About Us
Excellence, Inclusiveness, Dedication
Long Beach Chorale & Chamber Orchestra
Called “our best local chorus” by the Long Beach Gazette newspapers, the Long Beach Chorale and Chamber Orchestra is in its third decade as a fixture of the Long Beach arts scene. Founded in 1988 by former director Mark Barville, and led from 2003-2021 by Eliza Rubenstein, and currently under the baton of Matthew Martinez, the LBCCO has performed many of the great works of Western classical music, and has appeared at Carnegie Hall, the Aquarium of the Pacific, the Long Beach Museum of Art, Rancho Los Alamitos, and the Carpenter Performing Arts Center, and with the Long Beach Opera. The group’s musical programming is drawn from around the world, and from the middle ages to the present day. Jim Ruggirello of the Gazette says the LBCCO is “…a lean, mean choral machine…” and adds that “excellence is what we have come to expect from… the Long Beach Chorale.”
The LBCCO is Long Beach’s only all-volunteer community masterworks chorus; all LBCCO members are volunteers motivated by their love of singing. Our motto—“great music, up close”—reflects our commitment to presenting masterworks in a welcoming setting and at an accessible price, and we pride ourselves on working within the Long Beach community to offer under-served music lovers the opportunity to experience live classical music.
The Long Beach Chorale holds regular auditions for singers in each voice part. We are also supported by Grace Note, an auxiliary group of non-singing volunteers who host our receptions and provide other forms of much-needed and much-appreciated assistance. Contact us for more information!
Cultural Equity and Inclusion
The Long Beach Chorale and Chamber Orchestra is committed to continually expand the diversity and inclusiveness of our approach to music-making. We believe that every rehearsal and every performance is an opportunity to build positive relationships and honor the differences between individuals as we blend our voices and musical skill into outstanding performances that reflect the best of our community. Specifically, we will continue to look for ways to build on our tradition of including people of a wide variety of ethnic backgrounds, sexual orientations, and gender expressions.
LBCCO
meet our team
Matthew Martinez
Artistic Director
Matthew Martinez grew up in San Diego and studied voice with Mary MacKenzie, the former head of voice at San Diego State University. Ms. MacKenzie introduced him to classical music and opera. At her insistence, and due to his father’s perseverance, Matthew and his dad attended their first opera, Verdi’s Aida (standing room only!). He was hooked and went on to study voice and conducting, earning his master’s degree from UC Irvine in 2009.
He was the music director at Mesa Verde United Methodist Church in Costa Mesa for 10 years and was the choir director at Congregation Shir Ha-ma’alot in Irvine. He is the IT Director in the School of Biological Sciences at UC Irvine, and reviews concerts and operas for bachtrack.com and concertonet.com. A member of the American Choral Directors’ Association, Matthew has been fortunate to sing under the direction of John Alexander, James Conlon, and Esa-Pekka Salonen. He lives in Costa Mesa with his wife Cheryl and their two sons. In his spare time, Matthew enjoys watching sports (particularly his hometown Padres, and local soccer clubs, LAFC and Angel City FC, and gardening.
Eliza Rubenstein
Artistic Director Emerita
Eliza Rubenstein is the Director of Choral and Vocal Activities at Orange Coast College and the Artistic Director of the Long Beach Chorale & Chamber Orchestra, in addition to serving as the Artistic Director for the OCWC since January 2000. Born into a musical family in Missouri, she told her parents when she was four that she wanted to take violin lessons so that she could “play on street corners for money” when she grew up. Though that particular career path was diverted, she studied choral conducting and English literature at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music before moving to California to earn her master’s degree at UC-Irvine. Choruses under her direction have performed throughout the United States and the United Kingdom, and she made her Carnegie Hall debut in June 2017, conducting the Carnegie premiere of Kirke Mechem’s choral-orchestral cantata “Songs of the Slave.” She also serves on the board of the California Choral Directors’ Association as the editor of the award-winning Cantate magazine.
Eliza is a former animal-shelter supervisor and the co-author of a book about dog adoption; she even presented a seminar called “Sit, Stay, Sing!: What Choral Conductors Can Learn from Dog Trainers” at the 2006 ACDA western-division convention. Her family includes her partner, Julie; a yellow Labrador and retired service dog, Dayton; and a grey cat, Wilbur. When not making music, Eliza is passionate about photography, grammar, the St. Louis Cardinals, and the St. Louis Blues.
Artist in residence
The Long Beach Chorale’s Artist in Residence Program invites a local Long Beach visual artists to work in collaboration with the Chorale to create original works based on the LBCCO concerts. These art works are used in marketing for the season’s concerts, featured on programs, the LBCCO website and ticketing site, and the LBCCO social media.
TRINH MAI
2022-2023, 2023-2024 Artist in Residence
Trinh Mai is a second-generation Vietnamese American visual artist who examines the refugee and immigrant experience, then and now. Through a vast breath of media, she helps tell the stories of we, the enduring People, while focusing on our witnessing of war, the wounds we’ve survived, our collective need to heal, the long suffering hope that carries us through deep waters, and the custodial responsibility to which we are heirs.
For more information about the Artist in Residence Program or to apply, please reach out to info@longbeachchorale.org
Proudly Supported By
Our Partners
Many thanks to the Port of Long Beach for their generous support.
The Long Beach Chorale is supported in part by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors through the Los Angeles County Department of Arts and Culture.
Supported in part by a grant from the Arts Council for Long Beach, Percent for the Arts, and the City of Long Beach.
Donate Now
There are many ways to help support the Long Beach Chorale. Donations are just one way you can help.