Events • Alexander Lloyd Blake

Upcoming Events Past Events

Just Me

January 10, 2026 •
7:00 pm

Tonality

With open-hearted singing and fearless honesty, GRAMMY-winning vocal ensemble TONALITY returns to The Wallis with Just Me—a powerful evening of music centered on the lived experiences of transgender and non-binary individuals. Under the direction of Dr. Alexander Lloyd Blake, the LA-based chorus transforms the concert stage into a space of solidarity.
Through original works and soulful arrangements, Just Me celebrates the resilience of our non-binary and trans community. It confronts the injustices they continue to face, and invites us to listen. Here, care becomes chorus. Each song becomes a story, each harmony a step toward healing. Join us for a transformative night of sharing the joys, pains, and strength of finding oneself. With a deep commitment to social change, TONALITY brings together a diverse community of voices to reflect the richness of human experience.

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Lessons for the Future

May 14, 2023 •
7:00 pm

Tonality

The fourth presentation of our season focuses on education and how to create a future that prioritizes unity and equality. These selections will discuss some of the issues within our school system such as the Dont Say Gay Bill, Critical Race Theory, school shootings, the school to prison pipeline, and will feature collaborations with the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts (LACHSA).

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HomeCare: A Concert on Climate Change

March 12, 2023 •
7:00 pm

Tonality

Our third concert of the season will focus on the climate crisis, including the use of words from young leaders who have spoken about the urgency of action toward conserving what resources are available on this planet.

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UCLA Music and Justice Concert

February 26, 2023 •
4:00 pm

Conducting

A new series of concerts and dialogue entitled Music and Justice will debut with a momentous concert on Feb. 26, 2023, at UCLA's iconic Royce Hall.
The first part of the concert program features works by six contemporary composers addressing social justice, including world premieres by Diane White-Clayton and multi-Grammy winner Arturo O'Farrill.
Part two of the program features a rare performance of the landmark 1969 cantata The Gates of Justice by legendary jazz composer and musician Dave Brubeck.
In a historic first, Brubeck's sons Darius, Chris, and Dan perform the jazz trio in their father's work, joined by a choir of Black and Jewish singers from Los Angeles-area churches and synagogues alongside UCLA students and the award-winning chorus Tonality, led by Alexander Lloyd Blake. Soloists are acclaimed baritone Phillip Bullock and Azi Schwartz, famed cantor of New York's Park Avenue Synagogue.

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Kronos Quartet: “At War With Ourselves – 400 Years of You”

February 11, 2023 •
7:30 pm

Conducting

A rhapsodic modern-day song cycle spun from the skin of history for string quartet, chorus, and narrator, At War With Ourselves – 400 Years of You features a text by National Book Award-winning poet Nikky Finney inspired by her 2013 poem “The Battle of and for the Black Face Boy.” The music was composed by Michael Abels, composer for the Jordan Peele films Us and Get Out. This powerful new work explores race relations, social justice, and civil rights in 21st century America.

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NCC Winter Showcase

December 17, 2022 •
4:00 pm

Conducting

This is why our acclaimed Showcases are among our favorite events each year, highlighting the talents and achievements of ensembles in both the Junior and Senior Divisions. In December, from the Prelude Level featuring children as young as five, through our advanced singers with young adults as old as eighteen, the Winter Showcase will demonstrate the extraordinary progression of vocal skills at the NCC in a uniquely loving and supportive environment. Don’t miss this joyous culmination of the season as the full NCC family comes together!

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The Game Awards 2022

December 8, 2022 •
4:30 pm

Performing

Blake performs in the featured on-screen choir with Hozier & Bear McCreary.

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The Right to Heal

December 4, 2022 •
7:00 pm

Tonality

This concert will take a broad look at healthcare and its inequalities. From the treatment of healthcare workers and the need for care for our LGBTQ community to the conversation around reproductive health, these selections will focus on the rights as human beings to receive medical assistance in a more justified process.

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The World Premiere of the Suite from Syberia: The World Before

November 20, 2022 •
7:00 pm

Tonality

A night reveling in the works of award-winning Israeli-American composer Inon Zur that transports us to other-worldly places. The LA Jewish Symphony travels through Inon Zur’s video game scores, including the World Premiere performance of the Suite from Syberia: The World Before, featuring Grammy and Emmy award-winning pianist Emily Bear. It tells the story of a young pianist in 1937, whose music offers hope amid the growing threat of fascism in Europe. Zur will join as a special guest to perform the Fallout Medley Suite on piano. This one-of-a-kind program will also feature performances of music from the video game series’ Dragon Age, The Elder Scrolls: Blades, and the highly anticipated Starfield.

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Singing Truth: An American Conversation

October 2, 2022 •
7:30 pm

Conducting

We’re thrilled to bring guest conductor Alexander Lloyd Blake to Minnesota, as he leads singers from the Minnesota Chorale and Border CrosSing to present “Singing Truth: An American Conversation.”
Dr. Blake, the founding artistic director of the internationally acclaimed choral ensemble Tonality, will share music of composers Saunder Choi, Melissa Dunphy, Christian Larios, Joel Thompson and others in a pair of thought-provoking performances, presented Saturday night, Oct. 1 at Westminster Presbyterian Church in Minneapolis, and Sunday afternoon, Oct. 2 at Unity Church-Unitarian in St. Paul.

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Put Your Guns Down

September 18, 2022 •
7:00 pm

Tonality

This concert discusses issues related to gun violence in the United States. Some of the selections will discuss, mass shootings, police brutality, the effects on victims, school shootings, and suicide prevention. The concert also focuses on an active sense of peace as we come together to find solutions toward the epidemic of gun violence in this country.

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