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# Beethoven’s 9th on tap by Concert Chorale
- URL: https://www.smdp.com/beethovens-9th-on-tap-by-concert-chorale/
- Published: 2005-05-27T15:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-23T07:12:33.000Z
- Author: Guest Author
- Tags: Events, Santa Monica, #archive-import

*By D’LYNN WALDRON Special to the Daily Press*

The Santa Monica Concert Chorale will be part of two musical events in the coming weeks.

The Concert Chorale will be featured with the Santa Monica Symphony Orchestra in a free performance of Beethoven’s 9th Symphony, the “Choral,” with “Ode to Joy,” on Sunday, May 29, at 7:30 p.m. in the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium.

The Beethoven 9th will feature the Santa Monica College Concert Chorale, Dr. James E. Smith, director, and the combined choirs of Occidental College, Dr. Jeffrey Bernstein, director.

The performance of the Beethoven 9th celebrates the 60th anniversary of the Santa Monica Symphony, and marks the 75th anniversary of Santa Monica College.

On stage for the Beethoven 9th will be a full symphony orchestra, a combined chorus of 200 singers, and four soloists, all under the baton of music director and conductor, Allen Robert Gross. The concert will open with orchestral excerpts from Wagner’s “Die Meistersinger.” There will be a pre-concert talk in the meeting room at 6:45 p.m. by professor Raymond Knapp of UCLA.

The acclaimed soloists will be Elin Carlson, soprano, Tracy Van Fleet, mezzo-sporano, Jonathan Mack, tenor, and Jinyoung Jang, bass-baritone.

The Beethoven 9th is the most popular symphony ever written and many say the greatest. Beethoven wrote nine symphonies, of which “The Chorale” with its “Ode to Joy” is his last and greatest achievement. The amazing thing is that Beethoven wrote his magnificent ninth symphony after he had gone completely deaf, and at the premiere he had to be turned around to see that the audience was giving him a standing ovation.

Staging the Beethoven 9th is a major undertaking for any orchestra because it requires a huge chorus, four talented soloists, and virtuoso instrumentalists. Maestro Gross performed this symphony 10 years ago for the 50th anniversary of the Santa Monica Symphony.

The Santa Monica Symphony’s admission-free concerts are made possible by the generosity of the city of Santa Monica and the symphony’s corporate and private sponsors, so that the people of Santa Monica can still experience live performances of the great classical and exciting contemporary symphonic music at a time when tickets to other symphony orchestras have become prohibitively expensive for many families.

The Santa Monica Civic Auditorium is located at 1855 Main St., just north of Pico Boulevard. There are no reservations and it is first-come, first-seated, until the auditorium is filled, so guests are asked to arrive early. Parking is $8 in the city’s Civic Auditorium parking lot, which can be entered from Main Street. For more information, log onto www.smsymphony.org.

The SMC Concert Chorale was founded 30 years ago by Smith, a long-time resident of Santa Monica and chairman of the Santa Monica College music department.

Chorale members are selected from among the students of SMC and members of the community, so they range in age from teens to seniors.

The concert chorale is a course offered through the music department in association with SMC’s continuing community education, and it gives performances throughout the school year. Students can take the course for credit and others can audit it, paying the same tuition fee, but without getting a grade or college credit.

Rehearsals are held Wednesdays from 7:15 p.m. to 9:50 p.m. in the choral room, No. 27, of the John Adams Middle School at 17th Pearl streets. Open auditions for the fall 2005 semester will be held at 6:45 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 31, in the choral room. Those accepted will then enroll in the music department course “Music 55- Concert Chorale,” for college credit or otherwise.

The chorale will be part of a gala festival of music conducted by Smith in the First United Methodist Church at 1008 11th St., on Sunday, June 5 at 7:30 p.m.

The phone number of the music department is (310) 434-4323\. The SMC Web site home page is www.smc.edu where links to information on tuition and enrollment procedures are listed.

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/55/9f/559f9abc-8372-4a2e-8c2d-27386da4e363/content/images/2026/10/052705-17_01.jpg)

(Photo: Photo courtesy)

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/55/9f/559f9abc-8372-4a2e-8c2d-27386da4e363/content/images/2026/10/052705-17_02.jpg)

(Photo: Photo courtesy)

*Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on May 27, 2005.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/052705.pdf?ref=smdp.com)