COSTA MESA, CA (August 16, 2024) – Pacific Chorale, conducted by Artistic Director Robert Istad, launches its 2024-25 season with the premiere of an original staged choral-theatrical production entitled “To the Hands” on Saturday, September 14, 2024, 8:00 pm, and Sunday, September 15, 2024, 5:00 pm, at Samueli Theater, Segerstrom Center for the Arts.

The program reaches across the centuries with Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Caroline Shaw’s poignant To the Hands for voices and strings, imploring compassion for the disenfranchised, performed side-by-side with the work it was written in response to – Dieterich Buxtehude's masterful 17th century cantata Ad Manus. Deeply moving and thought provoking, the 60-minute production features Pacific Chorale’s 16-voice chamber choir with members of Delirium Musicum, a string quintet led by Etienne Gara.

Woven into this special presentation are a selection of consolatory works by Moira Smiley, Sarah McLachlan, Simply Red, Kevin Siegfried, Ken Burton, Shawn Kirchner, Michael McGlynn, and Ysaÿe Barnwell, spanning a spectrum of Baroque, American folk, British soul, contemporary classical, and pop vocal music. Although Shaw’s piece, written for voices and strings, features members of Delirium Musicum, most of the music will be performed unaccompanied.

Conceived by Istad, “To the Hands” was several years in the making and is a first-of-its-kind production for the GRAMMY® Award-Winning Pacific Chorale. It is stage directed by Marty Austin Lamar with choreography by Courtney Ozovek, projection designs by Omar Ramos, and recording by Christian Amonson, Arts Laureate.

Istad says, “At the core of this multi-pronged production is Caroline Shaw’s extraordinary work To the Hands, which resonates with a powerful message of compassion towards those who are struggling. Her piece will be interspersed with a range of other works to create a musical and philosophical conversation about social justice and our role and responsibility in addressing human neglect. The singers will perform entirely memorized, helping to foster a greater emotional connection with the audience during this profoundly reflective and contemplative presentation.”

Lamar states, “Caroline Shaw’s work, To the Hands, requires each of us to reflect on our individual responsibility to humanity. How do I regard, judge, or avoid the forgotten and neglected? Pacific Chorale’s work responds to this question by fusing movement, technology, and a diverse offering of music to expand Shaw’s clarion call for humankind to do more. Our world is in urgent need of love, tolerance, and a commitment to our collective humanity. The hope is that this intensely thought-provoking production might ignite conversations and actions towards eradicating poverty and discrimination of any kind.”

In the spirit of “To the Hands,” Pacific Chorale has also created a community partnership with the OC Food Bank, which unites communities to end hunger and malnutrition by partnering with more than 300 local charities, soup kitchens and community organizations. Concertgoers are encouraged to bring shelf-stable food items to the event as part of a community food drive. (Most needed items include canned meat/fish, canned fruit, canned vegetables, peanut butter, and dry foods such as beans, pasta, rice, and cereal.)

Pacific Chorale’s production of “To the Hands” is co-sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts and Segerstrom Center for the Arts. Pacific Chorale’s 2024-2025 season, its 57th, is supported by Platinum Season Sponsors Phillip N. and Mary A. Lyons.

The Samueli Theater at Segerstrom Center for the Arts is located at 615 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa, CA 92626. For tickets ($38-$108) and information, visit www.pacificchorale.org or call 714-662-2345.

ABOUT ROBERT ISTAD

Robert Istad, a GRAMMY® Award-winning conductor who “fashions fluent and sumptuous readings” (Voice of OC) with his “phenomenal” artistry (Los Angeles Times), was appointed Pacific Chorale’s Artistic Director in 2017. Under his leadership, the chorus continues to expand its reputation for excellence for delivering fresh, thought-provoking interpretations of beloved masterworks, rarely performed gems and newly commissioned pieces. In July 2023, he led Pacific Chorale’s first international tour in seven years, conducting performances at leading venues in Austria, Germany and the United Kingdom. His artistic impact can be heard on two recent recordings featuring Pacific Chorale, including the 2022 Grammy Award-winning “Mahler’s Eighth Symphony” with the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Gustavo Dudamel on Deutsche Grammophon (2021), for which he prepared the chorus. It won Best Choral Performance and also garnered a Grammy nomination for Best Engineered Album, Classical. Additionally, Istad conducted the Pacific Chorale’s recording “All Things Common: The Music of Tarik O’Regan” released on Yarlung Records (2020). He regularly conducts and collaborates with Pacific Symphony, Berkshire Choral International, and Yarlung Records. His extensive credits also include recording for Sony Classical and guest conducting Long Beach Symphony Orchestra, Bach Collegium San Diego, Musica Angelica Baroque Orchestra, Bath Philharmonia, Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, Tesserae Baroque, and Freies Landesorchester Bayern. Istad has prepared choruses for such renowned conductors as Esa-Pekka Salonen, John Williams, John Mauceri, Keith Lockhart, Nicholas McGegan, Vasilly Sinaisky, Sir Andrew Davis, Bramwell Tovey, Carl St.Clair, Eugene Kohn, Giancarlo Guerrero, Marin Alsop, George Fenton, and Robert Moody. An esteemed educator, Istad is Professor of Music and Director of Choral Studies at California State University (CSUF), Fullerton, where he was recognized as CSUF’s 2016 Outstanding Professor of the Year. He conducts the University Singers and manages a large graduate conducting program, in addition to teaching courses on conducting and choral literature. Istad, who is on the Executive Board of Directors of Chorus America and serves as Dean of Chorus America’s Conducting Academy, is in demand as guest conductor, lecturer, and clinician.

ABOUT PACIFIC CHORALE

The GRAMMY® Award-winning Pacific Chorale, led by Artistic Director Robert Istad, is an Orange County “treasure” with a “fresh viewpoint” that “can sing anything you put in front of it with polish, poise and tonal splendor” (Orange County Register). It has risen to national prominence since its founding in 1968.

Hailed for delivering “thrilling entertainment” (Voice of OC), the resident choir at Segerstrom Center for the Arts is noted for its artistic innovation and commitment to expanding the choral repertoire. It has given world, U.S., and West Coast premieres of more than 40 works, including numerous commissions, by such lauded composers as John Adams, Jake Heggie, James Hopkins, David Lang, Morten Lauridsen, Tarik O'Regan, Karen Thomas, Frank Ticheli, András Gábor Virágh, and Eric Whitacre.

In addition to presenting its own concert series each season, Pacific Chorale enjoys a long-standing performance partnership with Pacific Symphony, including the choir’s highly anticipated Carnegie Hall debut in 2018. The chorus also regularly appears with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, with which it won the 2022 Grammy Award for Best Choral Performance for its contribution to the live recording of “Mahler: Symphony No. 8, 'Symphony of A Thousand,'” conducted by Gustavo Dudamel, featuring Los Angeles Philharmonic, Los Angeles Children’s Chorus, Los Angeles Master Chorale, National Children’s Chorus and Pacific Chorale.

The choir has performed with such leading orchestras as the Boston Symphony, National Symphony, Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra, San Diego Symphony, and Musica Angelica, among others. In addition to receiving national accolades, Pacific Chorale has garnered tremendous international acclaim. In July 2023, the chorus completed its first international tour in seven years with appearances in Austria, Germany, and the United Kingdom in collaboration with Bath Philharmonia, Free State Orchestra of Bavaria, and Bournemouth Symphony Chorus and Orchestra. Previous tours have taken the choir to 19 countries in Europe, South America, and Asia, including engagements with the London Symphony, Munich Symphony, L’Orchestre Lamoureux and L’Orchestre de St-Louis-en-l’Île of Paris, National Orchestra of Belgium, China National Symphony, Hong Kong Sinfonietta, Estonian National Symphony, and Orquesta Sinfonica Nacional of Argentina, among others.

Deeply committed to making choral music accessible to everyone, the organization has a discography of 14 self-produced recordings and an extensive collection of free digital offerings. Among other artistic highlights, Pacific Chorale’s “The Wayfaring Project,” an original concert film conceived and conducted by Istad and produced during the pandemic, was streamed on pbssocal.org, kcet.org and the PBS app, reaching audiences around the globe. Pacific Chorale also places significant emphasis on choral music education, providing after-school vocal programs for elementary school students, a choral summer camp for high school students, and an annual community-wide singing event at Segerstrom Center for the Arts. www.pacificchorale.org

ABOUT MARTY AUSTIN LAMAR

Marty Austin Lamar’s life has been filled with music since childhood. Classically trained on piano, Lamar was reared in the church and spent his formative years accompanying, and training in choirs led by his parents and a host of amazing family members, teachers, and mentors.

Lamar graduated from the Florida A&M University’s School of Business and Industry and furthered his education at the University of Florida, where he received a Master of Fine Arts degree is acting.

An accomplished singer, musician, and songwriter, Lamar’s resume is vast including New York theatre credits, regional credits, and building elementary, secondary and post-secondary performing arts programs. Lamar currently serves on the faculty of California State University at Fullerton as Assistant Professor and co-coordinator of the BFA Musical Theatre concentration. Prior to joining the faculty at CSUF, Lamar served as the coordinator and lead Professor of Howard University’s BFA Musical Theatre program. As coordinator, Lamar improved and reimagined the program curriculum, while expanding the faculty and increasing the student population matriculating through the program. With a focus on training the total artist, Howard’s BFA Musical Theatre program was ranked in the top 30 schools offering BFA degrees in musical theatre.

Lamar has been featured in the Washington Post for his choral and instrumental works composed for the 6th in the City Chorus of The Historic 6th and I Synagogue of Washington, D.C. He has also been a featured writer for the African American Lectionary and The Shakespeare Theatre Company. In 2020, Lamar joined Carnegie Mellon University as a guest lecturer in the School of Drama. Marty created and taught a course focused on the impact of systemic racism on the academy and the theatre industry.

Lamar served as the Director of Music and Creative Arts at the historic Metropolitan African Methodist Episcopal Church in Washington, D.C. During his seven years of service, Lamar’s commitment to spirituality, musicianship, and creativity impacted growth while supporting the church’s vision for global transformation through worship, liberation, and service. Annually, Lamar produced and directed Handel’s Messiah as a fundraiser for the Metropolitan community. Lamar also led efforts to expand partnerships with arts organizations and theatres throughout the Washington, D.C. area.

Lamar directed and musically directed To Serve This Present Age, an historical journey through the music of African Methodism. This work would later be featured on the Millennial Stage at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. His other musical direction credits include As You Like It, Rent, Merrily We Roll Along, Black Nativity, and Ain’t Misbehavin’.

Lamar is a proud member of the Actor’s Equity Association. Some of Lamar’s theatrical credits include The Amen Corner (Brother Davis), Shakespeare Theatre Company; Little Shop of Horrors (Voice of Audrey II), Constellation Theatre; Spunk (Folkman 2 Signature Theatre); Elf (Mr. Greenway), Olney Theatre; On the Brink (Storyteller), The Kennedy Center; Let Freedom Ring Concert (Dr. King), The Kennedy Center; Choir Boy (Headmaster), The Studio Theatre; Five Guys Named Moe (Big Moe); Ragtime (The Attorney, Ensemble), Portland Center Stage; Miss Ever’s Boy’s (Hodman), Off-Broadway; Big River (Jim), Mill Mountain Theatre; Hairspray (Seaweed), Weathervane Theatre; College: The Musical (Jay) Hippodrome Theatre; Lysistrata (Phaedrias) Athens, Greece; Dreamgirls (James “Thunder” Early) The Essential Theatre; Don’t Bother Me, I Can’t Cope (Preacher, Lead), The Essential Theatre; Crowns (Male), The Essential Theatre; The Exonerated (David), McGuire Blackbox; La Traviata (Barone), Phillips Center for the Performing Arts. Lamar was nominated for the Helen Hayes Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Musical.

An impassioned advocate, practitioner, and educator in the field, Lamar is committed to the preservation and sharing of the HBCU’s legacy of training and producing stellar artists for the stage.

ABOUT DELIRIUM MUSICUM

Delirium Musicum, founded in 2018 by violin virtuoso Etienne Gara, harnesses the artistic excellence, energy, and leadership of a generation of young musicians in Los Angeles who are forging a rich musical identity nourished by the city’s bustling artistic mosaic and boundary-bending vibe. Their diverse backgrounds (nine countries from four continents represented), their commitment to spontaneity, and the juxtaposition of music from all time periods allows the musicians to engage intimately with the audience to create profound human experiences.

Called “ferocious and rhythmically mesmerizing” by San Francisco Classical Voice, the musicians of Delirium Musicum are known for their out-of-the-box approach to programming and scintillating live performances. “This exciting young ensemble is a step ahead, ready for anything – virtuosic and versatile” (Los Angeles Times).

 The orchestra’s wide-ranging mix of concert performances, tours, and creative musical projects reaches out to audiences of broad tastes and traditions. “Seasons,” the ensemble’s debut album with Warner Classics, was released in April 2023.

Delirium Musicum has received a string of awards, including a Global Music Awards Silver Medal for Outstanding Achievement, and the 2020, 2021, and 2023 Audience Choice Awards from San Francisco Classical Voice in 3 different categories: Best Chamber Music Ensemble, Best New Music Ensemble, and Best Orchestral Performance for SEASONS at the Soraya in May 2023.

EDITORS, PLEASE NOTE

WHAT:

Pacific Chorale Presents “To the Hands”

Robert Istad, conductor

Courtney Ozovek, choreographer

Omar Ramos, projections design

Recording by Christian Amonson, Arts Laureate

Members of Delirium Musicum, Etienne Gara, Artistic Director

Members of Pacific Chorale

Alexandria Burdick, soprano

Chelsea Chaves, soprano

Rebecca Hasquet, soprano

Maria Cristina Navarro, soprano

Emily Border, alto

Denean R. Dyson, alto

Stephanie Shepson, alto

Jane Hyun-Jung Shim, alto

Daniel Coy Babcock, tenor

Saunder Choi, tenor

Nicholas Preston, tenor

Sammy Salvador, tenor

Ryan Thomas Antal, bass

Michael Fagerstedt, bass

Jared Daniel Jones, bass

Matthew Kellaway, bass

WHEN:

Saturday, September 14, 2024, 8:00 pm

Sunday, September 15, 2024, 5:00 pm

WHERE:

Samueli Theater, Segerstrom Center for the Arts

615 Town Center Drive

Costa Mesa, CA 92626

PROGRAM:

Ad manus from Membra Jesu nostri – Dieterich Buxtehude

To the Hands – Caroline Shaw

Media Vita – Michael McGlynn

Wayfaring Stranger – Moira Smiley

Fear – Sarah McLachlan (performed solo by Becky Hasquet, soprano)

Lay Me Low (excerpt) – Kevin Siegfried

Prayer – Ken Burton

Holding Back the Years – Simply Red (performed solo by Denean Dyson, mezzo)

Angel Band – Shawn Kirchner

Would You Harbor Me? – Ysaÿe Barnwell

TICKETS/INFORMATION:

$38-$108

www.pacificchorale.org

714-662-2345

FOOD DRIVE:

Concertgoers are encouraged to bring to the event shelf-stable food items as part of a community food drive in partnership with the OC Food Bank. Most needed items include canned meat/fish, canned fruit, canned vegetables, peanut butter, and dry foods such as beans, pasta, rice, and cereal.

Artists, dates, programs and venues subject to change

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