This page contains descriptive text and audio description of the Angel City Chorale Concert from June 2021. You can either read the text on the page or listen to the audio, whichever you prefer. The concert video is here: https://youtu.be/Lu5-_Xp6qrw.
INTRODUCTION
Words appear over a background of rippling water: Angel City Chorale Presents. The words fade away, and a large stone drops into the water, sending ripples spreading outward. More words appear: Play It Forward – the virtual concert; Sue Fink, Artistic Director.
Next, Sue Fink appears, standing in front of a block wall painted with shapes of various colors. As she finishes speaking, she takes hold of a large sheet of paper taped to the wall and tears it away, revealing the words “Play It Forward” painted in rainbow colors.
ONE VOICE
Music and Lyrics by Ruth Moody
Arrangement by Chris R Hansen
Midi programming by Nita Sanaga
American Sign Language Youth Choir performers: Adolpho, Anthony and Tyler
Sue throws a stone into a pond. The ripples spread outward past first soloist Annie Mauro as she sings the first verse, sitting by the edge of the pond. She’s joined by second soloist Dominic Patacsil, and then by third soloist Jane Emmer. Next, we see images of several choir members against a backdrop of raindrops falling into water and more ripples spreading outward. The screen then fills with “singing heads” – small boxes containing images of choir members singing, most against blue backgrounds.
Next, the screen fills with images of hands picking up and holding small stones, some against a backdrop of sky or ocean. One stone bears the word “Inspire,” and another the phrase “You are loved.”
The choir is then joined by members of the Angel City Youth Chorale, as they silently perform a verse of the song in American Sign Language. The Youth Chorale continues to accompany the choir as the singing resumes, with increasing numbers of singing heads appearing over a backdrop of rippling water. Sue holds a stone up to the camera, followed by several choir members holding stones, and then the screen again fills with singing heads, which begin to disappear one by one, revealing the rippling water. Finally, the camera slowly pans past the three soloists – Jane, Dominic and Annie. At the end, we see two ducks swim by in the pond behind Annie.
A CHANGE IS GONNA COME
Music and Lyrics by Sam Cooke
Arrangement by Colin Egan
Sue introduces the song standing in front of the Boys and Girls Club of Burbank and Greater East Valley. Our view then moves inside, where Sue stands in front of the same block wall seen in the introduction, which we can now see is painted with a colorful mural of trees around a pond. The “leaves” of the trees are made from choir members’ handprints.
A close up view of Principal Accompanist Mark McCormick’s hands playing the opening notes of the song dissolves to an image of Sue preparing to conduct. Soloist Gloria Coleman, standing in a leafy yard, sings the first verse. As the choir joins the song, singing heads appear, dressed in red, green and black. Soloist Diane White Greene then appears to sing the second verse, in the same leafy yard, again accompanied by singing heads.
Next, many small boxes appear showing choir members preparing signs with a variety of messages, including “Lead with love,” “Be kind,” “And still we persist,” “Sing for change,” “Speak up,” and many others.
As the third verse begins, we see choir members, one after another, holding up their signs. Each sign in turn changes to an image of another choir member, which expands to fill the screen. The signs read “Help someone,” “Be brave,” “Educate, activate, organize,” “If not now, when,” “Let’s listen,” “Listen with love,” and “Sing love.” Finally, Sue holds up a sign reading “I will examine my bias.” Her sign then expands to a screen full of singing heads, which dissolves to several images of people of different ages and races holding hands, beginning with the two soloists.
The remainder of the video consists of alternating views of Gloria and Dianne, choir members, Mark at the piano, and Sue conducting. Toward the end, choir members again begin holding up signs, until the screen is filled with them. The final shot shows Gloria and Dianne walking away together down a path, while a sign on the ground behind them bears the phrase “We are the change.”
INTERLUDE
A montage shows choir members planting trees and helping to paint the mural at the Boys and Girls Club building. The speakers, in order, are:
– Shanna Warren, CEO, Boys and Girls Club of Burbank and Greater East Valley
– Sue Fink
– Leena Mathew, ACC Board Vice President
– Suzanne Cooper, mural lead artist
I LOVE YOU / WHAT A WONDERFUL WORLD
I Love You Music and Lyrics by Larry Norman and Randy Stonehill
What A Wonderful World Music and Lyrics by George David Weiss and Bob Thiele
Arrangement by Craig Hella Johnson
Orchestration by Mary-Kate Jiménez-Wall
Soloists: Allie McNay, Michael A. Lever, Ryan Mascilak
The video is taken from the 2018 Spring concert, “One World, Many Voices,” at Immanuel Presbyterian Church in Los Angeles.
INTERLUDE
Words appear: What Play it Forward means to us
A montage shows choir members planting trees and working with children at the Boys and Girls Club. The speakers, in order, are choir members Karen McClain, Esther Walling and Andrew Cheeseman.
LEVEL UP
Music and Lyrics by Vienna Teng
Arrangement by Nita Sanaga
Sue introduces the song standing in front of the mural.
Throughout the video, brightly colored rectangles of various sizes float back and forth across the screen, both horizontally and vertically. Also, various key words from the lyrics periodically appear in large white letters.
The video begins with soloist Heather Catalena; a bright yellow shadow image of herself is seen behind her. Soloist Doug Tidstrand then appears, also with a yellow shadow image. Then, singing heads of the chamber group members appear, sometimes in natural colors, and sometimes seen through various colored filters. At times, brightly colored shadow images of the singers float past in the background. Next, a series of images of each group member flashes past, each one striking a pose. This is followed by more singing heads, alternating with views of Sue conducting, and violinist Liliana Filopovic, who also has a shadow image. Soloist Natalie Yadegar then appears, with a shadow image and more singing heads behind her.
Next a series of images flashes past in rapid succession, showing choir members “playing it forward” in a variety of ways: picking up trash on the beach, reading to little children, donating books to a roadside little library, volunteering at a food bank, giving blood, helping to paint a mural, writing a check to a charity, etc. Finally, as Heather sings the last solo line, we see many images of group members stretching out their hands.
INTERLUDE
Executive Director Winifred Neisser stands by one of the trees planted by ACC members at the Boys and Girls Club building. During her talk, a video plays, including the following scenes:
– The original 18 member choir
– Several scenes of the current choir performing
– The choir rehearsing
– Associate Conductors Ben Enright and Julie Athas
– Composer Christopher Tin, many of whose works have been performed by ACC
– Scenes of the choir holding a drive in rehearsal in a parking lot
– Scenes of the choir performing at our annual Tour Of Hope
– The choir performing on America’s Got Talent
– A performance by the Amy Foundation Youth Choir from South Africa
– A performance by the Angel City Youth Chorale
– Scenes of the choir adding their handprints to the mural and planting trees at the Boys and Girls Club
LEAN ON ME / PUT A LITTLE LOVE IN YOUR HEART
Lean On Me Music and Lyrics by Bill Withers
Put A Little Love In Your Heart Music and Lyrics by Jackie DeShannon, Jimmy Holiday and Randy Myers
Arrangement by Heather Catalena
Orchestration by Michael Parnell
Soloists: George, Eva and Lilianna
Youth Choir Director Heather Catalena introduces the song. The Youth Choir members sing the song standing in a variety of green and leafy settings. Each singer wears a blue t-shirt decorated with a stylized image of a rock dropping into a pool of water.
INTERLUDE
Words appear: What Play it Forward means to us
A montage shows choir members helping children add their handprints to the mural. The speakers, in order, are choir members Buzz Park, Fran Rosen and Jess Alban.
HOLD ON
Arrangement by Moses Hogan
Soloists: Judi Gordon, Rev. Donald Paredes, Mary-Kate Jiménez-Wall, Valecia Phillips and Kat Green
The video shows the choir during a recording session at Abbey Road Studios in London in the summer of 2015.
BIG
Music and Lyrics by Sue Fink and Rick Krizman
Arrangement by Sue Fink
Orchestration by Nita Sinaga
Animation by Régine Verougstraete, who also assisted with the following description
A young dark haired woman carrying a backpack and holding a baby stands on the world with her back to the viewer, her hair ruffling in the wind. The sky creates itself around her, birthing her on this planet with the movement of intertwined circles opening and closing on her. The woman begins walking through a field of sunflowers, and then past majestic mountains. An outline of the course of the Missouri River appears behind her as she slowly walks out of the screen.
Another woman appears, sitting cross legged and cradling a baby in her arms, with a small child embracing her from behind. Colors spring from her head, and singing heads appear in small windows surrounding her.
A woman’s head appears, with long hair that cascades down around her, in the soft colors of a river that mixes itself in the dark color of earth. Her face remains in the sky as a large hand scatters seeds across a plowed field, and tall plants spring up. In a gap in the middle of the plants, a group of about a dozen people appears, huddled together in a circle. Darkness comes in towards the middle in long thick dark lines. A big heart creates itself around the people. The shadow of the heart covers them up, but we still see them. Around them, the screen fills with singing heads, some accompanied by children or babies, in pastel windows like the facade of a tall building.
A white shadow of another woman with a backpack and a baby walks in and sits down in the center of them all. The choir members’ faces are painted over with a new landscape, and we see that the woman is sitting on a sidewalk in front of a sewer grate, with tents around her. The white moon moves toward her, and an angel head with wings springs from her body and joins the moon as white dots cover the whole darkness. The tents transform in white light rising to the sky. Singing heads again appear, and they form the outline of a house around the woman. The space inside the outline fills in with home furnishings; a potted plant, a rug, a fireplace, and a large armchair that the woman sits in. The expression on her face becomes a contented smile, and she hugs her baby close. Three windows appear in the room. The moon shines through one, through another we see the silhouette of a person standing in a field of flowers, and through the third we see Sue conducting. The choir members surrounding the room all turn to look at the woman.
Springing from the fireplace, a golden field paints itself around the woman. The room disappears, and the woman, still in her armchair, is now sitting in a golden field. The field becomes a mountain landscape with a river, and she begins floating down the river. The chair comes to rest on the riverbank, and the woman sits up and looks around. All of the characters from earlier in the video appear, each on their own colorful planets linked together like neurons. In the middle a woman radiates light, unifying all the worlds together. Boxes surround each character, creating windows and a big door in the middle, putting all the characters in one big white house – Home. The background fades to white, leaving the characters appearing as pictures hanging on a wall.
INTERLUDE
A montage shows choir members working on the mural and planting trees. The speakers, in order, are:
Sue Fink
Arpineh Khodagholian, Program Director, Boys and Girls Club of Burbank and Greater East Valley
Christy Wilhelmi, Garden Coach
Suzanne Cooper, mural lead artist
Shanna Warren, CEO, Boys and Girls Club of Burbank and Greater East Valley
At the end of the montage, Suzanne Cooper signs her name on the mural as choir members applaud. A heart shaped panel at the bottom of the mural reads “Created with love for the Boys and Girls Club of Burbank and Greater East Valley by Angel City Chorale.”
RIVER DEEP, MOUNTAIN HIGH
Music and Lyrics by Phil Spector, Jeff Barry and Ellie Greenwich
Arrangement by Nita Sanaga
Choreography by Billy Rugh
The video begins with several aerial views of nature scenes: trees with golden leaves, rock formations, mountain lakes, waves lapping up on the shore, etc. Similar scenes appear at times throughout the video.
The remainder of the video consists of choir members, all dressed in blue or green t-shirts, singing the song and dancing. Most are standing against a variety of green leafy backgrounds, although some are standing by a lake or the ocean. Soloists Alicia L. Easley and Judi Gordon also stand against leafy backgrounds, and wear brightly colored outifts which contrast with the choir members’ clothes.
CREDITS
Director: Jill D’Agnenica
Producers: Kate Varley & Yen King
Artistic Director, Angel City Chorale: Sue Fink
Executive Director, Angel City Chorale: Winifred Neisser
Director Of Photography: Guido Frenzel
Editors: Jill D’Agnenica ACE, Joe Gabriel, Stephen Lambert, Laura Elizabeth McGowan
Audio Mixing: Adam Podd
Writers: Kate Varley, Sue Fink
Associate Producers: Meagan Asplin, Samantha Emmer-Fink
Technical Specialist: Mark Green
MUSIC PRODUCTION
Associate Conductors, Angel City Chorale: Julie Athas, Benjamin Enright
Principal Accompanists, Angel City Chorale: Mark McCormick, Gordon Glor
Soloist & Instrumental Recording Engineer: Mitch Weiss
Re-recording Mixer: Michael Perricone C.A.S.
“One Voice”
Piano: Mark McCormick
MIDI Programming: Nita Sanaga
“A Change is Gonna Come”
Piano & Bass Programming: Mark McCormick
Drums: Jimmy Branley
Organ: Rev. Charles Williams
“Level Up”
Violin: Liliana Filopovic
Drums: Jimmy Branly
Guitar: Ramon Stagnaro
MIDI Programming: Nita Sinaga
“Big”
MIDI Programming: Nita Sinaga
“River Deep, Mountain High”
Drums: Jimmy Branly
Guitar: Ramon Stagnaro
Trumpet: Sean Billings
Trombone: James Miller
Saxophones: Sam Robles
Percussion & Horn Recording Engineer: Alberto Lopez
Guide Tracks
Vocalists: Julie Athas, Benjamin Enright, Gordon Glor, Annie Mauro
Production: Mark Green
Editor: Benjamin Enright
Rehearsals
Section Leaders: Julie Athas, Lorilee Bajema, Benjamin Enright, Gordon Glor, Annie Mauro, Mark McCormick
Technical Support: Meagan Asplin
Drive-In Rehearsals
Organizer: Joyce E. Smith
Location Scouts: Desirée Galassi, Mallory Davis Mapp, Karen M. McClain, Susan Rich
Electronic & Audio Equipment: Mark Green, Tom Reinsel, Evelyn Yau
Microphone Technical Advisor: Mitch Weiss
Music Clearance Coordinator: Eseosa Azenabor
VIRTUAL CONCERT PRODUCTION
Assistant Editor: Max Berry
Assistant Editor, “River Deep, Mountain High”: Lucia D’Agnenica
Camera Operator: Per Larsson
Camera Assistant, “River Deep, Mountain High”: Isabella D’Agnenica
Lighting: Jeeraya Moranon
Drone Operator: John Sandoval
Production Assistants: Guy Jackson, Prarthana Joshi, Josh Klaasen, Mariann Santora
Additional Production Assistance: Mariann Santora, Marian Niles, Allie McNay
Animation Artist, “Big”: Régine Verougstraete
Choreographer, “River Deep, Mountain High”: Billy Rugh
Assistant Choreographer: Michelle Benton
Certified ASL Interpreter, “One Voice”: Mark Seeger
Mural & Tree Planting Project
Mural Artist: Suzanne Cooper
Garden Coach: Christy Wilhelmi, Gardenerd
Planning Team: Kate Varley, Mariann Santora, Shawn K. Deitelbaum, Emily Sanders, Desirée Galassi
Title Graphics
Art Director: Yen King
Designer: Jen Montgomery
Animation & Motion Graphics: Stephen Lambert
Script Writing: Sue Fink, Kate Varley
Voice Over: Charlotte Ann
Covid Compliance Officer: Michael Baker Jr.
Health & Safety Manager: Nicole Shatz
Webmaster, Ticketing, Tech Advisor: Brian Wold
Website Manager: Marsha Jane Reagan
Marketing: Aike Media
PR: Crystal Susco
Email Communications: Adam Waring
Social Media Chair: Chelsea Seavitt
Social Media Team: Sara Caldart Olson, Samantha Emmer-Fink, Kathryn Rosenfeld
Audio Description: Grinnell Almy
Additional descriptions, “Big”: Régine Verougstraete
Closed Captioning: Jill D’Agnenica
Backstage & After Party Events: Stacy Blair Young, Desirée Galassi, David Galassi, Max Galassi
ANGEL CITY YOUTH CHORALE PRODUCTION
Co-Directors, Angel City Youth Chorale: Heather Catalena, Benjamin Enright, Annie Mauro
Principal Accompanist, Angel City Youth Chorale: Gordon Glor
“Lean on Me / Put a Little Love in Your Heart”
Director: Heather Catalena
Producers: Heather Catalena, Will Jobe
Assistant Producer: Shane Basye
Director of Photography: Will Jobe
Recording Engineer: Shane Basye
Audio Engineer & Mixer: Michael Parnell
Audio Engineer (Vocal Tracks): Shane Basye
Guitar: Heather Catalena
LIVE PRODUCTION
“I Love You / What a Wonderful World”
Video Producers: Mitch Weiss, Nathan Alef
Live Audio: Jim Call, Call Brothers Productions, Harry Eden
Editing: Nathan Alef
“Hold On”
Video: Mitch Weiss
SPECIAL THANKS
Angel City Chorale Board of Directors
Angel City Chorale Operations Committee
The Boys & Girls Club of Burbank and Greater East Valley
Shanna Warren, CEO
Arpineh Khodagholian, Program Director
Marisa Robinson, Assistant Director of Development and Operations
Elizabeth Suzuki, Deaf and Hard of Hearing Coordinator
The Boys & Girls Club of Venice
Shane Basye, Director of Music and Performing Arts
Los Angeles County Alliance of the Boys & Girls Clubs
Mary Hewitt, Executive Director
Girls & Boys Clubs Liaison
Leena Mathew, Board Vice President, Angel City Chorale
The Parents and Guardians of the Angel City Youth Chorale Singers
The David Vickter Foundation
Craig Crotty, Shade Tree Program Arborist, Burbank Water and Power
Juan Coronado, Stay Green, Inc.
Lowe’s Companies, Inc.
Kenneth Hahn State Recreation Area
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Santa Monica Stake
Mitch and Linda Weiss
Marian Niles
Mick Longo
Molly Lesyk
Frank Cooper
Our spouses, family, and friends who helped us and put up with all our audio and video recording.
Most of all – you. Thank you for watching and supporting us.
Angel City Chorale is supported in part by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors through the Los Angeles County Department of Arts and Culture.
This project was shot safely in compliance with the industry guild and union agreed COVID-19 guidelines based on “The Safe Way Forward” report.
