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UPDATE: The Angel City Chorale was eliminated in the semifinal round of America's Got Talent. It sang Bruce Springsteen's 9/11 anthem "The Rising" in their final performance, which aired on Sept. 11.
Angel City Chorale, a 160-voice chorale that seeks to reflect the spirit and diversity of Los Angeles through their music, has been making waves across the US with its spirited performances on the NBC television show America’s Got Talent.
“Since our mission is to bring diverse people together through song, and since we believe it's important to demonstrate the importance of real community, we are excited and humbled by the opportunity to demonstrate some of the successes of our cause on one of the world's biggest stages: America's Got Talent,” said artistic director Sue Fink. Angel City Chorale also started a social media campaign using the hashtag #ChoirsUnite to galvanize mutual support among the entire choral field during this exciting run. They also have been using the platform to cheer on the California-based youth chorus Voices of Hope, which also advanced through several rounds of the competition before recently being eliminated.
Both the show’s judges and fans have been captivated not only by the ensemble’s singing talent, but by its expressive stage presence and uplifting message of coming together that a large chorus has the power to demonstrate so uniquely. Angel City Chorale also started a social media campaign using the hashtag #ChoirsUnite to galvanize mutual support among the entire choral field during their run. They also have been using their platform to cheer on the California-based youth chorus Voices of Hope, which also advanced through several rounds of the competition before recently being eliminated.
The Chorale has made a big fan of Simon Cowell, who is notorious for being a blunt and tough judge. “There was something magical about hearing you all sing together. When a song works and the vocals work it just washes all over you and you feel amazing. You've got a fantastic combined energy… I’m going to remember this for a long time,” said Cowell of the Chorale’s audition, where it sang an arrangement of “Africa” by the band Toto.
“I actually found myself crying during your performance of ‘This Is Me,’" reads a post on Angel City Chorale’s Facebook page from one of the show’s viewers. “When I realized I was, I wondered why. It's because there are so MANY of you...different races, ages, genders, all walks of life. And you're all there with your different backgrounds and religions, just doing your thing. Lifting up your amazing voices, working together to make one HUGE joyful sound. It is unreal to see this, feel this, through the screen. THANK YOU FOR SHOWING WHAT REAL PEACE CAN LOOK LIKE!”
The Chorale has advanced to the next round in the competition three times thus far, most recently performing “This is Me,” a song from the musical The Greatest Showman that has become a popular empowerment anthem in the past year. It elicited a coveted Golden Buzzer, which automatically advanced the Chorale to the quarterfinals, from guest judge Olivia Munn during their second-round performance of “Baba Yetu,” composed by Christopher Tin for the video game Civilization IV.
Said president and CEO Catherine Dehoney, “Chorus America is so excited for Angel City Chorale as it reaches this stage of the competition. It’s truly thrilling to see that people around the world are connecting with not only the beauty and emotional power of choral singing, but also with how these singers come together as a community, putting aside individual differences to create something greater than themselves.”
The Chorale has advanced to the semi-final round, and will perform at least once more, on Tuesday, September 11, and the show begins at 8:00pm Eastern. The acts that advance to the final round will be determined by voters. Fans can vote online, on the America’s Got Talent app, and by phone, and can find out more on the Chorale’s website at https://angelcitychorale.org/.