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Obituaries

Paul Salamunovich | Chorus director, 86

Paul Salamunovich, 86, longtime director of the Los Angeles Master Chorale who helped score movies including The Godfather, has died in Los Angeles.

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Paul Salamunovich, 86, longtime director of the Los Angeles Master Chorale who helped score movies including

The Godfather,

has died in Los Angeles.

The chorale's publicist, Libby Huebner, says the Grammy-nominated conductor died Thursday of complications related to West Nile virus.

From 1991 to 2001, Mr. Salamunovich exposed millions to choral music through recordings and live performances.

The New York Times declared the chorus one of America's top vocal ensembles during his final season.

Mr. Salamunovich also helped score and sing on sound tracks for numerous films, including How the West Was Won and A.I. Artificial Intelligence.

He was choral director at St. Charles Borromeo Church in North Hollywood for 60 years until retiring in 2009. Mr. Salamunovich taught music at several colleges, including the University of Southern California's Thornton School of Music. - AP

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