Grant Gershon

Grant Gershon, appointed music director of the Los Angeles Master Chorale in July 2001, has garnered tremendous critical acclaim during his tenure with the renowned chorus. The Los Angeles Times proclaims that the Chorale "has become the most exciting chorus in the country under Grant Gershon." The acclaimed conductor, pianist, and vocalist is only the fourth music director to lead the L.A. Master Chorale since it was founded in 1964. Gershon has expanded the Chorale's repertoire considerably by conducting dozens of world, U.S., West Coast, and Los Angeles premieres, including the world premiere recording of Steve Reich's You Are (Variations), which was released on Nonesuch in September 2005. In 2002, he made his first CD with the Master Chorale, featuring the world premiere recording of Esa-Pekka Salonen's first choral work as well as Philip Glass's Itaipu (RCM 12004).

In addition to his duties with the Chorale, Gershon has guest conducted the San Antonio Symphony, the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, Houston Grand Opera, Juilliard Opera Theatre, the Gustav Mahler Chamber Orchestra, and the Finnish chamber orchestra Avanti!, among others. He has also conducted performances at the Ravinia, Edinburgh, Vienna, and Helsinki Festivals, the Roma-Europa Festival, and the Festival Otonno in Madrid. As an educator, for the past three summers he has served as music director of the Idyllwild Arts Festival Chorus.

An ardent champion of new music, Gershon conducted the world premiere performances of John Adams' opera/theater piece I Was Looking at the Ceiling and Then I Saw the Sky, directed by Peter Sellars, and was the vocal director on its Nonesuch recording. Gershon is also in demand as a pianist for such leading vocalists as Kiri Te Kanawa, Peter Schreier, Rodney Gilfry, and Audra McDonald. In addition to his recording with the Los Angeles Master Chorale, Gershon has made a number of other recordings as a conductor, pianist. and chorus master, and served as chorus master on two Grammy Award-nominated recordings, Sweeney Todd (New York Philharmonic Special Editions) and Ligeti's Grand Macabre (Sony Classical).

He recently conducted Minnesota Opera's world premiere of Ricky Ian Gordon's Grapes of Wrath, and subsequent performances of that opera with the Utah Symphony. He has also guest conducted the San Antonio Symphony, St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, Houston Grand Opera, Juilliard Opera Theatre, Gustav Mahler Chamber Orchestra, the Finnish chamber orchestra Avanti! and Berkshire Choral Festival, among others. He has served as Music Director of the Idyllwild Arts Festival Choir since 2003. He previously was assistant conductor of the Los Angeles Philharmonic (1994-97) and assistant conductor/principal pianist with the LA Opera (1988-94), where he garnered a reputation as one of the country's exceptional vocal coaches.