Los Angeles Children’s Chorus spotlights music of Benjamin Britten at annual spring concert

The Los Angeles Children’s Chorus, considered one of the world’s leading children’s choirs, spotlights the music of Benjamin Britten at two performances of its annual Spring Concert on two consecutive Sundays, May 5 and 12 (Mother’s Day), 2013, 7 pm, at Pasadena Presbyterian Church. The renowned chorus, led by Artistic Director of Anne Tomlinson, performs selected works from Britten’s Friday Afternoons, which Britten composed for school children, as well as various titles from his folk song arrangements, and selected movements from Ceremony of Carols, written for treble voices, solo voices and harp, and Missa Brevis, a beautiful work noted for its poignant plea for peace, which also illustrates Britten’s considerable skill at writing for children’s voices. The program is part of Britten 100/LA: A Celebration, a year-long festival honoring the 2013 centenary of the British composer curated by LA Opera.
Other featured works include Herbert Howells’ My Eyes for Beauty Pine, a piece in which Britten found inspiration, Handel’s aria Non lo diro from his early opera Tolomeo, two-time Oscar-winner Richard Sherman’s Hushabye Mountain from the film “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang” and an arrangement of To Music by LACC Associate Artistic Director Mandy Brigham. Also on the program are Jean-Baptiste Lully’s rarely heard French Baroque piece Regina coeli, Sir David Willcocks’ Psalm 150, Canadian composer Surl Glick’s Psalm 23, Schubert’s compelling art song Du bist die Ruh, and the haunting Celtic folksong Óró Mo Bháidin. In addition, LACC presents Come Let’s Be Merry by American composer James Mulholland, William Brown’s Puisque tout passé, set to a poem by Rilke and featuring percussionist Robert Fernandez, the Newfoundland folksong The Star of Belle Isle, and the spirituals Ain’-a that Good News, My Lord What a Morning and The Storm is Passing Over.
Tomlinson conducts the chorus’ renowned Concert Choir and Chamber Singers. Brigham leads the Intermediate Choir, Diana Landis leads the Apprentice Choir, and Dr. Steve Kronauer conducts the Young Men’s Ensemble. The choirs will perform separately and combined.
Tickets are $26, $38 and $44; children 17 and under are half price. For tickets and information, please call (626) 793-4231 or visit www.lachildrenschorus.org. Pasadena Presbyterian Church is located at 585 East Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, CA 91101.

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