Altadena Kids Performing Locally With County Choral Group

The Los Angeles Children's Chorus, which has 21 members who live in Altadena, is presenting its annual Spring Concert this weekend at Pasadena Presbyterian Church.

Highlights of the concert will include  Sumer is icumen in, a medieval song dating from 1260 believed to be the oldest existing example of polyphony, and the world premiere by LACC’s Young Men’s Ensemble of Los Angeles-based composer Nicholas Nicassio’s Sleep Now, O Sleep Now based on text by James Joyce, according to a release sent out by the group.

The chorus group's 21 Altadena members are:

Micaela Accardi-Raff, Michelle Balian, Ben Burgoyne, Maya Cook, Tori Cook, Jordan Cutler-Tietjen, Arden Danna, Frank Danna, Helena Dimopoulos, Areli Fernandez, Amanda Harris, Haley Lowes-Bicay, Adriana Maljanian, Ruby Novak. Katie Pieschala, Drew Quishenberry, Kiera Quishenberry, Molly Schwartz, Shayana Seneviratne, Elise Tervalon and Fionn Yapkowitz.

The group was founded in 1986 and is based in Pasadena. The performances are on Saturday at 7 p.m. and Sunday at 4 p.m. Tickets can be purchased at by calling (626) 793-4231 or visiting www.lachildrenschorus.org.

The group has the following information about additional music that will be performed this weekend:

Other works include Purcell’s Music for a while, written in 1692 as incidental music for John Dryden’s play Oedipus; Schumann’sSchoen Bluemelein, based on the poetry of Robert Renick; Canadian composer Eleanor Daley’s serene A Red, Red Rose composed in 2003 as part of the Rose Trilogy and based on the beloved poem of Robert Burns; and Poulenc’s lushly harmonic Ave Maria with Latin text taken from a 6^th century prayer and La Petite Fille Sage, which he wrote for children.

Also featured are My Girls, a lively ode to the bonds of sisterhood by Vermont-based composer Gwyneth Walker; Canadian composer Ruth Watson’s Psalm 100; Ubi caritas, a richly harmonic piece written in the form of Gregorian Chant in 2001 by Norwegian composer Ola Gjeilo; Seligkeit, a lively waltz written by Schubert when he was only 19 years old; Leonard Bernstein’s beloved “America” from the musical West Side Story; and Britten's setting of Fancie from Shakespeare's Merchant of Venice.  

The program concludes withAmavolovolo, an uplifting South African traditional spiritual and a prelude to LACC’s upcoming South African tour. LACC Artistic Director Anne Tomlinson conducts the Concert Choir and Chamber Singers.  Associate Artistic Director Mandy Brigham leads the Intermediate Choir, Dr. Steven Kronauer conducts the Young Men’s Ensemble and Larissa Donnelly conducts the Apprentice Choir.  The choirs will perform separately and combined.