Los Angeles, CA (The Hollywood Times) 11/22/20 – The 61st Annual LA County Holiday Celebration will take on an all-new format for 2020. In view of COVID-19 restrictions, the three-hour performance will be filmed without a live audience at The Music Center’s Dorothy Chandler Pavilion and Jerry Moss Plaza as well as other key landmarks around Los Angeles County such as the Korean Bell of Friendship in San Pedro and Angel’s Point in Elysian Park.
The broadcast will air twice on PBS SoCal starting at 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. PST on Christmas Eve and simultaneously stream live at pbssocal.org/Acclaimed mezzo-soprano Suzanna Guzman and actor/producer Brian White will host the sure to be a spectacular lineup of international choirs, music ensembles, and dance companies. Five mini-documentaries about artists from different LA neighborhoods will also be shown.
Returning favorites include Latin folk band Cuñao; a Hawaiian celebration featuring Daniel Ho Trio and Hālau Keali’i o Nālani with special guest Tia Carrere; the Gay Men’s Chorus of Los Angeles; Jung Im Lee Korean Dance Academy; Folklorico troupe Pacifico Dance Company; gospel choir Praizum led by Lorenzo Johnson; and Infinite Flow, a professional company of dancers with and without disabilities that uses dance as a catalyst for inclusivity and innovation.
Some of this year’s performers making their Holiday Celebration debut include an ensemble from the American Youth Symphony; a dance and music collaboration from Ballet Folklorico de Los Angeles with Mariachi Garibaldi de Jaime Cuéllar; French-Chinese chanteuse Jessica Fichot; barbershop quartet Notable; and country-music trio Sean Oliu and The Coastline Cowboys. The show’s traditional finale of “Silent Night” will be a virtual collaborative performance featuring the Southern California Brass Consortium with a community choir comprised of many singers from this year’s roster of performers.
“The holiday season is about spreading joy and goodwill to all,” said Rachel S. Moore, president, and CEO of The Music Center. “This broadcast and streaming event truly is a proud ‘celebration’ of Los Angeles-of resiliency and community-that we all can enjoy from the comfort of our own homes.” The annual holiday extravaganza is produced by The Music Center and PBS SoCal in association with CDK Productions. In LA we’ve got the whole world in our hands!