About Us
Los Cancioneros Master Chorale began in 1949 when a dozen neighbors in the Hollywood Riviera section of Torrance formed a small community chorus as an independent, nonprofit organization. The founding singers selected a Spanish name to reflect the Spanish heritage of the South Bay and Peninsula area. Barbara Mabin was the founding director. The chorale’s repertoire ranges from works of the masters of all musical periods to contemporary works by sacred and secular composers.
Over 70 years and more than a dozen directors later, Los Cancioneros Master Chorale still brings excellent choral music to the South Bay community. The group grew in size to over 50 singers and has appeared with other area choirs, instrumental groups, and orchestras. Over the years the Chorale has performed several times at Carnegie Hall in New York City and has toured Europe, Canada and South America including Berlin, Budapest, Prague, Vienna, Victoria, Vancouver and, most recently cities in Argentina and Portugal.
In 2014 Los Cancioneros Master Chorale was recognized by the Torrance Cultural Arts Commission with its annual Excellence in Arts Award for Music. This award commended Los Cancioneros Master Chorale for its continuing contributions to the community as well as for its creativity and passion for the arts.
On May 22, 2019, Los Cancioneros Master Chorale received the Palos Verdes Peninsula Coordinating Council’s Community Service Award for 2019, along with commendations from the U.S. Congress, California State Legislature, California State Senate and Los Angeles County. The award recognized LCMC’s 70 years of service to our local communities and support of aspiring musicians through scholarships and internship opportunities.
Video Introduction to
Los Cancioneros Master Chorale
Ellis-Orpheus Men’s Chorus
The ELLIS CLUB was founded by Charles Ellis in 1888 as a men’s chorus providing entertainment to the growing city of Los Angeles. The club was in such demand that Joseph Dupuy founded the similar ORPHEUS CLUB in 1905. Both groups thrived in the early part of the century, but their memberships declined throughout the Great Depression and in 1939 they merged to form the ELLIS-ORPHEUS MEN’S CHORUS.
After WWII, the club shifted its focus from downtown Los Angeles to the South Bay, performing the majority of its concerts in El Segundo, Torrance, and Palos Verdes.
We are proud to be affiliated with the ELLIS-ORPHEUS MEN’S CHORUS since May 2001. The men of Los Cancioneros Master Chorale are concurrent members of the Ellis Orpheus Chorus and continue their tradition of fine men’s ensemble choral music.
