Valley Chorale Will Perform in China

One of chorale music’s lasting traditions is the popularity of Felix Mendelssohn’s “Elijah,” which remains among the most-performed works several generations after its 1846 debut in England. But a potential audience of more than 1 billion has been left out in modern China, where the government has long disallowed any performance because of its religious theme.

So when members of the Valley Master Chorale and Orange County’s Women of the Pacific Chorale arrive in China in July for a series of concerts, it should mark the breaking of some creative and political barriers.

“The oratorio literature has never been done there before,” said John Alexander, artistic director and conductor of the combined 140-voice group. “We convinced them to look at ‘Elijah’ as a dramatic historical work.

“It will hopefully open up chorale music in China. There are symphonies all through China, but very few choirs.”

The combined chorales will sing Mendelssohn’s portrait of the New Testament prophet with a few of those symphony orchestras during tour stops in Shanghai, Beijing and Guangzhou in China, and in Hong Kong. It will be the first overseas tour of the ensemble since a 1991 journey to Russia and Estonia. And like that earlier trip, Alexander said, lasting cross-cultural benefits are expected.

“When you go and make an artistic product combined with orchestras of other parts of the world, the process of building that product creates ties and a feeling of togetherness that you can’t experience in any other way,” said Alexander, a professor of music at Cal State Northridge. “You learn a lot in the person-to-person contact.”

As a kind of preview of the tour, the chorale and baritone Richard Taylor, soprano Margaret Morrison, mezzo Adelaide Sinclair and tenor Beau Palmer will perform “Elijah” on May 8 at the Glendale High School auditorium as the opening event for CSUN’s annual May Music Festival.

The China concerts were arranged after an invitation from Ma Ge-Shun, professor of chorale studies at Shanghai Conservatory. Ma had studied in the United States and hoped to introduce “Elijah” to Chinese audiences via a Western choir, said Darryl Christian, Valley Master Chorale administrator.

The trip is being funded by individual members of the ensembles, split about evenly between the San Fernando Valley and Orange County groups, Christian said.

“For the group itself, traveling is where we really get to know each other,” Alexander said. “And that makes a tremendous difference in the music we create.”

Members of the Valley Master Chorale and Women of the Pacific Chorale will perform with the Angeles Symphony at 8 p.m. Saturday at Glendale High School auditorium, 1440 E. Broadway. Tickets are $11 to 20. For information, call (818) 885-3365.

CSUN FESTIVAL: Other events in the university’s 10-day event span a variety of musical genres, from classical to jazz to folk.

“We are an urban campus that is very large and diverse,” said Alexander, who will also conduct a May 12 performance by the Northridge Singers and Chamber Singers. “This is the one time of year that we bring all of our activities together and demonstrate the high level of artistic performance.”

On May 10, organists Samuel John Swartz and David McVey will be joined by Jerry Luedders on saxophone for a concert of 20th-Century composers. Music and dance of the Aman Folk Ensemble, which mixes elements of American and European cultures, will be performed May 11.

Conductor David Aks will lead the CSUN Symphony in a performance of Paul Creston’s “Concerto for Marimba,” Mussorgsky’s “Pictures at an Exhibition” and Mozart’s “Overture to Don Giovanni” on May 13. The CSUN Wind Ensemble, conducted by David Whitwell, will perform a program titled “Angels and Rags” on May 14. And 12-year-old drummer Jacob Armen will perform with the CSUN Jazz Band on May 15.

All events (except the Valley Master Chorale program in Glendale) will be presented at CSUN. Tickets range from $8 to $20. For information, call (818) 885-3180.

OPERA SHOWCASE: Members of another generation of local opera talent go on display May 11 in this year’s annual Opera Buffs Inc. showcase, “Future Divas and Divos, Act III,” at Beverly Hills Presbyterian Church.

Alongside their role as valuable membership recruitment events for the Opera Buffs, these concerts have introduced singers who have achieved some success. For three years, the performances have included singers who have later become Metropolitan Opera Audition finalists in New York.

“Mostly these are singers on the threshold of an important career,” said Rena Cohen, president of Opera Buffs. “If they weren’t, I don’t think I would find it quite so exciting.”

This year’s singers are soprano Shelley Jameson, baritone John Atkins (now of the L. A. Opera), mezzo Carmela Jones, tenor Jong Hyun Lee and contralto Ellen Rabiner. They will be joined by musical director Mona Lands on piano.

The 90-minute concert will include music from Verdi’s “Rigoletto” and a variety of arias and duets.

Opera Buffs Inc. is a nonprofit group founded in 1984 by Cohen and the late Le Somers and dedicated to helping young singers in the early stages of their careers. Among other activities, the group funds annual opera showcases at USC and CSUN. Ticket proceeds from the May 11 concert will go to a scholarship fund.

“It’s very difficult to be an opera singer,” Cohen said. “It’s very arduous. It takes a lot of time; you have to learn your technique, you need a coach, a language teacher; you have to know acting and gymnastics and God knows what.”

“Future Divas and Divos, Act III,” 8 p.m. May 11, at Beverly Hills Presbyterian Church, Rodeo Drive and Santa Monica Boulevard. Tickets are $10. Call: (310) 826-8000.