Placido Domingo to conduct free concert in memory of sister

Plácido Domingo will take a break from his busy schedule at Los Angeles Opera to conduct a free concert down the street at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels on Sept. 28, in memory of his sister, who died in June.

The performance is expected to last 90 minutes and will feature Domingo leading the Colburn Orchestra in Rossini’s “Petite messe solennelle.” The concert will feature four soloists from L.A. Opera’s Domingo-Colburn-Stein Young Artist Program, as well as a chorus of 24 singers.

Doors to the Cathedral in downtown L.A. are scheduled to open at 7 p.m., with the concert expected to start at 7:30 p.m. Organizers said the public is invited to attend free of charge.

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Maria José Domingo de Fernandez died June 9 at 72, following a battle with cancer. She was the tenor’s younger sister. “My sister was a remarkable woman who loved music as much as I do, and I miss her tremendously,” said Domingo in a release.

He said that the Sept. 28 concert will be “a tribute to her life and spirit.” The Colburn Orchestra consists of students and alumni of the Colburn Conservatory of Music.

Domingo, 74, is keeping a rather hectic schedule this month. At L.A. Opera, where he serves as general director, Domingo is starring in “Gianni Schicchi” and conducting “Pagliacci” as part of the season opening double bill production that began on Saturday.

On Tuesday, he was in Las Vegas to perform at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace for Mexican Independence Day.

He was expected back at L.A. Opera on Thursday evening for another performance of the double bill, which is set to run through Oct. 3 at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion.

Twitter: @DavidNgLAT

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