For release:      January 15, 2020

Contacts:

Andrew Brown, President & CEO, ANDREW@PACIFICCHORALE.ORG

Ryan McSweeney, Director of Marketing & Box Office, RYAN@PACIFICCHORALE.ORG

714/662-2345

Pacific Chorale to Receive $15,000 Grant From the National Endowment for the Arts

Concert on March 21^st at Our Lady Queen of Angels Catholic Church in Newport Beach to feature works by Galina Grigorjeva, Edie Hill, Frank Martin, Tarik O’Regan, Caroline Shaw, and Dale Trumbore.

Concert on May 16^th at Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa will feature Pacific Chorale and Pacific Symphony in Mozart’s “Coronation Mass” plus works by O’Regan, Shaw, and Frank Ticheli.

Costa Mesa, CA – On February 15, 2020, the National Endowment for the Arts announced that Pacific Chorale has been approved for a $15,000 Art Works grant to support the Chorale’s spring 2020 performances: “Songs of the Soul” on March 21^st and “Mozart’s Coronation Mass” on May 16^th.

“Songs of the Soul,” taking place March 21^st at Our Lady Queen of Angels Catholic Church in Newport Beach, will feature Artistic Director Robert Istad conducting the Chorale’s 24-voice chamber choir in a cappella works by Composer in Residence Tarik O’Regan; American composers Edie Hill, Caroline Shaw, and Dale Trumbore; Estonian composer Galina Grigorjeva; and Swiss composer Frank Martin. The performance on May 16^th at Segerstrom Center for the Arts’ Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall will include—in addition to the “Coronation” Mass by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart—Shaw’s Music in Common Time (2014), O’Regan’s Triptych (2005) and a world premiere commission, and Frank Ticheli’s Until Forever Fades Away (2018). Istad will conduct the 100-voice Chorale with guest orchestra Pacific Symphony.

Overall, the National Endowment for the Arts has approved 1,187 grants totaling $27.3 million in the first round of fiscal year 2020 funding to support arts projects in every state in the nation, as well as the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico.

The Art Works funding category supports projects that focus on public engagement with, and access to, various forms of excellent art across the nation; the creation of art that meets the highest standards of excellence; learning in the arts at all stages of life; and the integration of the arts into the fabric of community life. “The arts are at the heart of our communities, connecting people through shared experiences and artistic expression,” said Arts Endowment chairman Mary Anne Carter.

“We could not be more grateful to the National Endowment for the Arts for believing in the power of the arts and supporting our community by investing in organizations like Pacific Chorale,” said Andrew Brown, President of Pacific Chorale. “This vital grant helps us continue to fulfill our mission of inspiring the people of Orange County through artistry in choral performances.”

For more information on projects included in the Arts Endowment grant announcement, visit arts.gov/news.

ABOUT PACIFIC CHORALE

Pacific Chorale has delighted national and international audiences with concerts of great choral music performed at the highest musical standards since 1968. Under the artistic leadership of Robert Istad, the organization produces a series of concerts each year at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts, where it serves as the sole resident choir. The mission of Pacific Chorale is to inspire our community through artistry and innovation in choral music performances and education programs.

Pacific Chorale is recognized for exceptional artistic expression, preserving and performing classical choral music as well as stimulating American-focused programming. Pacific Chorale presents a substantial performance season of its own and is sought regularly to perform with the nation’s leading symphonies. Pacific Chorale has infused an Old World art form with California’s hallmark innovation and cultural independence, developing innovative new concepts in programming, and expanding the traditional concepts of choral repertoire and performance.  The organization boasts over 30 world premieres and has released 14 self-produced recordings.

In addition to its long-standing partnership with Pacific Symphony, with whom Pacific Chorale made its Carnegie Hall debut in April 2018, the Chorale has performed with such renowned American ensembles as the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Boston Symphony, the National Symphony, San Diego Symphony, Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra, and Musica Angelica.

Pacific Chorale has also toured extensively to more than 19 countries in Europe, South America and Asia, and has collaborated with the London Symphony, the Munich Symphony, L’Orchestre Lamoureux and L’Orchestre de St-Louis-en-l’Île of Paris, the National Orchestra of Belgium, the China National Symphony, the Hong Kong Sinfonietta, the Estonian National Symphony, and the Orquesta Sinfonica Nacional of Argentina.

Pacific Chorale also places a significant emphasis on choral music education, offering grades 1-6 after-school programs, a high school student summer camp, and a community-wide singing event at Segerstrom Center for the Arts.