The combined vocal force of over 900 high school students from 29 southland schools will be heard at Walt Disney Concert Hall on Friday, May 18, when the Los Angeles Master Chorale presents the 29th annual High School Choir Festival.

The High School Choir Festival will feature a performance highlighting the works of Joseph Haydn, Astor Piazzolla and Paul Simon. (photo by Frances Chee)

Grant Gershon, the Master Chorale artistic director, and guest artist Edith A. Copley will conduct the choir concert at 1 p.m. The program for the concert includes works by Joseph Haydn, Astor Piazzolla, Paul Simon and more. Eighty-five students have been selected by their choir directors for a prestigious honor choir that will perform on stage during the concert.

The concert is open to the public and free to attend. Seating is on a first-come, first-served basis. A limited number of tickets can be reserved at lamasterchorale.org. Tickets will also be available on the day of the concert on a first-come, first-served basis from 10 a.m. in the main lobby.

In addition to the festival concert at 1 p.m., the day includes a performance by a 16-member Los Angeles Master Chorale Chamber Ensemble in Walt Disney Concert Hall conducted by Associate Conductor Jenny Wong at 11 a.m. This performance is a professional showcase for the students and is also open to the public. Tickets are required for this free event and can be reserved at lamasterchorale.org.

First held in 1989 and impacting thousands of young singers in the ensuing decades, the Los Angeles Master Chorale’s annual High School Choir Festival is one of the longest-running continuous education programs in Southern California. The Walt Disney Concert Hall performances are the culmination of an in-depth, year-long, in-school program that includes workshops for teachers and master classes for students and choral directors led by members of the Master Chorale.

The Walt Disney Concert Hall is located at 111 S. Grand Ave. For information, visit lamasterchorale.org.