Chorus Artistic Director Anne Tomlinson Set to Make Her Final Los Angeles Children’s Chorus Conducting Appearance

 

Beloved Los Angeles Children’s Chorus (LACC) Artistic Director Anne Tomlinson, who steps down on July 31 following an extraordinary 22-year tenure, makes her final Southern California conducting appearance with the Chorus when she leads a free send-off concert for the Concert Choir’s 11-day tour to Iceland and Norway on Thursday, June 28, 2018, 7 PM, at Pasadena Presbyterian Church.

The program features a sampling of the music the Concert Choir will perform on tour, including excerpts from Bernstein’s MASS, a selection of Norwegian art and folk songs, Vivaldi’s Magnificat, “Choral Hymns” from Holst’s Rig-Veda, Hilary Tann’s The Moor, and two works commissioned and premiered by the Chorus in May – Daníel Bjarnason’s Laughing Song and Therese Ulvo’s I am I am I am. Tomlinson also conducts Dale Trumbore’s Breathe in Hope, Grieg’s Lok and Fauré’s Au bord de l’eau, among other works.

Two days later, 52 members of the Concert Choir depart on a Nordic tour (June 30 to July 11, 2018), Tomlinson’s final LACC tour, which features such highlights as a concert with Bjarnason at Hallgrimskirkja in Reykjavik, Iceland, on July 2; a presentation at Troldhaugen, Edvard Grieg’s home, in Bergen, Norway, on July 6; concerts with Ulvo at Bergen Cathedral in Bergen, Norway, on July 7, and at Oslo Cathedral in Oslo, Norway, on July 9; and a workshop with famed Norwegian conductor Maria Helbekkmo on July 10.

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The Concert Choir regularly appears in Southern California with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, Los Angeles Master Chorale and LA Opera and has made numerous recordings and television and radio appearances.

“Serving as Los Angeles Children’s Chorus Artistic Director has been my life’s work and joy,” says Tomlinson. “This final concert in Pasadena and the Nordic tour embrace the fabric of LACC in such a profound way. As global music ambassadors, the choristers, many embarking on their first trip out of the country, will experience the transformative power of music to transcend borders and cultures.

It is an honor to share this incredible journey with them. During my LACC tenure, I have worked with thousands of children and have been buoyed and inspired by them all. LACC will always be an integral part of my life, for which I am extremely grateful.”

Artistic Director Designate Fernando Malvar-Ruiz assumes leadership of the chorus on August 1, 2018.

Later this summer, LACC appears in Otello, The Nutcracker and Carmina Burana with the Los Angeles Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl. Gustavo Dudamel conducts Verdi’s Otello on July 15, 2018, with a cast featuring Russell Thomas, Otello; Juliana di Giacomo, Desdemona; George Gagnidze, Iago; Jennifer Johnson Cano, Emilia; and the Los Angeles Master Chorale. (Tomlinson is preparing the LACC for this engagement.)

On August 8, 2018, Dudamel leads Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker with the National Ballet of Cuba. LACC summer engagements wrap with guest conductor Bramwell Tovey conducting two performances of Orff’s legendary classic Carmina Burana on August 28 and 30 with guest artists Ying Feng, soprano; Nicholas Phan, tenor; Norman Garrett, baritone; and the Los Angeles Master Chorale. (Malvar-Ruiz is preparing LACC for both August engagements.)

LACC serves more than 400 children ages 6 to 18 from 50 communities across Los Angeles. In demand for its artistic excellence, LACC performs with such leading organizations as LA Opera, Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, Los Angeles Master Chorale, Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, Pasadena Symphony and POPS, Calder Quartet and Jacaranda, in addition to the Los Angeles Philharmonic.

LACC, recipient of Chorus America’s 2014 Margaret Hillis Award for Choral Excellence, the nation’s highest choral honor, shares its artistry around the globe, touring to North and South America, Africa, China, Cuba, Australia, Japan and Europe. The chorus is also the subject of a trilogy of documentaries by Academy Award®-winning filmmaker Freida Mock, has performed with John Mayer on NBC’s “The Tonight Show,” and was featured on PBS’s “Great Performances,” BBC Radio and Public Radio International, among other credits.

The tour “send off” concert on June 28 is free, and seating is on a first come first served basis.

Pasadena Presbyterian Church is located at 585 East Colorado Boulevard in Pasadena, California 91101.

For information on Los Angeles Children’s Chorus, please call (626) 793-4231 or visit www.lachildrenschorus.org.