San Francisco Choral Artists

It’s a magical moment – angels, Wise Men, the Christ child… With sheep bells in the distance, shepherds bumping over cobblestones, and a choir of crows cawing, the Choral Artists’ 25 voices shine in a program featuring Daniel Pinkham’s charming “Company at the Crèche,” early music works, and 5 world premieres. Three pieces feature hand bell player David Kashevaroff.

The Pinkham showcases hand bell players David Kashevaroff and Tim Silva with Tom Purtill, and singer Mary Tusa on keyboard. Several Early Music pieces with a focus on ordinary people and animals are programmed: “O magnum mysterium” by Vittoria, “La nuict froide” by Lasso, “Vamos al portal” by Guerrero, “Pastores, dicite” by Morales, “Duo seraphim” by Gallus, and “All Sons of Adam”, a 15-century anonymous Scottish piece for men’s voices only. More contemporary works include Samuel Barber’s stunning “Twelfth Night”, Giles’ “There is no rose”, set for women only, Australian composer Colin Brumby’s gentle carol, “Behold, a silly tender babe”, Skempton’s “To Bethlem did they go”, and Heath’s lovely setting of “I wonder as I wander”.

When Artistic Director Magen Solomon told composer Wayne Eastwood about the themes for this concert, he sent his “Crows on a Certain Evening” as his gift to the Choral Artists. The text – a poem by Julia Cunningham – features a “tempestuous” choir of crows cawing instead of angels singing on the “certain evening,” Christmas Eve. Eastwood’s piece is one of five world premieres written especially for the San Francisco Choral Artists on this program. The other four are by Composer-In-Residence Allen Shearer, Composer-Not-In-Residence Matt Van Brink, and special friends of the Choral Artists Tina Harrington and John Kelley.

Allen Shearer’s “The Holy Innocents” is set to a poem by Robert Lowell. While the text is darker and more complicated than most on this program, it shares the down-to-earth and animal theme: “The oxen drool and start in wonder at the fenders of a car, and blunder hugely up St. Peter’s hill.” Matt Van Brink’s “Lull the Solemn Night,” set to a poem by Thomas Merton, illustrates the sound of sheep out on the field at night: you hear the sheep bells moving away, the sound disappearing into the distance. Tina Harrington’s “Procession of the Animals” and John Kelley’s “The Friendly Beasts” both feature animals telling the audience what each of them was doing at the time of Jesus’ birth, and both feature hand bells. Harrington’s piece is in the form of a processional, while Kelley’s work is more lighthearted, with irregular rhythms, the basses in the choir imitating plucked strings and other comical details.

PENINSULA (Palo Alto): Sun, Dec 4, 2011; 4 PM
St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, 600 Colorado Ave
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MARIN (San Anselmo): Sat, Dec 10, 2011; 8 PM
Montgomery Chapel, Bolinas Ave. at Richmond (on campus of SF Theological Seminary)
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SAN FRANCISCO: Sat, Dec 17, 2011; 8 PM
St. Mark’s Lutheran Church, 1111 O’Farrell St
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EAST BAY (Oakland): Sun, Dec 18, 2011; 4 PM
St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 114 Montecito Ave
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Prophets, Kings & Klezmer

Internationally acclaimed Veretski Pass in concert with San Francisco Choral Artists!! Together we present an innovative program of Jewish music from the last 2000 years: psalms, folksongs, dances and lullabies expressed through the fusion of chamber choir and Klezmer band. You'll hear improvisation, three world premieres, settings of traditional Jewish texts, lively dance music and plangent a cappella harmonies.

SAN FRANCISCO: Sat, Mar 17, 2012; 8 PM
St. Mark’s Lutheran Church, 1111 O’Farrell St (Map)
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The concerts showcase a variety of new and standard Klezmer music, and a wealth of choral music by Jewish composers, including richly scored six-part Shir Hama’alot by 17th century Italian composer Salamone Rossi, beloved works by Darius Milhaud and Felix Mendelssohn, a lush piece by 19th century composer David Nowakowsky called Hashkivenu #2, Sylke Zimpel’s arrangement of the familiar folk tune Tumbalalaika, and compelling psalm settings by contemporary composers George Rochberg, Malcolm Singer, and Karen Tarlow.

For this program local composer Tina Harrington and Composer-Not-in-Residence Matt Van Brink each created new works that feature the two ensembles. Using energetic rhythms, Harrington's Vest Oysforn draws on the tradition of Eastern European folk music. The unique characters of two Romanian dances, the Doina and the Hora, are featured Matt Van Brink's work They Disappear.

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Poetry on Musical Wings

From Shakespeare to Shelley to Sandburg, poetry and music have been entwined since ancient times. Listen as new and beloved sonnets, odes, riddles, and rhymes are given musical wings. In a unique collaboration, Bay Area poets and composers join to create original art of brilliance, humor, and heart.

PENINSULA (Palo Alto): Saturday, June 9, 2012; 8 PM
St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, 600 Colorado Ave (Map)

EAST BAY (Oakland): Sunday, June 10, 2012; 4 PM
St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 114 Montecito Ave (Map)

SAN FRANCISCO: Saturday, June 16, 2012; 8 PM
St. Mark’s Lutheran Church, 1111 O’Farrell St (Map)

2011-2012 Subscription Concerts

Company at the Crèche

Prophets, Kings & Klezmer

Tickets are on sale now

Poetry on Musical Wings