Friday, May 20, 2022
1:30 pm and 2:30 pm
Van Nuys High School Auditorium
6535 Cedros Ave, Van Nuys, CA 91411
The theme for this year's oratorio centers around the idea of utopian cities. The students at Van Nuys High School worked collaboratively with teaching artists from the Chorale to create seven original songs, which will be presented over two live performances on May 20. Both perfomances are free and open to the public.
The Oratorio Project is part of our Voices Within program. It immerses high school students into a collaborative process to write a large, complex work similar to an opera. Students delve into history and culturally rich subjects in order to find an epic story to tell through music. The curriculum is geared towards the maturity of high school age youth and combines elements of music composition literacy skills, and 21st Century learning such as collaboration, digital literacy, critical thinking, and problem-solving.
Throughout the semester-long residency, students work in small groups to write the libretto (the story) and create the melodies for each movement of the oratorio such as an aria, duet or chorus. As groups develop their individual movements, they are mentored by the artistic team to incorporate techniques that capture the voice of the character, propel the momentum of the plot, and paint the mood of the scene. After the oratorio is complete, students audition for featured roles and are coached vocally to prepare for the culmination performance.
The completed oratorio is premiered by the participating choir classes to a school-wide assembly and repeated for a community audience. The performance features the choirs, soloists, and instrumentalists who are joined by eight members of the Los Angeles Master Chorale.
City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs
Employees Community Fund of Boeing California
William H. Hannon Foundation
Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors / Kathryn Barger
Carolyn L. Miller
Cheryl Petersen and Roger Lustberg
The Rose Hills Foundation
Edward A. and Ai O. Shay Family Foundation
Lon V. Smith Foundation
John and Beverly Stauffer Foundation
Sidney Stern Memorial Trust
Dwight Stuart Youth Fund
Walter and Holly Thomson Foundation
Imagine a City (2022)
Friday, May 20, 2022
1:30 pm and 2:30 pm
Van Nuys High School Auditorium
6535 Cedros Ave, Van Nuys, CA 91411
The theme for this year's oratorio centers around the idea of utopian cities. The students at Van Nuys High School worked collaboratively with teaching artists from the Chorale to create seven original songs, which will be presented over two live performances on May 20. Both perfomances are free and open to the public.
The Oratorio Project is part of our Voices Within program. It immerses high school students into a collaborative process to write a large, complex work similar to an opera. Students delve into history and culturally rich subjects in order to find an epic story to tell through music. The curriculum is geared towards the maturity of high school age youth and combines elements of music composition literacy skills, and 21st Century learning such as collaboration, digital literacy, critical thinking, and problem-solving.
Throughout the semester-long residency, students work in small groups to write the libretto (the story) and create the melodies for each movement of the oratorio such as an aria, duet or chorus. As groups develop their individual movements, they are mentored by the artistic team to incorporate techniques that capture the voice of the character, propel the momentum of the plot, and paint the mood of the scene. After the oratorio is complete, students audition for featured roles and are coached vocally to prepare for the culmination performance.
The completed oratorio is premiered by the participating choir classes to a school-wide assembly and repeated for a community audience. The performance features the choirs, soloists, and instrumentalists who are joined by eight members of the Los Angeles Master Chorale.
City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs
Employees Community Fund of Boeing California
William H. Hannon Foundation
Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors / Kathryn Barger
Carolyn L. Miller
Cheryl Petersen and Roger Lustberg
The Rose Hills Foundation
Edward A. and Ai O. Shay Family Foundation
Lon V. Smith Foundation
John and Beverly Stauffer Foundation
Sidney Stern Memorial Trust
Dwight Stuart Youth Fund
Walter and Holly Thomson Foundation