Attendees fill St. Matthew’s Church Jan. 7 for evening Concert of Remembrance, Healing and Renewal one year after devastating Palisades wildfire.
One year after devastating fires in Pacific Palisades and Altadena, a group of talented and generous artists from the area came together Jan. 7 with St. Matthew’s Church and School for afternoon and evening Community Prayer Services and Concerts of Remembrance, Healing and Renewal.
Each event opened with a prayer gathering led by the clergy of St. Matthew’s followed by an interlude with refreshments on the patio and a concluding concert.
Acclaimed violinist Anne Akiko Meyers performs with Pacific Strings at Palisades evening memorial concert.
The 1 p.m. concert featured violinist Anne Akiko Meyers and members of the Los Angeles Master Chorale, conducted by Grant Gershon, with music by Bach, Morten Lauridsen, and Eric Whitacre. The 6 p.m. concert also featured Meyers, this time with The Pacific Strings, conducted by Lucinda Carver, and music by J. S. Bach and Whitacre.
Community leaders and elected officials attended both gatherings, including L.A. City Councilmember Traci Park at 6 p.m. Bishop John Harvey Taylor also was present at the evening gathering.
L.A. City Councilmember Traci Park (left) is welcomed to concert by Alexandra Michaelson, head of St. Matthew’s Parish School.
Proceeds from the concerts were designated to benefit four Palisades-based performing arts organizations: Chamber Music Palisades, Palisades Symphony and Chorale, St. Matthew’s Music Guild, and Theatre Palisades, all of which have been impacted by the fire disaster.
