Hollywood Master Chorale celebrates Voices of Freedom

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Lauren Buckley and Bono have more in common than may at
first be apparent. “Music can change the world because it can change people,”
Bono once famously remarked – a claim Buckley echoes when describing the
Hollywood Master Chorale’s final concert of the 2013-2014 season, “Voices of
Freedom,” which will take place on Saturday, May 31 at 4 p.m at the West
Hollywood City Council Chambers in West Hollywood.

“I always associate summer with patriotism and American
history and I thought it would be nice to round out our season with some
rousing tunes!” Buckley explains. “With this as my guide, I set out to program
music that celebrates struggles for freedom. For me, freedom is not about
separation but about unity. It is our duty to create a world in which
differences are celebrated.”

On the program are two works by composer Randall Thompson –
the Concord Cantata (2nd
and 3rd movements) and The
Testament of Freedom. But, for Buckley, the works’ appeal extends far
beyond their extraordinary beauty musically.

“I first came across the Concord
Cantata by chance,” Buckley recalls. “And I fell in love with the 2nd
and 3rd movements mainly because of the powerful texts. The piece as
a whole commemorates the Concord Battle, which marked the first clash between
the American resistance and the British Army. There is a monument erected in
Concord, with a plaque that states “Here began the separation of two kindred
nations, now happily long united in peace.”

Buckley continues, “This commemorative text moves directly
into the 3rd movement, a setting of Robert Frost’s poem, The Gift
Outright, which underscores this theme.”

The Testament of
Freedom, meanwhile, is a setting of the writings and letters of third US
President, Thomas Jefferson.

“Reading these letters,” confides Buckley, “I was absolutely
astonished at how relevant Jefferson’s words still are, centuries later. We are
compelled to fight for freedom, for the
right to live peacefully as we choose.  Perhaps my favorite line of text
from our concert comes from the final movement of The Testament of Freedom. In a letter to John Adams, Thomas
Jefferson writes, ‘I shall not die without a hope that light and liberty are on
steady advance.’ "

As another nod to
the hope and optimism that surround the American image, Buckley also added
Irving Berlin’s Give Me Your Tired, Your
Poor.

“Its text is taken
from the inscription on the Statue of Liberty – words that summarize the theme
of this concert perfectly,” says Hollywood Master Chorale’s Board President,
Beverley Clarkson. “As a Chorale, we have long been deeply committed to serving
as a beacon of hope, too, to our community through the ‘light’ of our music.”

Tickets for “Voices
of Freedom” are available for $20/person, $15/students and seniors. To purchase
tickets, visit www.HollywoodMasterChorale.org or call 323.960.4349. The West Hollywood
City Council Chambers are located at 625 North San Vicente Blvd in West
Hollywood, 90069.

The Hollywood Master Chorale thanks the City of West Hollywood and the Los Angeles
County Arts Commission for funding that has helped support this concert.