Mozart’s enduring Requiem owes some of its timeless staying power to the composer’s death prior to its completion—further made a thing of mystery and “what if?” by the Oscar-winning film Amadeus—but its true appeal is plain to hear in Mozart’s final musical expression of humanity and mortality. The New York Times has praised James Gaffigan’s interpretation of the Requiem for its “uncommon drama,” and the conductor leads Mozart’s memorable funeral mass with a stellar cast of soloists and the Los Angeles Master Chorale. In the first half, Gaffigan navigates Ellen Reid’s Body Cosmic, which offers a meditation on the surreality of pregnancy, as well as Brahms’ “Song of Destiny,” a brief but masterful choral and symphonic that has been called a “Little Requiem.”

The Los Angeles Master Chorale begins its 2025-26 season with TWO TITANS: THE MUSIC OF BEETHOVEN AND VERDI featuring Beethoven’s Mass in C major, Op. 86 and Verdi’s Four Sacred Pieces—monumental works that embody themes of spiritual devotion, human empathy, and the search for solace in times of uncertainty. Beethoven’s Mass in C major, Op. 86, with its grandeur and intricate choral harmonies, reflects a deep sense of reverence and aspiration.

Similarly, Verdi’s Four Sacred Pieces, written in the composer’s later years, explores themes of gratitude, redemption, and divine presence. Parts of Beethoven's Mass in C major, Op. 86 premiered on the same legendary concert as his 5th and 6th Symphonies and his 4th Piano Concerto, making that the most “stacked” program in the history of music. Verdi wrote the Four Sacred Pieces as he was putting the finishing touches on his masterpieces Otello and Falstaff. Of the four pieces, Verdi liked the Te Deum so much that he reportedly wanted to be buried with the score.

The Master Chorale’s iconic mega sing-along event, LA Sings! What a Beautiful City is a chance to unite us all in song. As the largest professional choir in the country, the Chorale is dedicated to transforming L.A. into a city of singers and nurturing our vibrant choral ecosystem.

Led by Grant Gershon and MUSE/IQUE Artistic & Music Director Rachael Worby, What a Beautiful City at Walt Disney Concert Hall will celebrate the tapestry of voices that makes our treasured city so beautiful.

The Master Chorale’s beloved holiday concerts return, including English Cathedral Christmas. Imagine that you’re in the majesty of Canterbury Cathedral, experiencing the great, unbroken tradition of British choral works from the 16th century to the present. The English holiday tradition includes centuries-old pilgrimages to cathedrals and churches for community celebrations of hope and joy.

The Master Chorale’s beloved holiday concerts return, including English Cathedral Christmas. Imagine that you’re in the majesty of Canterbury Cathedral, experiencing the great, unbroken tradition of British choral works from the 16th century to the present. The English holiday tradition includes centuries-old pilgrimages to cathedrals and churches for community celebrations of hope and joy.

Joining these cherished traditions is the inaugural family-friendly Carols for Kids, which is specially designed for kids under 6, welcoming seat wiggles and giggles, and featuring favorite childhood carols. Holiday-themed activities, including photos with Santa, will take place in the lobby of Walt Disney Concert Hall prior to the concert. 

The Master Chorale brings back perennial holiday favorites Festival of Carols, featuring spectacular arrangements of traditional carols from around the world. Hear some of your favorite carols and explore new songs sung by the incomparable voices of the LA Master Chorale, in the world-class acoustics of Walt Disney Concert Hall. Festival of Carols has become one of L.A.’s most beloved family holiday traditions.

Scriabin’s vision for Prometheus lays out the mythic tale of humanity receiving the gift of fire not just through mystical music but through an all-consuming work of art that draws on the audience’s senses. The Russian composer, who described himself as synesthetic, envisioned a color organ for the piece that would project various hues of light that he associated with each musical tone or chord.

In the first half, the LA Phil’s Conductor Laureate reunites with one of his favorite collaborators, violinist Pekka Kuusisto, for the world premiere performance of a new concerto by another of Salonen’s regular collaborators: composer Gabriella Smith. Afterward, he guides Debussy’s radiant, Impressionistic cantata, La damoiselle élue, with soprano Liv Redpath, mezzo-soprano Jingjing Xu, and the voices of the Los Angeles Master Chorale.

Scriabin’s vision for Prometheus lays out the mythic tale of humanity receiving the gift of fire not just through mystical music but through an all-consuming work of art that draws on the audience’s senses. The Russian composer, who described himself as synesthetic, envisioned a color organ for the piece that would project various hues of light that he associated with each musical tone or chord.

In the first half, the LA Phil’s Conductor Laureate reunites with one of his favorite collaborators, violinist Pekka Kuusisto, for the world premiere performance of a new concerto by another of Salonen’s regular collaborators: composer Gabriella Smith. Afterward, he guides Debussy’s radiant, Impressionistic cantata, La damoiselle élue, with soprano Liv Redpath, mezzo-soprano Jingjing Xu, and the voices of the Los Angeles Master Chorale.

Scriabin’s vision for Prometheus lays out the mythic tale of humanity receiving the gift of fire not just through mystical music but through an all-consuming work of art that draws on the audience’s senses. The Russian composer, who described himself as synesthetic, envisioned a color organ for the piece that would project various hues of light that he associated with each musical tone or chord.

In the first half, the LA Phil’s Conductor Laureate reunites with one of his favorite collaborators, violinist Pekka Kuusisto, for the world premiere performance of a new concerto by another of Salonen’s regular collaborators: composer Gabriella Smith. Afterward, he guides Debussy’s radiant, Impressionistic cantata, La damoiselle élue, with soprano Liv Redpath, mezzo-soprano Jingjing Xu, and the voices of the Los Angeles Master Chorale.

Perhaps the most, or only, conventional element of Busoni’s Piano Concerto is its title. Nearly 75-minutes in length with five movements—the last featuring a men’s chorus—and one of the largest orchestras of the entire genre, it requires nothing less than a herculean effort by the soloist not to mention the more than 100 other musicians performing.

Pianist Igor Levit, a noted champion of Busoni who has called the concerto, “a piece to widen your curse words repertoire,” rises to its considerable challenges. Together with LA Phil Conductor Laureate Esa-Pekka Salonen and men of the Los Angeles Master Chorale, he explores Busoni’s grand utopian vision. Reviewing Levit and Salonen’s 2023 performance of the concerto in San Francisco, the Los Angeles Times raved “...the communal exultation of Levit, Salonen, the orchestra and chorus captured something so large and impractically visionary, something that had so much to say about the society to which we aspire, that one could walk out of the concert hall convinced we can make a difference.”

Perhaps the most, or only, conventional element of Busoni’s Piano Concerto is its title. Nearly 75-minutes in length with five movements—the last featuring a men’s chorus—and one of the largest orchestras of the entire genre, it requires nothing less than a herculean effort by the soloist not to mention the more than 100 other musicians performing.

Pianist Igor Levit, a noted champion of Busoni who has called the concerto, “a piece to widen your curse words repertoire,” rises to its considerable challenges. Together with LA Phil Conductor Laureate Esa-Pekka Salonen and men of the Los Angeles Master Chorale, he explores Busoni’s grand utopian vision. Reviewing Levit and Salonen’s 2023 performance of the concerto in San Francisco, the Los Angeles Times raved “...the communal exultation of Levit, Salonen, the orchestra and chorus captured something so large and impractically visionary, something that had so much to say about the society to which we aspire, that one could walk out of the concert hall convinced we can make a difference.”

The first of the Master Chorale's commissioned world premieres this season is by five-time Emmy®-winning composer Jeff Beal, known for his scores for TV shows like House of Cards, Monk, and Rome, as well as films such as Pollock and Blackfish. Part of Common Ground: The Music of Górecki and Jeff Beal, Beal’s new work, The Beatitudes, will be paired with Henryk Górecki’s Miserere, a deeply moving piece inspired by the Polish Solidarity movement of the 1980s. Composed in 1981 as a protest against Soviet-backed government intervention, Miserere was not premiered until 1987 due to martial law. With just five words in its text—“Domine Deus noster, Miserere nobis” (“Lord our God, have mercy on us”)—Górecki creates an oasis of peace and compassion. The Chorale first performed Miserere in 2002 during Grant Gershon’s inaugural season as Artistic Director and recorded Miserere in 2013 for Decca.

Sound Waves: The Music of Esmail, Garrett, and Woo offers three powerful meditations on water including Malhaar: A Requiem for Water by Swan Family Artist-in-Residence Reena Esmail, alongside new works by composers Marques L. A. Garrett and Hyowon Woo. With Malhaar, Reena explores the universal theme of water through a cross-cultural lens, emphasizing that we are all citizens of the earth connected by a huge ecosystem in which water is a life force. Reena was inspired by William O’Daly’s book “Water Ways,” a poetic exploration of the disappearance of water. O'Daly is known for his English translations of the poetry of Pablo Neruda, and is also a Research Writer at the California Department of Water Resources and is the Lead Writer for the California Water Plan. Reena uses O’Daly’s text throughout the piece, intermingled with movements from the traditional requiem text. Overlaid on this texture are passages in Sanskrit and Hindi. The work moves through the various forms of Raag Malhaar (monsoon raags), to convey the importance and power of water, which holds a sacred place in Indian classical music. The work features Hindustani vocalist Saili Oak. 

American composer Marques L. A. Garrett and South Korean composer Hyowon Woo are two of the most exciting and innovative creative voices in the contemporary choral music landscape. Garrett is the Associate Professor of Choral Studies at the University of North Texas, and an active conductor and composer. A versatile baritone and countertenor, Garrett’s performances span both solo and choral works, and he is recognized for his research on non-idiomatic choral music by Black composers. Hyowon Woo, known for her innovative and expressive choral compositions, often incorporates elements of Korean musical aesthetics while staying rooted in the Western choral tradition, making her compositions both unique and compelling.

Gustavo Dudamel honors his Venezuelan and American identities, presiding over two poetry-inspired choral symphonic works in his final Walt Disney Concert Hall program as Music & Artistic Director. At times hushed and mysterious and at others pulsating and ecstatic, Harmonium was a breakthrough for John Adams’ compositional voice. Borrowing texts from Emily Dickinson and John Donne, Adams explores time, harmony, and rhythm, unraveling gentle meditations into an awe-inspiring swirl of sound.

In the second half, Dudamel guides Cantata Criolla, another breakthrough work that is not just definitive of composer Antonio Estévez’ voice but an emerging national Venezuelan style. The cantata follows Florentino, a troubadour on the Venezuelan plains who challenges the devil to a battle of wit and song. Estévez’s cross-cutting rhythms and musical textures follow the contest from ominous peril to triumph. Driven by his belief that music can build bridges between cultures, Dudamel selected the cantata as one of the first pieces he wanted to bring to Los Angeles in his inaugural season as Music Director, and it fittingly sets the stage for Gustavo’s finale concert of the 2025/26 season.

Gustavo Dudamel honors his Venezuelan and American identities, presiding over two poetry-inspired choral symphonic works in his final Walt Disney Concert Hall program as Music & Artistic Director. At times hushed and mysterious and at others pulsating and ecstatic, Harmonium was a breakthrough for John Adams’ compositional voice. Borrowing texts from Emily Dickinson and John Donne, Adams explores time, harmony, and rhythm, unraveling gentle meditations into an awe-inspiring swirl of sound.

In the second half, Dudamel guides Cantata Criolla, another breakthrough work that is not just definitive of composer Antonio Estévez’ voice but an emerging national Venezuelan style. The cantata follows Florentino, a troubadour on the Venezuelan plains who challenges the devil to a battle of wit and song. Estévez’s cross-cutting rhythms and musical textures follow the contest from ominous peril to triumph. Driven by his belief that music can build bridges between cultures, Dudamel selected the cantata as one of the first pieces he wanted to bring to Los Angeles in his inaugural season as Music Director, and it fittingly sets the stage for Gustavo’s finale concert of the 2025/26 season.

Gustavo Dudamel honors his Venezuelan and American identities, presiding over two poetry-inspired choral symphonic works in his final Walt Disney Concert Hall program as Music & Artistic Director. At times hushed and mysterious and at others pulsating and ecstatic, Harmonium was a breakthrough for John Adams’ compositional voice. Borrowing texts from Emily Dickinson and John Donne, Adams explores time, harmony, and rhythm, unraveling gentle meditations into an awe-inspiring swirl of sound.

In the second half, Dudamel guides Cantata Criolla, another breakthrough work that is not just definitive of composer Antonio Estévez’ voice but an emerging national Venezuelan style. The cantata follows Florentino, a troubadour on the Venezuelan plains who challenges the devil to a battle of wit and song. Estévez’s cross-cutting rhythms and musical textures follow the contest from ominous peril to triumph. Driven by his belief that music can build bridges between cultures, Dudamel selected the cantata as one of the first pieces he wanted to bring to Los Angeles in his inaugural season as Music Director, and it fittingly sets the stage for Gustavo’s finale concert of the 2025/26 season.