Completed 2009-2010 Subscription Concerts

Old Chestnuts, New Fire!

Celebrate the season with a program of warm favorites requested by singers and audience. Music of Britten, Pärt, Biebl, Gesualdo, and Tavener joins that of the Bay Area’s own Aprahamian, Conte, Bielawa, and Nixon. Add sparkling world premieres — Composer-In-Residence Brian Holmes’s Remember and Composer-Not-In-Residence Christopher Marshall’s Golden Carol — and you’ll unwrap new favorites at this concert. (preview)

PALO ALTO Saturday, December 5, 2009; 8 PM, St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, 600 Colorado Avenue, Palo Alto (Map)

SAN FRANCISCO Saturday, December 12, 2009; 8 PM, St. Mark’s Lutheran, 1111 O'Farrell Street, San Francisco (Map)

OAKLAND Sunday, December 13, 2009; 4 PM, St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 114 Montecito Avenue, Oakland (Map)

Forecast: Sunny With a Chance of Song

Sunny indeed! “Choral masterpieces” can be great for lifting our spirits. This music often brings us a flood of memories of how choral music touched us when we first experienced it in college or high school. This program combines masterpieces that are audience / singer all-time favorites with five World Premieres.

SAN FRANCISCO Sunday, March 14, 2010; 4 PM, St. Mark’s Lutheran, 1111 O'Farrell Street, San Francisco (Map)

PALO ALTO Friday, March 19, 2010; 8 PM, St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, 600 Colorado Avenue, Palo Alto (Map)

MARIN Saturday, March 20, 2010; 8 PM, St. John’s Episcopal Church, 14 Lagunitas Road, Ross (Map)

OAKLAND Sunday, March 21, 2010; 4 PM, St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 114 Montecito Avenue, Oakland (Map)

Bask in masterworks that have shaped our great a cappella tradition: Debussy and Hindemith Chansons, Poulenc Lenten Motets, Britten Flower Songs, Vaughan Williams Shakespeare Songs and pieces by Carter, Ives, Puerling, and Webern.

Toast five world premieres predicted to become classics. Chuckle with us at e.e.cummings’ settings by Composer-In-Residence Brian Holmes — from twinkle-toes and pirates to an old cowboy. Be moved by the tale of a would-be migrant adrift at sea, by New Zealand Composer-Not-In-Residence Christopher Marshall.

Why juxtapose masterpieces of the repertoire with new works? Artistic Director Magen Solomon explains that she avidly cultivates engagements with living composers to help bridge the gulf between composer, performer, and audience. “I feel that music needs to be live music,” Solomon comments. “It’s so easy to listen to flawless recordings, but having live singers in front of live audiences singing compelling music by living composers has always been a critical part of our group.”

Come and experience your own special engagement with choral masterpieces — old and new.

“...among the foremost unaccompanied singing groups ... on this or any other coast.” R. Dane Danubian, artssf.com

Want to hear what 25 years of expanding the choral repertoire sounds like? The 25 Choral Artists showcase 25 favorite works they have premiered in their 25 year history.

You’ll hear about the moon, a cat, birds, feathers, art amid bombs, fireworks, a raincape, and the weather forecast &mdash and revisit Dave Brubeck’s snazzy jazzy ‘Blue Rondo’ rhythms.

So, will you like this concert? One Choral Artist explains: ”New music doesn’t have to be ’ugly‘ or ’dissonant.‘ Most of our newly-composed music is beautiful by any standard. Some is flat-out funny. And some is, yes, ’dissonant,‘ but often in unexpected and charming ways, e.g., Meuller’s ’Fireworks‘ mimics sounds of a fireworks display and the crowd watching it.“

Highlights of the program:

– 12 Bay Area luminaries: Ted Allen, Herb Bielawa, Russel Burnham, Paul Crabtree, Robin Estrada, Tina Harrington, Brian Holmes, John Kelley, Kirke Mechem, Henry Mollicone, Jerry Mueller, and Benjamin Taylor.

– 4 winning works from composers under age 30, all winners of SFCA’s New Voices competition.

– 7 world premieres.

SAN FRANCISCO Sunday, June 13, 2010; 4 PM, St. Mark’s Lutheran, 1111 O'Farrell Street, San Francisco (Map)

PALO ALTO Saturday, June 19, 2010; 8 PM, St. Mark's Episcopal Church, 600 Colorado Avenue, Palo Alto (Map)

OAKLAND Sunday, June 20, 2010; 4 PM, St. Paul's Episcopal Church, 114 Montecito Avenue, Oakland (Map)