On February 5th, the Los Angeles Master Chorale presents “Woman at the Window: The Triangle Factory Fire”, an oratorio written by students from Cortines High School of Visual and Performing Arts (AKA “Grand Arts”). A free performance, held at the Cortines School in Downtown L.A, “Woman at the Window” tells the terrible story of the 1911 Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire in Manhattan. Thanks to the unbelievable fact that the employers had locked the doors on them, 146 workers perished in the 8th floor fire, most of them young women from Italian and Jewish immigrant families. Many of them leapt to their deaths from the windows, while the public watched helplessly. The tragedy alerted the nation to the awful labor conditions of the time, especially for women, and it’s a powerful reminder today of an important, ever relevant issue.
The 45 minute oratorio was written by 85 talented choir students, with help from the Los Angeles Master Chorale’s Voices Within educational outreach program, and it will be performed by the students, plus instrumentalists and 8 singers from the Master Chorale. Parking on campus is free, and you can RSVP for the 7pm performance here. (There is also a February 4th concert at noon but it appears to be for students only.)
Image via Los Angeles Master Chorale’s website
