Choral music has quite often been used as a celebration of the divine. Alexander Lloyd Blake, who recently earned his Doctorate in Music at USC, also knows that the power of choral music can inspire and comment on our society. So he formed Tonality – an ensemble dedicated to raising its voice to bridge differences in our incredibly polarized society and to offer hope in place of anger. Tonality launches is 2019-2020 season with a concert on Sunday night called Borderline. The concert will take place at the First Congregational Church of Los Angeles.
The subtitle for Borderline is “dismantling borders and walls without our communities.” The walls in this particular concert are those related to immigrants and also to LGBTQ youth who find suicide as a far-too-common response to the hate directed their way.
Amongst the pieces being performed is composer Melissa Dunphy’s American DREAMers.
I have yet to see Tonality in concert, but I have heard their CD and I am truly impressed by the music they make and the messages they express through it.
Borderline is the first “chapter” in their season. The rest of the concerts are:
Evergreen – a holiday concert focused on climate change and the environment on December 8th.
A Call to Restore – a concert centered on the criminal justice system on March 15th
You are Not Alone – a concert speak to issues of mental illness on May 3rd.
I can assure you this is first-rate music with a powerful message performed by a stunning ensemble of singers. There are certainly larger and better known ensembles in Los Angeles, but you owe it to yourself to check out Tonality.
Photo provided by Tonality.