The L.A. Daiku choral group will hold its fourth annual New Year’s concert on Jan. 11, 2015, at the Aratani Theatre in Little Tokyo.
The group is extending an invitation to anyone with experience in singing the ”Ode to Joy” section of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony who wishes to participate in the program.
Since 2009, L.A. Daiku has performed Beethoven’s Ninth on numerous occasions locally and in Japan, with the hope of building cross-cultural bonds through music. They are grateful to sing and bring life to the lyrics of Friedrich Schiller and deliver his message of humanity and peace.
The concert will feature Japanese baritone soloist Hirokazu Myochin, a member of Nikikai and the Tokyo Opera.
In the the New Year’s program, Myochin will sing several Japanese songs, including ”Fukushima Requiem,” which will be performed for the first time with an orchestral arrangement by its composer and conductor, Jeffrey Bernstein.
Other soloists will include soprano Krystle Casey, mezzo soprano Tracy Van Fleet and tenor Robert MacNeil. The L.A. Daiku Orchestra will be joined by the L.A. Daiku chorus, the Pasadena Master Chorale, and members of the public who wish to join.
Anyone wishing to join the chorus may contact the group at LADaiku@aol.com, or Yasumasa Tanano at Tanachin99@aol.com.
This program is presented with the cooperation of the All-Japan Association of Daiku Choral Societies, the Japanese American Cultural and Community Center, and the Robert Crowder Foundation.
The Aratani Theatre is located at 244 S. San Pedro St. (near Third Street), Los Angeles.