New Home for Sacramento Choral News

I uncover a lot of choral news in my capacity as editor of the Sacramento Choral Calendar (www.sacchoralcalendar.com).  But I am also the President of the Sacramento Valley Choral Coalition, and in that capacity I'm helping to maintain the Coalition's Facebook page (www.facebook.com/SacChoralCoalition).  Since the Facebook page has so many more followers, that's where I'll post future news items, and I'll stop adding to this blog.

Here Comes the Messiah

Handel’s Messiah is among the best-known choral masterpieces, and for many, the Christmas section of the piece (Part I) is a holiday tradition.  Every year, there are numerous opportunities to hear this music – or sing it yourself.  Anyone who has been a singer for any length of time has probably had at least one opportunity to perform Part 1 of the Messiah, and having learned it, there is great satisfaction in singing it again informally.  Capitalizing on that satisfaction, annual Messiah “singalongs” have been popular for at least the past 60 years.  Every year, there are several in the Sacramento area, and they are already starting to appear.  Dates and sponsors are listed below.  Click on the sponsor to open information about that event in the Sacramento Choral Calendar:

Bethany Presbyterian Church – Dec. 7, 4:00 p.m., South Sacramento

Auburn Symphony – Dec. 9, 7:30 p.m., Auburn

The above events welcome listeners as well as singers, but if a polished performance of the Messiah is what you crave, here are the local presentations: 

Valley Choral Society – Nov. 30, 7:00 p.m., Sacramento
Valley Choral Society – Dec. 13, 7:00 p.m., Sacramento

Valley Choral Society – Dec, 14, 7:00 p.m., Sacramento

Valley Choral Society – Dec. 21, 7:00 p.m., Sacramento

Sierra Presbyterian Church – Dec. 7, 3:00 & 6:00 p.m.

Yuba Sutter Oratorio Society – Dec. 6, 11:00 a.m. Yuba City (Messiah for Kids)

Yuba Sutter Oratorio Society – Dec. 7, 7:00 p.m., Yuba City

American Bach Soloists – Dec. 14, 4:00 p.m., Davis

Capella Antiqua & the Valley Choral Society – Dec. 19, 7:00 p.m., Sacramento

Bethany Presbyterian Church is looking for directors and singers for their Dec. 7 performance.  And the Sierra Presbyterian Church and Yuba Sutter Oratorio Society may still be looking for more singers, though their rehearsals have started.

In Search of High School Boys Who Can Sing

It seems like the beginning of a trend:  children's choruses expanding to accommodate high-school-age singers.  Maybe this development is driven by the slowly increasing number of high schools that have dropped their choral program.  Or maybe it's kids and parents simply looking for the more systematic voice instruction that can come from a private organization.  There's tuition involved, of course, but then, there is value that not every public high school can provide.

The latest example I've seen is the Northern California Children's Chorus.  I believe it was last year that director Judy Britts established Bella Voce for high school girls.  Now she is hoping to attract high school boys who are looking for a more rigorous singing experience -- emphasizing vocal technique, performance skills, and a challenging repertoire.  And to attract them she's planning on giving the group a more gender-neutral name.

It's the start of a new season, with rehearsals in Granite Bay on Mondays from 6:30 to 8:15 p.m.  Interested young singers should call Judy Britts at 916/220-0970 or send an e-mail to jbritts@NorCalChildrensChorus.org.

Sierra Gold Holds Open House, Sept. 22

Members of the award-winning Sierra Gold Chorus are holding an open house to invite women to join them as they prepare for their annual Christmas Show. The event will take place on Monday, September 22, at 6:30 PM, 11577 E Avenue, Burback Hall, De Witt Center in Auburn. Ladies of all ages are invited to attend Monday evening rehearsals to have an opportunity to perform in the Christmas Show. For more information, call (888) 625-3430, or Kay (530) 268-2456, or Gayle (530) 268-08963 or visit the website at www.sierragoldchorus.org.

The Sierra Gold Chorus, the Auburn Chapter of Sweet Adelines International, has a membership of over 50 women from Nevada City to Sacramento, including Placerville and also as far away as Reno, Nevada. They welcome any woman of average singing ability, with or without vocal training.

Ron Black became the director of Sierra Gold Chorus in June 2013, leading the chorus to perform as a “triple winner” at the 2014 Regional Competition in Reno last April. Along with scoring the Most Improved Chorus, they also received the third place medal in their division, and won a trophy for the chorus with the largest increase in membership for the current year.

West Sac Singers New Member Orientation August 17

The West Sacramento Community Singers is a non-auditioned mixed chorus that recently participated in SacSings! - The Sacramento Choral Festival.  They have announced a new member orientation on Sunday, August 17 at 2:00 p.m. at the Valhalla Club House, 3901 Lake Rd., West Sacramento.

Other information about joining the West Sacramento Community Singers and 54 other area choruses is in the Sacramento Choral Calendar:  www.sacchoralcalendar.com/Auditions.htm.

Trinity Cathedral's Annual Diocesan Choir Festival

David Link, Canon for Music at Sacramento's Trinity Episcopal Cathedral has announced the Twenty-eighth Annual Diocesan Choir Festival, to take place on Saturday, February 7, 2015.  Canon Link explains:

"Our guest conductor this year will be Dr. Jeffrey Benson, who is Director of Choral Activities at San Jose State University. In addition, he is Director of Music at the Episcopal Church of the Epiphany in San Carlos, and was formerly a member of the Choir of Men and Boys at the National Cathedral.

"The repertoire chosen by Dr. Benson for this year's festival will include the 'Evening Canticles' in G by Charles V. Stanford, and the gorgeous anthem 'Like as the Hart' by Herbert Howells. It will be a great day of singing, culminating with a service of Choral Evensong at 4:00 p.m."

To receive additional details as they are announced, contact Canon Link at dlink_95670@yahoo.com.

26th Estonian Song Celebration

The Estonian Song Festival (Laulupidu) is a national tradition that began in 1869.  In recent years the Festival has been held every 5 years at the Song Festival Grounds in Tallinn, Estonia, lately incorporating a dance festival.  The 26th Laulupidu took place earlier this month (July 4-6).  At peak moments there were up to 30,000 singers performing under the shell of the concrete stage -- with 100,000 in the audience in the  outdoor amphitheater.  This is what it looks like when choral music is central to the culture of an entire country.

You can view a 6-hour video of the Saturday, July 5 festivities at this link:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ox72IFFxF4.  Personally, I haven't viewed the whole thing, but sampling it is still very impressive.

- Dick Frantzreb

Davis Chorale Announces Membership Brunch on Aug. 16

The Davis Chorale invites prospective new members to "socialize with current choir members and the Chorale Board at a Membership Brunch on Saturday, August 16 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the home of past Board President Don Deem, 3108 Evening Bay Place in Davis.  The Chorale begins rehearsals for the new season on September 8.

Other information about auditions for the Davis Chorale and 54 other area choruses are in the Sacramento Choral Calendar:  www.sacchoralcalendar.com/Auditions.htm.

A Weekend with Laurence Cole

Laurence Cole (www.laurencecole.com) is a songwriter who "enjoys traveling to various communities to lead groups in the joyous, community-strengthening experience of spirited harmonic singing."  He is coming to Davis September 12-14 for a weekend of events sponsored by the Unitarian Universalist Church of Davis.  Collectively called "Singing on the Side of Love," the weekend includes workshops and performances, both at the church and at other community venues in Davis.  There are suggested donations for individual events and for the whole weekend.  View the flyer at this link or send an e-mail (stephklose@mac.com) for more information.

New Chorus to Perform Christmas Music in Costume

Christiana Quick-Cleveland, Director of Tiana Music Enterprises, has announced that she is forming a new chorus to perform Christmas music -- in costume -- at various venues between Thanksgiving and Christmas.  Interested singers should know how to read music.  Christiana will be holding auditions for this group during August.  Call 916/765-6537 for an appointment.  Her Facebook page is at this address.

New Director for Cantare Chorale

Cantare Chorale of the Sierra Foothills has announced the appointment of a new director.  She is Mariia Pechenova.  A native of St. Petersburg, Russian, Pechenova has lived in the United States only since 2012.  Most recently she has been an assistant professor of music at Folsom Lake College where she assisted with and conducted the college choir. She is also the pianist and organist for traditional services with St. Stephen's Lutheran Church in El Dorado Hills. Pechenova received a master of arts in conducting at St. Petersburg State University in 2012, and she was assistant conductor of the St. Petersburg Women’s Choir led by Sergei Yekimov.

Click here for the full announcement published in the Mountain Democrat.

Free Music for Choral Directors

Charlotte Hughes, a retired choral professional of over 35 years, would like to donate her choral library to other area directors. She has directed choirs of all types and sizes over the years, from a small women's group to large mega-choirs, and she has amassed a great deal of music in all genres. She doesn't want to have a garage sale or throw it all away. If you would like to check out what she has available, you can contact her via email: Hughes37@sbcglobal.net.

SacSings!

SacSings! – The Sacramento Choral Festival took place at Harris Center for the Performing Arts at Folsom Lake College this past weekend and generated over-the-top enthusiasm among both participating choruses and audiences. The event was designed as a showcase for the 20 participating choruses: the 8 concerts each presented 5 very different choruses performing 20-minute sets. Half of the concerts were in the Harris Center’s 850-seat theater and half in its 100-seat recital hall. In addition to the performances, there were 26 displays in the Harris Center’s lobby, most representing participating choruses.

The overwhelming opinion among choruses was that they were glad to have participated. Although audiences were smaller than anticipated, each chorus benefitted from the months of pre-Festival publicity, from the opportunity to introduce themselves to new listeners, and from the opportunity to hear and connect with at least some of the other participating choruses.

Audience members were often dazzled by what they experienced. Many came to hear choruses they were familiar with, but left surprised and delighted by the performance of one or more choruses that they had never heard before – in many cases a chorus they didn’t know existed.

The question in everyone’s mind was, “Will there be a second SacSings?” The answer depends on the continued enthusiasm of participating choruses, as well as those that did not participate. It also depends on working out details of financing, planning, organization, logistics, and publicity. But Harris Center is reserved in the name of SacSings! – The Sacramento Choral Festival, June 12-14, 2015.

Want to Sing at Carnegie Hall?

After a successful performance at Carnegie Hall in 2012, retired Sac City College Choral Director Doreen Irwin and her “Sacramento City College Alumni Choir” have been invited back. The dates are May 21-25, 2015, and Doreen needs to source 50 to 100 excellent singers to make up the choir for this “once in a lifetime” experience.

The cost is $1,349 per person (not including airfare), based on quad occupancy. Participants can also get a room for one, two or three for an added fee. Non-singing guests are welcome for the same fee. They get tickets to the concert, and participate in all the tour activities, such as a post-concert celebration reception cruise aboard the “Spirit of New York,” that includes a buffet dinner, music and dancing while sailing with view of sights like the Statue of Liberty and the Manhattan skyline. The first deposit of $250 is due October 1, and there is a payment schedule.

Doreen expects to start rehearsing late in the fall, and at least once a week in the spring, most likely at St. Luke’s Lutheran Church on Wednesday evening. She notes that all the music will be memorized.

There is much more information which Doreen will be happy to give prospective singers. Many details are in the document at this link:  http://www.sacchoralcalendar.com/News/Irwin_Carnegie_2015.pdfContact her by e-mail, DoreenIrwin@comcast.net or by phone at (916) 991-5232.

Ryan Murray Chosen as Ansbacher Fellow

Music in the Mountains announces that Resident Conductor and Choral Director Ryan Murray has just been selected as a winner of the 2014 Ansbacher Fellowship for Young Conductors with the Vienna Philharmonic through the American Austrian Foundation.

"This fellowship provides promising young conductors from the United States the opportunity to spend up to four weeks at the Salzburg Festival observing the world's leading conductors and artists at work during rehearsals and performances. Fellows will live at Schloss Arenberg, located a mere ten minutes from the Festival Hall, where they also be able to interact with members of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, who are in residence at Schloss Arenberg during the month of August."