The Los Angeles Philharmonic premiered Carlos Simon’s “Good News Mass” on Thursday, April 18, at Walt Disney Concert Hall. Commissioned by the LA Phil, the large-scale choral-orchestral work blends gospel traditions with classical form to explore themes of Black joy, spirituality, and faith.
The event drew a capacity crowd and concluded with a standing ovation. The premiere stressed the Philharmonic’s ongoing commitment to contemporary music and cultural inclusion under Music and Artistic Director Gustavo Dudamel, who led the performance.
The evening’s full program lasted approximately 90 minutes and opened with Leonard Bernstein’s “Divertimento,” followed by Florence Price’s “Violin Concerto No. 2,” performed by San Diego-born violinist Randall Goosby.
Goosby, a Juilliard graduate and protégé of Itzhak Perlman, has appeared with the New York Philharmonic, Cleveland Orchestra, and Detroit Symphony. His performance of Price’s 1952 concerto brought historical continuity to the evening, honoring one of the first major Black American composers to gain national recognition in classical music.
Composer Carlos Simon, currently Composer-in-Residence at the Kennedy Center and a recipient of the Sphinx Medal of Excellence, drew from both gospel and Catholic Mass structures in crafting the piece.
He cites influences such as Mary Lou Williams’ “Mass for the Lenten Season” and Florence Price’s sacred works. Simon’s music breaks traditional choral boundaries by infusing gospel elements—layered syncopation, improvisation, and the familiar call-and-response patterns rooted in the Black church experience.
The performance featured soul vocalists Samoht and Zebulon Ellis. Samoht, a Grammy-nominated psychedelic R&B artist from Wilson, North Carolina, is known for his emotive vocal range and genre-bending sound. His past performances include the 56th NAACP Image Awards Creative Honors and a tribute to Brandy Norwood at the 2019 BMI Awards.
Related Stories:
https://lasentinel.net/pastor-barry-settle-and-the-discipline-of-discipleship.html
Zebulon Ellis, a “Sunday Best” alum, actor, and musical director of The SEEiT Choir, contributed richly textured vocals that blended flawlessly with the gospel choir.
That choir, The Samples, was directed by Jason White, a longtime gospel arranger and music director based in Los Angeles. White is best known for his work on Kanye West’s “Sunday Service” and his tenure directing choirs at Faithful Central Bible Church in Inglewood. The Samples, founded in Los Angeles, are an active presence in the city’s gospel and session scenes, having performed with artists such as Beyoncé and Tye Tribbett.
Spoken word interludes were written and performed by Marc Bamuthi Joseph, a renowned poet, librettist, and former vice president at the Kennedy Center. Joseph’s work framed the liturgical movements with reflective, contemporary language. His previous libretto work includes operas commissioned by the San Francisco Opera and performances at Carnegie Hall.
Visual direction for the production was handled by Melina Matsoukas, an LA native and USC alum known for her work with Lady Gaga, Rihanna, and Solange. For “Good News Mass,” Matsoukas designed a series of black-and-white visuals, projected behind the performers, including a striking cross motif and interpretive slow-motion video that underscored the themes of remembrance and renewal.
Musically, Simon’s composition merges choral fugues with swinging brass arrangements and layered orchestration that references both sacred and secular Black music traditions.
Rows of performers dressed in black, an expanded orchestra, and vocalists lined the stage, filling the hall with dynamic, high-volume energy more commonly associated with Easter services than traditional Philharmonic programming. Trombones, flutes, and string solos interwove with gospel harmonies, further blurring the lines between genres and traditions.
“Good News Mass” served as a living archive, bridging Black sacred traditions, contemporary artistry, and institutional concert spaces in a format that felt both cohesive and culturally resonant.
