FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Michael Kaulkin
(415) 494-8149 – mkaulkin@sfca.org – www.sfca.org
|
SAN FRANCISCO CHORAL ARTISTS BAY AREA CHAMBER CHOIR MAKES A JOYFUL NOISE
Short Description San Francisco, January 23, 2020 – San Francisco Choral Artists (SFCA), in collaboration with the acclaimed Klezmer trio Veretski Pass, apply their trademark imaginative and diverse programming to Jewish music of many styles and periods in Joyful Voices, Stomping Feet: Song and Dance in the Jewish Tradition (March 8, 14, 15, 2020). With a wide variety of sacred and secular music from tiny villages and big cities, the program showcases the acclaimed Eastern European Klezmer trio Veretski Pass. There will be toe-tappers (by Israeli Aharon Harlap, Parker, and Harrington), brilliant little-known Psalm settings (by Mendelssohn, George Rochberg, and Rossi), darker evocations of voices silenced, feet stilled (a klezmer/tango blend by Sylke Zimpel and M Posner’s sad lullaby), and wonderful new works: a lively, inventive “Psalm 104” by Alexis Alrich, and Timothy Kramer’s “Tik’u Chaf,” accompanied by clapping and stomping. Composer and performer bios are at www.sfca.org. Detailed Description San Francisco, January 23, 2020 – San Francisco Choral Artists (SFCA), in collaboration with the acclaimed Klezmer trio Veretski Pass, apply their trademark imaginative and diverse programming to Jewish music of many styles and periods in Joyful Voices, Stomping Feet: Song and Dance in the Jewish Tradition (March 8, 14, 15, 2020). With a wide variety of sacred and secular music from tiny villages and big cities, the program showcases toe-tapping, festive songs of praise, including Israeli composer Aharon Harlap’s uplifting Shiru L’adonai, a short setting of excerpts from Psalm 96, and Alice Parker’s irresistible arrangement of Lazar Weiner’s A Nign, sung in Yiddish, about a poor man who could make wine and sweetness flow with his song. The high-spirited program is also adorned with more lyrical and reflective works, from 20th-century American composer George Rochberg’s Psalm 150, sung in Hebrew, to German composer Sylke Zimpel’s Schpilshe mir, (“Play me a tango in Yiddish…”), a Yiddish song blending klezmer and tango styles, about dancing after liberation from concentration camps. In keeping with SFCA’s continued support for living composers, the concerts feature world premieres by Composer-in-Residence Alexis Alrich and Composer-Not-in-Residence Timothy Kramer, both in the spirit of this concert’s theme of song and dance in Jewish culture. Alrich has contributed the lush and rhythmic Psalm 104, sung in English, and Kramer’s Tik’u Chaf (“Clap your hands!”) is an upbeat showstopper with the choir accompanying themselves with clapping and stomping. Please visit www.sfca.org for composer bios. Interspersed among the choral works, audiences will be treated to the lively instrumental performances of Eastern European Jewish music that Klezmer trio Veretski Pass is famous for. They will also join the choir for some selections. When and Where San Francisco Palo Alto Oakland TICKETS Under 30 – Advance/Door $12.50/$15.00 Available at the door; or online in advance from www.sfca.org/2019-2020-season Information: info@sfca.org (415) 494-8149 About San Francisco Choral Artists Acclaimed as being “…amongst the foremost unaccompanied singing groups…on this or any other coast” (artssf.com), San Francisco Choral Artists present imaginative programs of new and old works that entice, engage, and inspire audiences everywhere with their gorgeous sound, stylistic range, and expressive, nuanced singing. SFCA has brought over 300 world premieres to Bay Area audiences in stunning performances of new works alongside a wide variety of great music from the last 600 years. They have released four recordings, sung at national conferences, and twice earned the Chorus America/ASCAP Award for Adventurous Programming. Under the Roger Nixon Living Music Initiative, SFCA offers six programs which support the creation of new works by composers in all stages of their careers, thereby expanding the repertoire for chamber choir. About Magen Solomon, Artistic Director Artistic Director since 1995, Magen Solomon avidly works with living composers to bridge the gulf between audience, composer, and performer and helps foster the artistic careers of choral composer near and far, emerging and established. Active nationally as a guest conductor, adjudicator, and clinician, Dr. Solomon is also Artistic Director of the San Francisco Bach Choir, has taught at UC-Berkeley, USC, and other colleges and universities, and directed the Oakland Symphony Chorus for twelve years. Dr. Solomon has collaborated on performances of major choral works with Michael Tilson Thomas, Nicolas McGegan, Michael Morgan, Helmuth Rilling, and Kent Nagano among others. About Veretski Pass Taking its name from the mountain pass through which Magyar tribes crossed into the Carpathian basin to settle what later became the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Veretski Pass offers a unique and exciting combination of virtuosic musicianship and raw energy that has excited concertgoers across the world. The trio plays Old Country Music with origins in the Ottoman Empire, once fabled as the borderlands of the East and the West. Their CDs have repeatedly been on the 10-best recording lists of journalists since 2002. More at www.veretskipass.com. ### |
