Spring Concerts

April 16-17, 2016

ABOUT THE CONCERT

We will sing, hum, whisper, speak, and exclaim works by some of the most famous modern and contemporary composers, including an excerpt from Meredith Monk’s opera “Atlas”, and an early work by Arvo Pärt, “Solfeggio”, along with other works by American, Scandinavian, and Baltic composers.  We’ll strive to give you an ear-opening experience with works by Robert Ashley, Ernst Toch, John Cage, and others.  The John Cage piece (“ear for EAR”) is not what you might expect—it’s a simple, beautiful, and haunting call & response chant.

The centerpiece of the spring program will be “Nereocystis III”, a new piece for mixed voices, kelp horn, and electronics that the choir has commissioned from Bay Area composer Krystyna Bobrowski.   Krys is a Bay Area professor of music at the College of San Mateo, performer on French Horn and instruments she designs and builds (such as the Gliss Glass and Kelp Horn), improviser with Vorticella and other Bay Area musicians, composer, and sound artist.

Krys writes, “In 1979, oceanographer Dr. Sylvia Earle became the first person to walk solo on the ocean floor. The text for the piece is derived from an interview with Dr. Earle conducted by Krista Tippett for the radio program On Being, June, 2012. In the interview, Dr. Earle describes her historic 1,250-foot descent to the bottom of the sea. Her description is poetic, full of wonder, and at times otherworldly; yet her work is clearly rooted in scientific research and the desire to understand and protect our natural world. Nereocystis III similarly attempts to synthesize various elements, combining melodic fragments and rhythmic phrases with ambient textures and electronic elements. The score mixes traditional Western music notation with experimental graphic notation, and the compositional structures invite the musicians to create, individually and collectively, a unique sonic landscape.”

WHERE AND WHEN

Saturday, April 16   8:00  PM

Palo Alto

All Saints Episcopal Church
555 Waverley St.
Palo Alto, CA 94301

Sunday, April 17  7:00 PM

Berkeley

St Mark’s Episcopal Church
2300 Bancroft Way
Berkeley, CA 94704

 

THE PROGRAM

Der Frühling (from Tag des Jahrs) …   Kaija Saariaho
Chanson à bouche fermée … Jean Alain
Earth Seen from Above (from Atlas) … Meredith Monk
Nereocystis III …  Krystyna Bobrowski
Story (from Living Room Music) …  John Cage
ear for EAR: Antiphones …  John Cage
She was a visitor … Robert Ashley
Der Winter (from Tag des Jahrs) …  Kaija Saariaho
Solfeggio …  Arvo Pärt
Kutse jaanitulele II (from Jaanilaulud [St. John’s Day Songs]) …  Veljo Tormis
Deo gratias … Urmas Sisask