The Choir

SFBACC was founded in 1978 and sings under the direction of Ofer dal Lal, who was named the choir’s Music Director in June 2017. Since its origin, the choir has been highly acclaimed for its sensitive and exciting performances of extremely varied and demanding literature.

2017-2018 Concert Season

We are thrilled to introduce our first concert with our new Music Director, Ofer dal Lal!

With the theme of “change” in mind, we will explore ancient stories of loss and the eternal human search for immortality through music composed by some of the great masters as well as contemporary composers. In this program, we will encounter those who achieved enduring presence, perhaps a kind of immortality, through sound and music.

The story of the Death of Absalom, son of David, and the nameless yet well-known daughter of Jephthah are two enduring legends we will tell through the compositions of Carissimi, Purcell and Whitacre. What greater loss than the loss of a child? What greater way to express it than in the haunting music of masters?

As the mournful songs echo and linger in our ears, we will embark on the search for immortality. Benjamin Britten’s beloved piece, “Hymn to St. Cecilia” poetically reveres the patron saint of music who descends to “inspire composing mortals with immortal fire”. One such mortal, the colossal J.S. Bach, is honored in an homage by modern Norwegian composer, Knut Nystedt – “Komm süsser Tod (Immortal Bach)” in a composition that fragments and echoes a simple chorale from a distant past. A centerpiece of the concert will be “Iuppiter”, a breathtaking piece by young German composer Michael Ostrzyga who has challenged choral singers to create sounds you have yet to hear!

Come and hear us perform “Legends of Loss, Myths of Immortality“.

Auditions

Are you an experienced choral singer in the Bay Area who’s looking for a friendly choral home where you have the opportunity to perform challenging music for appreciative audiences?