LOS ANGELES, May 12, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — In a world overwhelmed by noise, stress, and endless scrolling, the Los Angeles Master Chorale is offering something different: a reset and healing.
On Sunday, May 31, at 7 PM, the GRAMMY® Award-winning ensemble closes its 2025/26 season with Sound Waves — an immersive concert experience at Walt Disney Concert Hall designed to calm the senses, lower the pulse, and surround audiences in breathtaking music inspired by water, breath, and nature. Blending meditation, visual art, spatial sound, and some of today’s most innovative composers, Sound Waves invites audiences to disconnect from chaos and reconnect with themselves.
“People are craving experiences that help them slow down, breathe, and feel grounded again,” said Grant Gershon, Kiki and David Gindler Artistic Director. “This program creates a space where music becomes healing — physically, emotionally, and spiritually.”
At the center of the evening is Indian American composer Reena Esmail’s Malhaar: A Requiem for Water, inspired by the climate crisis and ancient Hindustani raags intended to summon rain. Featuring internationally acclaimed vocalist Saili Oak, tabla virtuoso Abhiman Kaushal, renowned percussionist Ian David Rosenbaum, and a mesmerizing video installation by Camilla Tassi, the performance transforms Disney Hall into a cocoon of light, motion, and sound.
The evening also features two major world premieres written specifically for the Master Chorale:
Korean composer Hyowon Woo’s SUM (숨) becomes a “sound bath for the soul,” with 62 singers positioned throughout the hall, while Korean percussion and resonant singing bowls create waves of vibration and breath-like resonance.
American composer Marques L. A. Garrett’s On the Seashore unfolds like the ocean itself — voices rising and receding in sweeping currents inspired by a 1912 poem from Rabindranath Tagore that reflects innocence, fragility, and humanity’s relationship with a changing planet.
Additional works include Eric Whitacre’s luminous Water Night and the beloved American folk song Shenandoah, arranged by James Erb.
More than a concert, Sound Waves is designed as a fully immersive sensory experience — one that speaks directly to audiences seeking wellness, mindfulness, emotional connection, and transformative live events.
Leave the chaos behind.
Breathe.
Relax.
Let Sound Waves wash over you.
EVENT DETAILS
SOUND WAVES Sunday, May 31, 2026 — 7:00 PM Walt Disney Concert Hall
Tickets available now at lamasterchorale.org
PROGRAM
- Hyowon Woo — SUM (숨)
- Marques L. A. Garrett — On the Seashore
- Eric Whitacre — Water Night
- Reena Esmail — Malhaar: A Requiem for Water
- arr. James Erb — Shenandoah
ARTISTS
- Grant Gershon, conductor
- Saili Oak, vocalist
- Abhiman Kaushal, tabla
- Ian David Rosenbaum, western percussion
- Camilla Tassi, video installation
- 62 singers
PRE-CONCERT EVENT
Listen Up! Pre-Concert Lecture Featuring Jennifer Miller Hammel, Grant Gershon, Reena Esmail, Marques L. A. Garrett, and Hyowon Woo.
*B-roll and rehearsal footage are available upon request for television segments and credit rolls.
ABOUT THE LOS ANGELES MASTER CHORALE
For more than 60 years, the GRAMMY® Award-winning and revered Master Chorale has been a standard-bearer for choruses across America. Hailed for its powerful performances, technical precision, and artistic daring, the Master Chorale reaches more than 75,000 people a year through its concert series at the iconic Walt Disney Concert Hall, its international touring of innovative works, and its performances with the Los Angeles Philharmonic and others. The choir, led by Artistic Director Grant Gershon, is the largest and most celebrated professional chorus in America. The Chorale continues to set the gold standard for choral music, bridging historical masterpieces with contemporary relevance, and won its second GRAMMY® for Best Choral Performance this year. The choir sings any genre in any language. Its singers performed at the 97th and 98th OSCARS® and are sought by legendary composers for their movie soundtracks. Their voices are currently heard in numerous films, including “Sinners,” “Avatar: Fire and Ash,” “Superman,” and “Wicked: For Good.” Its innovative and extraordinary learning programs include the renowned High School Choir Festival (the largest in America), the Oratorio Project, Voices Within, and Youth Chorus LA, all of which prepare future generations of choral singers and uplift communities through the transformative power of choral music. The Master Chorale is registered as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit.
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WEBSITE: www.lamasterchorale.org
Media Contact: Claudia Bill-de la Peña, [email protected]
Concert Sponsorship Contact: Michael Rossetto, [email protected]
A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/4c16dd8e-bb7b-44dc-96d4-8bedbc89aac3
