PASADENA SYMPHONY’S CHERISHED HOLIDAY CONCERT RETURNS DECEMBER 16

Jamal Moore
Soloist

Jamal Moore is an internationally acclaimed singer, songwriter, and recording artist. Known for his smooth, rich tone and his cross-style versatility, Jamal brings a captivating artistry to everything he touches, be it pop, classical, gospel, or jazz.

A regular collaborator with Beyoncé, Jamal has performed at Coachella Festival, the Kobe & Gianna Bryant Memorial service, on Disney’s new The Lion King soundtrack, and on Beyoncé’s newest hit track, “Break My Soul.” He has also toured globally with Kanye West as a member of gospel sensations, The Sunday Service Collective. On screen, Jamal has performed on The Academy Awards, BET Awards (with Kirk Franklin), Super Bowl Halftime Show (with The Weeknd), Jimmy Kimmel Live, The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, and Netflix documentary, Beyoncé Homecoming. Jamal was also a finalist on NBC’s The Sing-Off and can be heard as the singing voice of “Synth” on Dreamworks/Netflix series, Trolls.

With a degree in Opera from New York’s Eastman School of Music, Jamal remains active in the classical music space, having recently made his solo symphonic debut with the LA Philharmonic, performing solo Duke Ellington selections at Walt Disney Concert Hall. Jamal has toured extensively as a featured soloist with Wynton Marsalis and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, including most recently, as a soloist in Marsalis’ All Rise Symphony in commemoration of the Tulsa Race Massacre. A member of LA Opera and LA Master Chorale, Jamal has performed Mahler’s second symphony and Beethoven’s ninth symphony, both with Gustavo Dudamel and the LA Philharmonic, and sang in The Little Mermaid Live at the Hollywood Bowl.

With vocal quintet, The Exchange, Jamal performed in over 50 countries, served as an official “Cultural Ambassador” abroad for the U.S. State Department, and opened for the Backstreet Boys’ Europe arena tour. For Jamal’s original songwriting, he was the Grand Prize Finalist in the esteemed John Lennon Songwriting Contest.

In 2020 and 2021, Jamal released Love Letters Vol. 1 and 2, a collection of genre-bending covers and originals, to great acclaim. His next record, set to release 2023, promises a groundbreaking fusion of the multiple diverse styles that have shaped Jamal into the one-of-a-kind artist he is. With 5+ Million views and 60,000+ followers on YouTube, Jamal is grateful for the opportunity to collaborate and learn from other creatives, and to share his voice with his growing audience around the globe.

Los Angeles Children’s Chorus

GRAMMY Award-winning Los Angeles Children’s Chorus (LACC), one of the world’s preeminent youth choruses, has been lauded as “hauntingly beautiful” (Los Angeles Times), “the best children’s chorus I have ever heard” (Esa-Pekka Salonen), and “one of the true artistic gems of Los Angeles” (Gustavo Dudamel).

Founded in 1986 and led now by Artistic Director Fernando Malvar-Ruiz, LACC annually appears in more than 50 public performances, including in its own self-produced concerts and in collaborations with leading organizations such as LA Opera, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Los Angeles Master Chorale, Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, and Pasadena Symphony and POPS.

The Chorus annually serves over 425 children ages 6–18 from 40+ communities across Southern California through its seven choirs, First Experiences in Singing class, and First Experiences in Choral Singing ensemble.

The Chorus is featured in alumna Billie Eilish’s 2021 cinematic concert experience Happier Than Ever: A Love Letter To Los Angeles on Disney+, and has appeared on John Williams’ 2017 recording, John Williams & Steven Spielberg: The Ultimate Collection, and the Los Angeles Master Chorale’s critically-acclaimed Decca recording, A Good Understanding. The subject of four documentaries by Academy Award®-winning filmmaker Freida Mock, LACC is featured in the Academy Award®-nominated Sing!, about a year in the life of the choir. LACC has performed with John Mayer on NBC’s The Tonight Show and been featured on PBS’s Great Performances, BBC Radio, and PRI’s nationally-syndicated show From the Top.

Winner of the 2022 GRAMMY Award for Best Choral Performance for its performance on the LA Philharmonic’s 2021 album, Mahler Symphony No. 8, and recipient of Chorus America’s Margaret Hillis Award for Choral Excellence, LACC frequently serves as a cultural ambassador for Los Angeles on tours that have taken the Chorus to 20+ countries on 6 continents. For more information, please visit www.lachildrenschorus.org.

Donald Brinegar Singers & JPL Chrous

Donald Brinegar is a conductor, tenor soloist, voice instructor, educator and master class clinician. Professor Emeritus of Music at Pasadena City College, Brinegar directed the Choral Studies program at PCC for 36 years. Brinegar also conducts the Donald Brinegar Singers, a community choral ensemble in Pasadena, California, Director of Choruses for the Pasadena Symphony and POPS. During the summers he co-directs the Cal State Los Angeles masters program in choral conducting. He has an extensive background as a performer both as a soloist and a conductor having performed throughout the United States, Japan, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Mexico, and Canada. Brinegar has performed as a featured soloist with Robert Shaw, Helmuth Rilling, Roger Wagner, Gerard Swartz, Murray Sidlin, Howard Swan, Charles Hirt, Rod Eichenberger, William Hall, Marvin Hamlisch, Michael Feinstein, and with numerous music festivals, orchestras and opera associations. He has collaborated artistically with Henry Mancini, Barry Manilow, The Los Angeles Philharmonic, John Delancie, and the Chieftains. His choirs have given five performances for the American Choral Directors Association Conferences, California Music Educators (MENC), Choral Conductors Guild, and have performed in Carnegie Hall, the Los Angeles Music Center, and the Hollywood Bowl.

The Donald Brinegar Singers, choral ensemble, was founded in the Fall of 1997 as an ensemble of former students and colleagues of Professor Brinegar. Their first concert was given in November of 1997. Their second performance was the premiere of Lauridsen’s organ edition of Lux Aeterna, accompanied by organist James Buonemani. The ensemble presented music of the holiday season and was then invited to perform at The ACDA Western Division Convention in Los Angeles, 2000. Shortly following the convention appearance, the Singers recorded Ubi caritas et amor and Madrigali Six FireSongs: for Lauridsen’s compact disc, Northwest Journey. The Singers performed the Chansons des Roses with Lauridsen accompanying at the San Antonio, Texas, ACDA National Conference. The Singers followed with two more performances of Lauridsen’s music in Las Vegas, 2004 ACDA Western Division Conference, and the premiere of Nocturnes (The Brock Memorial Convention Commission) 2005, Los Angeles ACDA National Convention.

The Singers are the resident chorus for the Pasadena Symphony and POPS, having sung for David Lockington, Grant Cooper, Marvin Hamlisch, Larry Blank, and Michael Feinstein. In 2015, the ensemble performed the orchestrated version of Lauridsen’s Mid- Winter Songs along with the Nocturnes (Lauridsen accompanying) with the symphony. The ensemble has also performed at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, Walt Disney Concert Hall, the Hollywood Bowl, the Los Angeles Arboretum, and for Brinegar’s publisher, Santa Barbara Music Publishing, Santa Barbara. The Singers have given premiere performances of the music of Bruce Babcock, David Childs, Emma Lou Diemer, Morten Lauridsen, Z. Randall Stroope, and Eric Whitacre, among many others. The Singers recorded the background score for the film, The Bridge to Terrabithia, music by Aaron Zigman. They are the featured ensemble in an Irish Folk Song Collection, Letters from Ireland by Mark Brymer.

Pasadena is a city rich with the arts and sciences, which gives way for the Jet Propulsion Laboratory Chorus to blend perfectly. Formed early in 2012 in a partnership between the Pasadena Symphony Association and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the JPL Chorus is comprised of JPL employees who rehearse weekly under the direction of (Donald Brinegar), the Pasadena Symphony’s Director of Choruses. The JPL Chorus is comprised of 53 employees who rehearse each Wednesday evening. Their concert program includes a mixture of classical repertoire to popular, with composers ranging from Benjamin Britten and John Lennon/Paul McCartney.

The singers come from a wide variety of roles within JPL, including scientists, engineers, administrators, software, business people, and more. “The idea is to celebrate JPL with our group’s enthusiasm about music and singing. It’s been a lot of fun, and I think what Don brings to this particularly is a great sense of joy in the experience,” stated Stephen Kulczycki, Deputy Director of Communication and Education at JPL (and a member of the bass section.)

LA Bronze Handbell Ensemble

Under the artistic direction of Alex Guebert, LA Bronze is an auditioned handbell concert choir creating performances of the highest caliber for the community.  Their music making is exciting and uplifting, and audiences around Southern California have praised their concerts. The group is comprised of accomplished handbell musicians who are seeking challenging opportunities for making music, while providing educational opportunities for the handbell community.  Our members come from all over the L.A. basin and include musicians, educators, administrators and other professionals.