Rachmaninoff & Mozart: A Christmas Concert

Join us for a magical evening of music, beauty, and community as the LLS Orchestra, under the baton of its Music Director, Simona Grossi, returns to the stunning Our Mother of Good Counsel Church for a very special holiday concert.

This inspiring program brings together some of the most moving works ever written—culminating with the joyful "Exsultate, Jubilate" by Mozart, performed by Elisabetta Russo, the Orchestra’s Soprano in Residence and internationally acclaimed artist.

🌟 PROGRAM

1. Sergei Rachmaninoff — Vocalise (with soprano)

2. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart — Symphony No. 41 “Jupiter”

INTERMISSION

3. George Frideric Handel — Lascia ch’io pianga (with soprano)

4. Samuel Barber — Adagio for Strings

5. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart — “Exsultate, Jubilate” (with soprano)

🍷 PRE-CONCERT RECEPTION

Arrive early and enjoy a festive music & cocktail hour in the Church patio starting at 6:00 PM, featuring live pre-concert performances, wine, and snacks. A perfect way to start the evening with friends, family, and fellow music lovers.

Elisabetta masterfully combines her passion and enchanting Belcanto while warmly embracing audiences all over the world with her elegant grand-gala style arias. She is widely acclaimed for her leading roles in both opera (Don Pasquale by Donizetti, Così Fan Tutte by Mozart, Rigoletto and Falstaff by Verdi) and musical theatre (The Phantom of the Opera by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Carouselby Rodgers & Hammerstein). Praised for her collaborations with Oscar-winning composers Ennio Morricone and Nicola Piovani, and world-renowned artists including Andrea Bocelli, David Foster, and Carlo Ponti, Elisabetta was awarded Best Female Vocalat the Hollywood Music Awards. Since moving from Italy to Los Angeles in 2013 following a special Paramount Studios concert with Andrea Bocelli and David Foster, she has performed across Europe and North America, including New York Fashion Week, the Los Angeles Staples Center (as guest singer of the National Anthem for the LA Clippers), Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, and the Chicago Cultural Center.Elisabetta also devotes her artistry to benefit nonprofit and charitable organizations such as Caterina’s Club, California Hospital Medical Center Foundation, Saint Pio Foundation, Eastwood Ranch Foundation, and the LA Virtuosi Orchestra.

One of the few female conductors in California, Simona Grossi is recognized for her passionate and visionary leadership. With deep roots in both Italy and the U.S., she holds a conservatory diploma in piano performance from Italy and has honed her craft under the mentorship of renowned conductor Miguel Harth-Bedoya. Grossi’s interpretations are praised for their clarity, intensity, and ability to forge a powerful connection with musicians and audiences alike.

“For me, every concert is about building a bridge—between cultures, between past and present, and between the musicians on stage and the audience in the hall. Music is where we meet as one.” — Maestro Simona Grossi