A recorded version of the 61st annual Los Angeles County Holiday Celebration will be broadcast and streamed Thursday afternoon featuring performances by 22 choirs, music ensembles and dance companies representing the many cultures of Los Angeles.
The celebration will be aired by PBS SoCal and streamed at pbssocal.org/holidaycelebration, kcet.org and Holidaycelebration.org from 3-6 p.m. and repeated from 7-10 p.m. on PBS SoCal and from noon-3 p.m. Friday on KCET-TV Channel 28.
The performances were taped at The Music Center’s Dorothy Chandler Pavilion and Jerry Moss Plaza and at such landmarks as the Korean Bell of Friendship in San Pedro and Angel’s Point in Elysian Park. COVID-19 restrictions forced the performances to be recorded and prohibited a live audience from watching them.
The event, billed by organizers as Los Angeles County’s largest multicultural holiday celebration, will kick off with The Yuko Mabuchi Trio performing jazz versions of “The Little Drummer Boy,” “Christmas Time is Here” and “Feliz Navidad.”
The group is among eight making their debuts at the Los Angeles County Holiday Celebration, along with the American Youth Symphony; Ballet Folklorico de Los Angeles with Mariachi Garibaldi de Jaime Cuellar; singer-accordion player Jessica Fichot and her five-member band; Citrus College’s award-winning a cappella men’s barbershop quartet Noteable; the Afro-Cuban and pan-African ensemble Ricardo Lemvo and Makina Loca; the county trio Sean Oliu and The Coastline Cowboys and the Sound of China Guzheng Ensemble.
The Gay Men’s Chorus of Los Angeles will be performing at the celebration for the 26th consecutive year.
The celebration will conclude with the Southern California Brass Consortium performing “Silent Night.”