Free Choral Festival at Segerstrom Concert Hall set for Aug. 14

Pacific Chorale, the Grammy-winning resident choir at Segerstrom Center for the Performing Arts, presents a free community Choral Festival concert, conducted by Artistic Director Robert Istad, on Sunday, August 14, 2022, 5 pm, at the Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall in Costa Mesa.

The concert offers the opportunity for the public to experience the power of choral music in one of the country’s foremost music venues. The 265-voice Festival Chorus, comprised of singers from across the Southland and beyond, will be joined by soprano Rebecca Hasquet, baritone Jared Daniel Jones, organist Jung-A-Lee, and pianist David Clemensen. Pacific Chorale’s Choral Festival is presented in association with Segerstrom Center for the Arts. The event is free, but tickets are required and are available on a first come first served basis at pacificchorale.org.

The program features three luminous works by National Medal of Arts recipient Morten Lauridsen, hailed as an “American Choral Master” by the National Endowment for the Arts and the most frequently performed American choral composer in modern history. They include Lux Aeterna, composed in 1997, which reveals Lauridsen’s mastery of conveying through music the profound depth of human emotion. Also featured are Two Songs on American Poems — Prayer (On a Poem by Dana Gioia) and “Sure on This Shining Night” from Nocturnes, a setting of James Agee’s poem. Lauridsen states, “Prayer was written in memory of Michael Jasper Gioia, Dana and Mary Gioia’s infant son, whose brief life was tragically ended by SIDS.” The concert opens with “Hommage à Lauridsen,” an organ prelude improvisation inspired by Lauridsen, composed and performed by Jung-A Lee.

“We are delighted to throw open our doors to the public to showcase the Pacific Chorale Festival Chorus,” says Istad. “It provides a vital opportunity for Pacific Chorale to engage with the broader community in an impactful way to share the power and artistry of the human voice raised in song. We welcome people of all ages to the concert hall, especially those who may not have previously had the opportunity to hear live music in the extraordinary Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall.”

This marks Pacific Chorale’s 14th annual Choral Festival, which returns after a two-year hiatus due to the global pandemic. It features a two-day choral workshop for community-based choirs led by Istad culminating with the performance. The 2022 Festival Chorus comprises 178 community singers hailing from 66 cities in 7 states, representing 113 community choruses, church choirs, and schools. Of this year’s participants, 117 have sung in multiple festivals, and 13 singers have performed in the community-based Festival Chorus each year since its inception. For the performance, the singers will be joined onstage by 72 Pacific Chorale members and 15 alumni.

Pacific Chorale’s 2022-23 Season is made possible by generous support from Platinum Season Sponsor Phillip N. and Mary A. Lyons, and Silver Season Sponsor Charles and Ling Zhang.

The concert is free but tickets are required. The Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall is located at 600 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa, CA 92626. To reserve tickets and for information, visit www.pacificchorale.org or call 714-662-2345.