Students from 28 schools perform at the Los Angeles Master Chorale event.
By Francisco Vara-Orta, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
April 19, 2008
(Los Angeles, California) “Lil Keesha” Fajardo had a moment of fright Friday afternoon as she waited to sing her solo in front of a nearly full house at Walt Disney Concert Hall.
Los Angeles Master Chorale music director Grant Gershon conducts the 19th Annual High
School Choir Festival on Friday at the Walt Disney Concert Hall.
But as the gospel-style Christian anthem "Let Everything That Hath Breath" simmered to the drum beat, Fajardo, 18, felt at peace. Mid-song, the Agoura Valley High School senior and honor student, stepped out of line to stand apart from the other singers -- one of about 900 from 28 Southern California schools gathered for the 19th annual High School Choir Festival.
By the time she hit her final stratospheric note -- with no microphone in sight -- what had been a formal affair seemed temporarily like a gospel revival. Teens waved their hands in the air, calling out "whoop-whoop" and whistling in approval.
"They work very hard to learn this challenging music, many with limited resources," said Los Angeles Master Chorale music director Grant Gershon. "When I look out there and see them, I am very optimistic about the future of music in Los Angeles." By show's end, Gershon beamed like a proud parent -- the house was standing in ovation.
francisco.varaorta@ latimes.com