Easter Sunrise Service Returning to the Bowl

After a two-year hiatus, the world-famous Easter sunrise service at the Hollywood Bowl is returning next month.

The tradition -- in which Christians celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ -- was canceled in 2004 and 2005 because of construction to expand the stage.

Organizers say the timing is perfect because this is the 85th anniversary of the bowl’s Easter sunrise service.

“We are ecstatic and overjoyed,” said Norma Foster, president of the nonprofit organization that produces the free nondenominational event.

The service, featuring 700 participants on the stage, including children’s and adult choirs, is scheduled for 5:30 a.m. to 7 a.m. April 16 at the Hollywood Bowl, 2301 N. Highland Ave. Gates will open at 3:30 a.m. Parking and admission are free.

The sunrise service had been canceled before. During renovation work at the amphitheater in the 1990s, the sunrise service was moved to other venues.

In 2004, the bowl underwent a $25-million renovation to replace the stage shell with a larger structure. The Easter service was canceled, but several hundred people showed up anyway. They were directed to a different service at Forest Lawn Memorial-Park, Hollywood Hills. Construction on a concession stand sidetracked last year’s sunrise service.

The theme this year is “Peace on Earth.” The Rev. Charles G. Robertson Jr., pastor of Wilshire Presbyterian Church, will deliver the Easter sermon.

“Despite the persistence of war and violence we see in the world about us, the resurrection gives the faithful renewed and continuing hope in the forgiveness and reconciliation we know in Christ that transforms not only us as individuals but, as we have seen throughout human history, can transform our times as well,” Robertson said.

Clergy from six denominations will be represented at the service, which draws thousands from throughout Southern California. The event, which will cost $47,000, is organized entirely by volunteers. The bowl holds just under 18,000 people.

The sunrise service was started in 1921. A long-standing highlight has been the Children’s Living Cross Chorus. Dressed in black, 150 children are seated on stage in a cross formation. When dawn breaks, they stand and drop their capes, revealing white vestments that form a “living cross” as they sing “Christ the Lord Is Risen Today.”

Trina Herrmann Boychenko, who has been part of the service for 45 years, has two daughters in the Children’s Living Cross Chorus. Natasha, 12, and Erika, 10, began singing when they were 5 and 3, respectively.

After missing two years, Natasha, a seventh-grader at Chaminade College Preparatory in Chatsworth, said she can’t wait to sing at the Bowl. “I am very excited,” she said.

On Easter eve, Natasha plans to join the many volunteers putting finishing touches on decorations for the service.

Joan Collins Carey, stage manager for the event, said she will have her hands full, keeping track of 32 separate acts. She’s also mindful of one key bit of stage choreography: “You don’t want the children to remove their black robes too early.”