The Long Beach Chorale & Chamber Orchestra

Our only regret about this video is that it’s not longer! It’s hard to believe that this was one year ago and we miss seeing all of these smiling faces at in-person rehearsals every week. We’re looking forward to that Unclouded Day of non-virtual rehearsals in the future. #lbcco #greatmusicupclose

We continue to celebrate Black History Month with a recording from our 2016 performance of Songs of the Slave by one of our favorite composers, Kirke Mechem. Here is the poignant opening movement, Blow Ye the Trumpet," with our friends from the Orange Coast College Chamber Singers. Kirke’s wistful melody to the text of John Brown’s favorite hymn provides a moving vision of the end of slavery and freedom for all. #BlackHistoryMonth #celebrateblackhistory #songsoftheslave #kirkemechem https://youtu.be/w0NUiYjONAE

This Black History Month, we are as grateful as ever for the contributions that Black artists, composers, and poets have made to our lives. We’ve been so fortunate to collaborate often with the fabulous soprano Marlissa Hudson. Here is a recording from 2016 of her singing a powerful performance of the African-American Spiritual, Over My Head I Hear Music in the Air at our Spring concert. Thank you, Marlissa Hudson we can’t wait to sing with you in person again! #celebrateblackhistory #BlackHistoryMonth #spirituals https://youtu.be/JKd9NMXLzso

Happy New Year from the Long Beach Chorale! We’re thrilled to share a special Virtual Choir to kick off 2021. Benjamin Britten’s A New Year Carol is based on a Welsh folk song of ambiguous meaning (what the heck does Levy Dew mean anyway?). With its referenced traditions of cleansing with fresh water and out with the old, in with the new, the words and sentiment are as applicable in 2021 as they have been for centuries. May this new year be one of health and peace, with renewal and healing for all in need. https://youtu.be/RnHIWq5RiEs

We are so excited to share our latest virtual choir, Dale Trumbore’s Ring Out, Ye Bells! https://youtu.be/MBbLktcOa64 Thank you to Dale, all the singers, and our amazing accompanist Audrey in helping to make this project a success! Ring Out, Ye Bells! is a song of hope, of praise, and joy ringing forth throughout the world. In that spirit and with optimism toward the future, we wish you and yours a wonderful holiday season and a happy, healthy, and musical 2021.

Paul Laurence Dunbar’s poem is a poignant source for Dale Trumbore’s affirming piece, Ring Out, Ye Bells! Dunbar’s text is a beautiful contemplation on the sonorities at Christmastime and the gratitude they engender. Trumbore’s uplifting melody and warm harmonies have been a joy for us to sing. Stay tuned later this week for the Chorale’s virtual performance of Ring Out, Ye Bells!

Happy Holidays from the Chorale! Stay tuned to our YouTube page for our holiday Virtual Choir coming up next week! In the meantime, please enjoy this blast from the past of the beloved Spiritual, Go, Tell It On the Mountain in a thrilling arrangement featuring Chorale favorite Marlissa Hudson, Soprano! https://youtu.be/bL4BwuAtUKg #Soprano #holidaymusic

Trick or treat? Is the protagonist in Richard Strauss’ heart-wrenching song, Allerseelen alive or singing from beyond the grave? Check out our video and decide for yourself! Happy Halloween! ¡Feliz Dia de los muertos! Have a meaningful All Souls’ Day and may you and your loved ones stay safe. https://youtu.be/u-PWRTQ3JzI ... #Halloween #Stauss #Diadelosmuertos #Allsoulsday #Allerseelen #longbeachchorale See more

We are almost done with our on-line fundraiser #LongBeachGives. This is our final push! Thank you to all of our generous supporters who have already made contributions to help us keep making great music. If you have not made your donation yet, you can do so at https://donate.longbeachgives.org/long-beach-chorale-and-ch. We are grateful for your support! This video of the Long Beach Chorale singing Jordan by American composer William Billings is our first virtual choir performance. https://www.youtube.com/watch Be sure to like our page to see our future virtual performances!

We are halfway there! It’s the midpoint of our #LongBeachGives day of giving. Thank you to all of our generous supporters who have already made your contributions to help us keep making great music. If you have not made your donation yet, you can do so at https://donate.longbeachgives.org/long-beach-chorale-and-ch. We are grateful for your support! This video of the Long Beach Chorale singing Jordan by American composer William Billings is our first virtual choir performance. https://youtu.be/hZOjJoxRDQo Be sure to like our page to see our latest virtual performances!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hZOjJoxRDQo&feature=youtu.be COVID-19 has impacted choirs all over the world, pushing them from the physical concert hall to a virtual one.. Our first virtual choir performance features Jordan by William Billings, a song about hope for the future during a time of uncertainty. We all need to keep our hopes up and the Long Beach Chorale is committed to help by making music. Be sure to like our page to see our future virtual performances. This is also the day of our #LongBeachGives fundraiser. Please help us continue bringing great music to the community. You can visit https://donate.longbeachgives.org/long-beach-chorale-and-ch to make your contribution. We are grateful for your support!

Today is the day! Covid-19 has created some obstacles, but we are still here and committed to bringing music to the community. We look forward to the time when we can again perform for you live and in person, but we are not on hold until then. At 10AM today we will post our virtual choir performance of Jordan" by American composer William Billings, a wonderful message of hope for a trying time. Please help us continue performing great music by making your generous contribution at donate.longbeachgives.org/long-beach-chorale-and-chamber-or. #LongBeachGives

We are one day away from our #LongBeachGives fundraiser and we need your help to keep bringing great music to life! Please visit the Long Beach Chorale page at donate.longbeachgives.org/long-beach-chorale-and-chamber-or to make a donation, and encourage others to donate. We hope we can count on you to help make this fundraiser a success!

Our #LongBeachGives fundraiser is in 2 days! One thing you could do that would really help is pledge to match donations up to a fixed amount. Seeing that their contributions are doubled encourages other people to donate. It’s easy! Find out how: https://www.dropbox.com/s/i9/ChallengeFundsDescription.pdf. Thanks for your support!

Why is the Long Beach Chorale important to me? It's music with meaning! Please donate at donate.longbeachgives.org/lbchorale_Tom_Nichols. #LongBeachGives

Our big #LongBeachGives fundraiser is in 6 days! When fundraising, nothing is more powerful than hearing about the impact and benefit an organization has provided. What does the Long Beach Chorale mean to you? Please help by answering with a short video at https://www.videoask.com/fb9byd0g8.

We are one week away from #LongBeachGives and we need your help! Please visit the Long Beach Chorale page at donate.longbeachgives.org/long-beach-chorale-and-chamber-or to make a donation, and encourage others to donate. We hope we can count on you to help make this fundraiser a success!

What’s your story? "Three years ago I sang with the Long Beach Chorale and others as part of a huge choir at Carnegie Hall. We performed Kirke Mechem’s Songs of... the Slave, a collection of beautiful songs that are still sadly relevant. By the time we started the last song, a setting of words from the Declaration of Independence ending with . . . all men are created equal, I was so moved that I found it difficult to keep singing. I realized that I wanted to continue singing music like that, and auditioned for the Long Beach Chorale, directed by Eliza Rubenstein, who also directed the Carnegie hall group. That first year we performed Brahms’ German Requiem, a thrilling experience, and the great music just keeps on coming. I love getting together every week with people who love to sing, and singing great music." - Tom Nichols, Tenor What does the Long Beach Chorale mean to you? We would like to hear your story, whether you are a singer, an audience member, or one of the many people who support the Chorale and make it possible for us to present this great music. What’s your story? #LongBeachGives See more

Long Beach Chorale Artistic Director, Eliza Rubenstein, shares her feelings about making music together.

1. Composer's first name - synonymous with water sprite Composition name - you can make a pretty good guess by listening to the lyrics 2. Composer's name - offspring of early geneticist Composition name - leave a place at the table for him at Seder... 3. Composer's name - rhymes with wharf Composition - setting of 24 poems, mostly in Latin, the first beginning "O Fortuna" 4. Composer's name - German for "brook" Composition name - a weighty work, yet considered to be minor - NOT! 5. Composer - followed in the tradition of greats such as Bach and Beethoven, and known for "Lullaby, and good night . . ." Composition - a work to comfort the grieving, written in the composer's native language rather than Latin