from “The Sum of All Fears” by Jerry Goldsmith; John Williams’, Dry Your Tears Afrika from “Amistad”; and Suite from Titanic by James Horner.  Other pieces include the Overture to Agincourt Song written by William Walton for “Henry V”; Down to the River to Pray from “O Brother Where Art Thou”; Suite from “Triumph of the Spirit” composed by Cliff Eidelman, whose music is featured on the recently released film “Lizzy MaGuire”; Danny Elfman’s Ice Dance from “Edward Scissorhands”; and The Sonnenscheins by Maurice Jarre for “Sunshine.”

In addition, the Chorale breaks new ground by presenting the world premiere of Extasé (“Ecstasy”) written by Jeremy Soule, who, at just 28, is considered the world’s most prolific video game composer and has been called “gaming’s greatest musician” by Computer Gaming World and “the man who brought classical music to gaming” by Underground Online. 
“The Chorale is definitely entering new territory with Jeremy’s work,” said Gershon.  “In keeping with our mission to present innovative and dynamic programming, we are the first professional choir to present music from the software industry.  It’s an honor to work with Jeremy, and I applaud his commitment to bringing quality classical music to today’s youth through video games.  He’s reaching a whole new generation on a global level.”

The composer for Star Wars and Harry Potter video game titles, among others, Soule last year alone created scores for ten major releases that sold tens of millions of units.  By his own estimate, Soule – who entered the gaming field in 1994 because he thought he could raise the industry’s musical bar – says, “Although I’m not a household name because I work behind the scenes, my music was heard by more kids last year than all of the pop acts put together.”  His latest project, “Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic,” which includes a 100-minute score, the longest fully original score for any Star Wars game, will be released in June.  Generating over $20 billion a year in revenues – compared to $9 billion for film revenues – the video game industry has made a tremendous impact on Hollywood.  With graphics and audio tracks of video games becoming increasingly sophisticated, the industry is also fostering a new generation of composers, such as Soule, who was recently tapped by the MTV Movies Awards, which airs in June, to compose the orchestral music for the show which will feature Justin Timberlake.

Soule, who wrote Extasé specifically for the Chorale, says, “It pulls from the many video projects I’ve worked on and is based on the poem ‘Ecstasy’ by Victor Hugo.  It’s a very romantic and visual poem about creation, about taking someone beyond reality to a mystical magical state, someplace that would exist in a dream, just like the virtual worlds that game people create. The piece is dedicated to the people who make games.”  According to Soule, who divides his time between Seattle and Los Angeles, Extasé is also a nod to the French composers of Hugo’s time, such as Debussy, Ravel, Fauré and Saint-Säens.

J.A.C. Redford, renowned composer of concert music, film and television scores, who last worked with the Chorale in 2000 to produce “Hollywood Goes Classical,” is collaborating on the Chorale’s production. Redford has written the scores for over three dozen feature films, TV movies or miniseries, including The Trip to Bountiful, Oliver and Company, What the Deaf Man Heard and Mama Flora's Family.  He has composed the music for nearly 500 episodes of series television, including multiple seasons of Coach and St. Elsewhere (for which he received Emmy nominations).  Redford's incidental music has been heard in theatrical productions at the Matrix Theater in Los Angeles and South Coast Repertory Theater in Costa Mesa, California, as well as on the American Playhouse series on PBS.  He has served as a music consultant for the Sundance Film Institute, a teacher in the Artists-in-Schools program for the National Endowment for the Arts, and a guest lecturer at USC and UCLA.  He currently sits on the Music Branch Executive Committees for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.

Over the years, the Chorale has been featured on numerous motion picture soundtracks, including Air Force One, Batman & Robin, Dracula, Extreme Measures, First Knight, Flatliners, Grand Canyon, Independence Day, Intersection, My Best Friend’s Wedding, Outbreak, Twister and Waterworld. 
Following the concert, the Chorale will bid a fond farewell to its long-time home and look towards its new home with “On Wings of Steel,” a black-tie Gala honoring Frank Gehry for his extraordinary design of the Walt Disney Concert Hall.  The highlight of the gala, which includes a dazzling champagne reception, luxury auction, sumptuous dinner and dancing to the Swing Kings, is the Chorale’s signature “Surround-Sing,” in which the Chorale encircles guests in song.  Music Center Chair Andrea Van de Kamp is the honorary chair.  Laney and Tom Techentin are co-chairing the gala. 

Gehry’s distinctive and inspiring music complex, with its striking curves and graceful lines, has proven captivating even during construction and has already to put downtown Los Angeles on the international architectural map.  The Chorale appear on the hall’s Grand Opening concert on October 23, and will open its first season as a founding resident company new hall on November 16.
The concert and gala are generously being sponsored for the tenth consecutive year by Mellon Financial Corporation, which will be recognized as the event’s Grant Patron.

Ticket Prices and Information
Tickets to the Los Angeles Master Chorale’s “It’s a Wrap” concert on June 7 are $58, $48, $34, $32, $25 and $20.  Tickets for student and senior rush, $20, are available with I.D. at the box office window beginning one hour prior to the concert. 
Tickets to the gala, “On Wings of Steel,” include admission to the concert and are $425 per person or $750 at the Patron Level.
The Dorothy Chandler Pavilion is located at 135 N. Grand Avenue in downtown Los Angeles.  For ticket or concert information, please call  (213) 972-7282 or visit www.lamc.org.
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CALENDAR LISTING

Event:                  Los Angeles Master Chorale
“It’s a Wrap!” concert and “On Wings of Steel” Gala honoring Frank Gehry
     Grant Gershon, Conductor  
Performance Date:       Saturday, June 7, 2003, 7 p.m.   (Listen Up!, pre-concert conversation, 6 p.m.)

Program:                Overture/Agincourt Song (“Henry V”)                     William Walton
Dry Your Tears Afrika (“Amistad”)                               John Williams
Down to the River to Pray (“O Brother Where Art Thou”)
Suite from “Triumph of the Spirit”                              Cliff Eidelman
Extasé (“Ecstasy”))                                        Jeremy Soule (World Premiere performance)
Main Title/Ice Dance (“Edward Scissorhands”)             Danny Elfman
The Mission (“The Sum of All Fears”)                    Jerry Goldsmith
Suite from Titanic                                      James Horner
The Sonnenscheins (“Sunshine”)                          Maurice Jarre
Non Nobis Domine (“Henry V”)                            Patrick Doyle

Theater:                Dorothy Chandler Pavilion    135 N. Grand Avenue   Los Angeles, CA
                       
Ticket Prices:          Concert Tickets: $58, $48, $34, $32, $25 and $20; student and senior rush $20 with ID; 
Gala tickets:   $425 and $750
                               
Ticket Information:     (213) 972-7282  www.lamc.org   
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program subject to change                                                                                       5-5-03