Program Notes for Laudate Coeli, Dec 5–7

Laudate Coeli

Songs of Light in Winter’s Deep

Friday, December 5, 2025, 7:30pm, San Francisco
Saturday, December 6, 2025, 7:30pm, Palo Alto
Sunday, December 7, 2025, 4pm, Berkeley

This concert—Laudate Coeli (Praise, O heavens)—gathers music that finds light in the heart of winter. It brings together composers separated by centuries but linked by a shared fascination with the Baroque: its balance of clarity and complexity, its ability to make devotion sound luminous.

Charpentier and Buxtehude represent that world in its original form—one shaped by expressive counterpoint and elegant craft. Distler, Brahms, and Saint-Saëns, writing long after the Baroque had passed, looked back to it as a source of renewal. Each reinterprets its language for a new time: Distler through lean, modern austerity; Brahms through Romantic depth and structure; Saint-Saëns through lyricism and grace. Heard in sequence, these works form a kind of setting: the Baroque pieces at the center gleam like a gem, surrounded by later reflections that refract their light in different ways—through rhythm, harmony, and texture.

Heard together, they form a conversation across centuries about how music can praise, comfort, and illuminate. They remind us that the impulse toward light—whether expressed in exuberant choral sound or in quiet reflection—remains one of the most enduring human themes.

Hugo Distler (1908–1942)

Es ist ein Ros entsprungen, Op. 10 no. 1 (1933)

Hugo Distler belonged to a generation that sought to renew sacred music by looking backward—not in nostalgia, but in search of integrity and clarity. Working in Lübeck, the same city once home to Buxtehude, he found inspiration in the transparent counterpoint and heartfelt simplicity of Heinrich Schütz and early Lutheran song.

This setting of Es ist ein Ros entsprungen opens his 1933 cycle Die Weihnachtsgeschichte, a sequence of short choral tableaux narrating the Nativity. Within that broader work, the chorale functions as both introduction and invocation—an austere prelude to the unfolding story. Distler creates a quietly dissonant texture by offsetting the voices against one another: each part moves in its own regular tempo, yet their entrances are staggered, producing a subtle rhythmic tension that feels both structured and free. The result is a modern echo of the early Lutheran motet—lucid, austere, and tender—turning a simple carol into a meditation on balance, order, and the quiet blossoming of hope in winter.

Johannes Brahms (1833–1897)

O Heiland, reiß die Himmel auf, Op. 74 no. 2 (c. 1863–64)

Brahms approached sacred texts with the same craftsmanship he brought to chamber and symphonic writing, transforming inherited forms rather than imitating them. In this motet, one of two that make up Opus 74, he reinterprets Bach’s choral idiom through Romantic harmony and weight.

The five verses of Friedrich Spee’s 17th-century poem unfold as a sequence of emotional contrasts—chorale-like statements interwoven with dense imitation and chromatic color. In the third verse, O Erd, schlag aus (O earth, break forth), Brahms introduces flowing triplet rhythms that animate the texture, depicting the earth breaking open and flowers springing up. The final verse rises from these gestures into a pure expression of praise: a radiant chain of “Alleluias” that gathers momentum and resolves in a luminous major chord.

For a relatively brief work, the motet traces a striking emotional arc—from supplication through awakening to joy.

Marc-Antoine Charpentier (1643–1704)

Magnificat, H. 80 and In nativitatem Domini canticum, H. 414

Charpentier’s music glows with the elegance of the French Baroque and the expressive warmth he absorbed in Rome from Giacomo Carissimi. Returning to Paris, Charpentier entered the service of the Guise family, whose household chapel became one of the city’s most active musical centers. The Guise were close patrons of the Jesuits, and many of Charpentier’s works from this period—including In nativitatem Domini canticum (1684)—were written for their devotional celebrations.

In nativitatem Domini canticum is a miniature Christmas oratorio: brief, luminous, and full of contrasts between narration, solo reflection, and joyful choral praise. It captures the season’s quiet wonder.

The later Magnificat, probably from the early 1690s, reflects Charpentier’s move toward the more formal liturgical world of the Sainte-Chapelle. Its alternating verses for soloists and chorus reveal a serene balance of emotion and craftsmanship. Both of the Charpentier works radiate clarity, tenderness, and a sense of light breaking through shadow—qualities that have made Charpentier’s sacred music beloved well beyond its 17th-century Catholic roots.

Dieterich Buxtehude (c. 1637–1707)

Das neugeborne Kindelein, BuxWV 13

Buxtehude was one of the great architects of the North-German Baroque—a composer whose music combined learned craft with a direct, joyful energy. Serving as organist at the Marienkirche in Lübeck, he created a body of sacred vocal and instrumental works that would shape the young J. S. Bach’s imagination for life.

Das neugeborne Kindelein (The newborn little child) sets the words of a familiar Christmas chorale by Cyriakus Schneegass. Rather than quoting the hymn tune, Buxtehude creates new melodic material, alternating choral verses with lively instrumental interludes that blend devotional gravity with dance-like vitality. The result is music of unguarded celebration: a festive welcome to light’s return at the heart of winter. Its rhythmic lift and contrapuntal brightness remind us that joy, too, can be a kind of prayer.

Camille Saint-Saëns (1835–1921)

Oratorio de Noël, Op. 12 (1858)

Composed in only two weeks for Christmas 1858, the Oratorio de Noël reveals Saint-Saëns’ youthful command of proportion and color. Scored for soloists, chorus, strings, harp, and organ, it unfolds in ten short movements that balance lyric intimacy with moments of striking power.

Though far more modest in scale than Bach’s Christmas Oratorio, Saint-Saëns shaped his own work in a similar sequence of scenes from the Nativity—beginning with the angelic announcement to the shepherds, passing through meditative and dramatic moments, and ending in communal rejoicing. The opening Prelude in pastoral 6/8 sets a mood of expectancy, its lilting rhythm evoking shepherds’ pipes and candlelight. The Christmas story then begins, but soon the calm gives way to contrast: “Quare fremuerunt gentes” (Why do the nations rage?) erupts with rhythmic drive and harmonic tension, momentarily darkening the scene. From that turbulence the music gathers brightness, culminating in “Tollite hostias”—a vigorous, resonant finale whose jubilant “Alleluias” ring out with unguarded joy. What began as inward meditation ends in celebration. If the Baroque oratorio sought grandeur, Saint-Saëns achieves radiance through proportion and clarity—a Romantic tribute both to Bach’s architecture and to the season’s sense of renewal.

From Charpentier’s luminous balance to Buxtehude’s exuberant joy, and from Distler’s meditative clarity to Saint-Saëns’ graceful warmth, our program, Laudate Coeli, celebrates the enduring vitality of the Baroque spirit. Across centuries, these composers found in counterpoint and chorale the means to express awe, tenderness, and hope—sentiments that transcend any single faith or tradition, and that continue to speak to every listener as the year turns toward light.

Their shared language is movement itself: Distler’s offset rhythms, Brahms’s moment of blossoming triplets, Saint-Saëns’ sudden turbulence and radiant close, and the dance rhythms that animate Charpentier and Buxtehude. Through these patterns of movement, each composer finds a different path toward renewal and hope.

~ Patricia Jennerjohn

Meet Our Soloists for Laudate Coeli, Dec 5–7

Laudate Coeli

Songs of Light in Winter’s Deep

Friday, December 5, 2025, 7:30pm, San Francisco
Saturday, December 6, 2025, 7:30pm, Palo Alto
Sunday, December 7, 2025, 4pm, Berkeley

Soprano Rita Lilly has been lauded by The New York Times for “possessing a voice of strength, clarity, and virtuosity” and by the S.F. Classical Voice for “a pure, silvery voice with plenty of color.” She has been a featured artist with the American Boychoir, American Classical Orchestra, Artek, Berkeley Early Music Festival, Clarion Music Society, Folger Consort, Gotham Early Music series, Ojai Music Festival, and ¡Sacabuche!, among others. As the soprano of the Waverly Consort, she toured throughout the U.S. and abroad, including performances at Alice Tully Hall and Town Hall in NY. Rita has been featured on live broadcasts on WNYC, WNCN, National Public Radio, and Radio-Canada.

Rita is a frequent soloist with some of the finest SF Bay Area groups such as the Albany Consort, American Bach Soloists, Bay Choral Guild, California Bach Society, Chora Nova, Marin Baroque, Marin Oratorio, San Francisco Bach Choir, Soli Deo Gloria, Sonoma Bach, and Vallejo Choral Society.  She has been featured on the EMI, Musical Heritage, Naxos and Newport Classic labels. 

Rita has been the Music Director at St. Jerome Catholic Church, Mills College Choir, and Lafayette Christian Church. She was on the faculty of the Pacific Boychoir Academy, directed Sorella Girls Chorus, and is the vocal instructor and coach for the SFEMS Baroque Summer Workshop and other vocal workshops in the Bay Area. She is the new Music Director of Westminster Presbyterian Church in Belvedere and maintains an active vocal studio in her home.

Mezzo-soprano Mindy Ella Chu has been praised for her “expressive vigor” and “liquid ornaments” (SF Chronicle). She made her international solo debut performing John Rutter’s Magnificat and Handel’s Messiah in Japan (2015). Specializing in baroque and contemporary music, Mindy has performed as soloist in concerts at PMF Japan (2015), Carmel Bach Festival’s mainstage mezzo-soprano (2017), and Salzburg Festival (2023). 

In Opera, Mindy performed in Monteverdi’s Orfeo on tour (Apollo’s Fire), Campra’s Le Carnaval De Venise where she understudied main role Leonoré (BEMF), as Une Prêtresse in Desmerst’s Circé (BEMF), as Dido in Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas (Voices of Music), and as Ambassador in new opera Song of the Ambassadors (Derrick Skye). 

Mindy has worked with groups such as Quicksilver, The Thirteen, Bach Collegium San Diego, and BEMF Chamber Opera Series. She is currently on a world tour of Schütz’s Musikalische Exequien staged by Peter Sellars. Mindy has been heard live on BBC Radio 3, KUSC, and WQXR NYC. She has worked with Arvo Pärt, David Lang, Gustavo Dudamel, Nicholas McGegan, and Masaaki Suzuki. Her solo mezzo-soprano recordings can be found on Hyperion Records (Fauré Ave Maria Op. 67, No.2, Yale Schola Cantorum), Apple Music (Duruflé Requiem Pie Jesu, Stanford University), and Nine Bethany Swann Songs, for High Voice & Piano Trio Op. 18 by Daniel Carr (MSR Classics, YouTube). Mindy holds an MM in Early Music from Yale University.  

Tenor Corey Head specializes in early music with a special affinity to J.S. Bach. His solo concert performances include The Evangelist in Bach’s St. John Passion, as well as tenor soloist in his Magnificat, Christmas Oratorio, B-Minor Mass, and many of his cantatas. Other oratorio roles include Uriel in Haydn’s Creation, “The Evening” in Telemann’s Die Tageszeiten, and tenor soloist in Handel’s Messiah. 

Corey last appeared with CBS as tenor soloist in the Biber Requiem and Steffani Stabat Mater. He has also performed solos in Mozart’s Requiem, Orff’s Carmina Burana, Britten’s Rejoice in the Lamb, William Boyce’s Solomon: A Serenata, Handel’s Acis and Galatea, Beethoven’s Mass in C Major, and Mozart’s C Minor Mass.

Operatic performances include the roles of Ferrando in Mozart’s Così Fan Tutte, Damon in Handel’s Acis and Galatea, and Mordocai in Cristiano Lidarti’s Hebrew setting of Esther. Corey has performed as soloist with many San Francisco Bay Area groups including Albany Consort, Bay Choral Guild, Chora Nova, Marin Baroque, Marin Oratorio, Marin Symphony, San Francisco Choral Society, San Francisco Renaissance Voices, San Francisco Symphony, Stanford Choirs and Orchestras, and Viva La Musica. He performs regularly in the chorale with Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra and Chorale.

Bass-baritone Chung-Wai Soong has sung in opera and concert in the US and Australia, including the San Francisco Symphony, San Francisco Opera, New York Philharmonic, Victoria State Opera, American Bach Soloists, and Philharmonia Baroque. He last appeared with CBS in the Fauré Requiem and Bach Mass in B minor.

Chung-Wai’s versatile repertoire includes world premieres: David Chesworth’s Sabat Jesus, Lisa Bielawa’s groundbreaking streaming opera Vireo, and Meira Warshauer’s Elijah’s Violin. He has been a featured soloist in works by Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, Dvořák, Duruflé, and Handel. He also sang Schumann’s Dichterliebe at the Melbourne International Festival, broadcast live nationally on ABC. 

Chung-Wai has performed with the San Francisco Symphony as Mityukha (Boris Godunov), in Stravinsky’s Svadebka, and in Beethoven’s Choral Fantasy under Kurt Masur, also performed at Ojai Festival under Jeremy Denk. Other roles include Alidoro (La Cenerentola), Melchior (Amahl and the Night Visitors), the title role in Il Ducato - The New Mikado (Lamplighters Music Theatre). Recent and upcoming roles include  Benoit/Alcindoro (La Bohéme - Hawaii Opera Theatre), Christus (Bach St. John Passion - San Francisco Bach Choir), Raphael/Adam (Haydn’s The Creation - UC Berkeley), Dottore Grenvil (La Traviata - Festival Opera), Imperial Commissioner (Madama Butterfly - Opera San José), Mozart Requiem (Grace Cathedral), Il Bonzo (Madama Butterfly - Pocket Opera).

Program notes for Cori Spezzati, Oct 3–5

Cori Spezzati

The Spatial Art of Split-Choir Sound

Our season opens today with a celebration of the cori spezzati (“broken choirs”) tradition. This polychoral style arose in what is now northern Italy in the late 15th century and flourished in the centuries that followed, most famously at St. Mark’s Basilica in Venice. The style, whose major practitioners include Adrian Willaert (c. 1490–1562) and Giovanni Gabrieli (1557?–1612), grew out of traditional psalm-singing, in which two antiphonal choirs sing successive verses of plainchant in turn. Like many genres within the Classical idiom, however, it steadily evolved in complexity and grandeur.

By the early 16th century, two maniere (“styles” or “modes”) of polychoral singing had been established, both preserving the original plainchants. The first involved the alternation of polyphonically sung verses with plainchant—a blend of ancient psalmody and modern polyphonic style. The second involved the alternation of choral verses between both choirs, consisting of three to five voices, with no overlap between them. These techniques took hold among a collection of French and Flemish composers who emigrated to northern Italy in the early 16th century—as well as the native Italians with whom they intermingled—including not only Willaert, but Francesco Santacroce (c. 1478–c. 1556), Jachet de Mantoue (1483–1559), Ruffino Bartolucci (c. 1490–c. 1532), Dominique Phinot (c. 1510–c. 1556), and Jan Nasco (c. 1510–1561). This group made the leap to the third maniera by overlapping the end of one choir’s verse with the other choir’s next entrance before bringing them together in dense, eight-voice polyphony at the conclusion of each motet. This mature style soon spread widely—both geographically and to sacred texts outside the Psalms.

Born in Flanders, Willaert moved to Italy in the mid-1510s, eventually entering the service of the famous Este family in Ferrara. In 1527, he was appointed maestro di cappella at San Marco, a position he held for the last thirty-five years of his life. It was there that he began writing the grand double-choir motets of the third maniera. This fact, combined with the Basilica’s unique architecture—specifically, its opposing choir lofts—gave rise to the enduring assumption that Willaert wrote such settings for spatially separated choirs, though there is no actual evidence to support this. Still, San Marco rightly maintains its reputation as the epicenter of the spezzati style’s evolution in the century that followed. The first two works on today’s program come from Giovanni Gabrieli—who himself served at the Basilica for the last thirty years of his life—and his student Heinrich Schütz (1585–1672). Through Schütz, among others, the polychoral style spread to the German-speaking world. Schütz’s influence fell upon later composers like Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750), whose own polychoral psalm settings later inspired Felix Mendelssohn (1809–1847). Our final concert of the season will feature Mendelssohn’s double-choir setting of Psalm 2, alongside settings by Schütz and others, so today represents the start of a season-long journey from the origins of this tradition through the centuries of its evolution and influence.

Gabrieli’s Sacrae Symphoniae of 1597 is a collection of sixty-one pieces for various choirs of instruments and voices. The scale of these works—some scored for as many as three five-part choirs—attests to the musical forces available at the Basilica. Like many of Gabrieli’s sonatas in this collection, his Canzon per sonar duodecimi toni opens with a long-short-short figure of repeated notes that echoes through Choir I (voiced today by strings of the viol and violin families) before Choir II (a cornett and three sackbuts) interjects and pulls the whole ensemble into a triple-time dance. Following a return to duple time, Choir II takes up the opening motive again before transforming it in various ways. Later on, the two bass instruments anchoring each choir engage in a lively dialogue before the opening section returns to close the piece.

Gabrieli spent the last three years of his life teaching a young Heinrich Schütz, and Schütz’s work bears the footprints both of Gabrieli’s teaching and of the great musical changes that were afoot in Europe at the time, including an expanded harmonic palette, use of basso continuo, and gestures toward modern tonality. His Singet dem Herrn ein neues Lied imitates Gabrieli’s alternating passages of polyphony and homophony and flexible use of choral exchange. Schütz ventures beyond his teacher’s style, however, in his use of madrigalisms—such as his depictions of trumpets, trombones, and natural imagery—and heavy chromaticism. Schütz hews to tradition in the doxology, restating the opening material, bringing the two choirs together, and ending with a sustained plagal cadence.

Born sometime around 1510 in one of the French-speaking realms, Dominique Phinot evidently made his way to Italy in the early 1530s. By the 1540s, if not earlier, he entered the employ of the Duke of Urbino, gaining fame as maestro di cappella there. His setting of the Lamentations of Jeremiah is firmly rooted in the third maniera, though he displays a rare genius in the variation he obtains within it. Comprising six short movements, the work is a palindrome of sorts; movements I and VI, II and V, and III and IV all mirror each other in various ways. The opening entrances of the outer movements quote each other, as do the closing sequences of the second and fifth movements.

Phinot reserves his most striking writing, however, for the two middle movements, isolating the treble voices in movement III and the bass voices in movement IV to create delicate webs of polyphony in close harmony. This arresting diversion from Phinot’s otherwise traditional canvas of antiphonal polychorality fittingly forms the core of the Lamentations, expressing its most desolate passages:

We have become orphans, fatherless;
     our mothers are like widows. 
We must pay for the water we drink;
     the wood we get must be bought. 
With a yoke on our necks we are hard driven; 
     we are weary, we are given no rest. 
We have given the hand to Egypt, 
     and to Assyria, to get bread enough.

In 1550, the Venetian publisher and composer Antonio Gardano issued a landmark collection of settings of the psalms commonly sung during Vespers services. The lion’s share of the music contained in this collection is by Willaert and Jachet, though it also includes works by Phinot and others. As these settings, adhering to tradition, are all based on their psalm’s plainchant, the sonic language each employs is primarily dictated by the mode of each psalm tone. We must therefore resist the modern expectations of tonal harmony as we listen. The Beati omnes collaboration between Jachet and Phinot, for instance, sounds somber to our modern ears, yet its text is full of joy, all of which is contained in a single, brilliant A major chord sounding just before the doxology. This fleeting moment vanishes with the very next tactus, as we revert to the chant melody’s dark fourth tone. Conversely, Willaert’s De profundis—setting one of the most desperate biblical texts—sounds bright and optimistic to us today. 

The next portion of our program consists of selections from this monumental collection. The first is Willaert’s Credidi, propter quod locutus sum, performed today not with voices, but by strings and winds alone. While there is little contemporary documentation of performance practices of this music, nothing about the known forces at San Marco or the musical ethos of the time would have prohibited such a performance. Even absent human voices, Willaert’s compelling contrapuntal writing, shimmering blocks of homophony, tasteful dashes of harmonic adventurism, and inexorable build to the final “Amen” hold up brilliantly. Willaert treats this motet’s fourth tone rather differently here, destabilizing it through deft use of musica ficta and unexpected plagal moves.

We then come to Jachet and Phinot’s remarkable Beati omnes – composed, like the other collaborative motets in this compilation, in the second maniera. It is not known whether Jachet (best known as Jacquet of Mantua) and Phinot composed their joint motet in person or via correspondence between Mantua and Pesaro, but to Beati omnes Jachet contributed Choir I (the odd-numbered verses of Psalm 128), while Phinot contributed Choir II (the even verses). Notable in this setting is Phinot’s introduction of an ear-tweaking modal shift at “et videas bona Jerusalem.” The doxology contains a nod to earlier generations of Franco-Flemish composers with the insertion of a quinta vox that echoes the chant melody in canon. Choir I’s material will be performed by a solo quartet today – a practice consistent with Sanmarcan tradition and preserved in Schütz’s later compositions for coro favorito and cappella. 

We then present another collaborative work, Jachet and Willaert’s Nisi Dominus, performed again by our Renaissance band. This setting of Psalm 127 is marked by persistent syncopation, even in the doxology, which features another canon. This portion of our program then concludes with a trio of motets by Willaert drawn from the final section of Gardano’s anthology. De Profundis stands out for its rich harmonies, effectuated by Willaert’s liberal use of ficta. Additionally, there are several elided cadences at choral exchanges, providing fleeting moments of dense polyphony. In convertendo Dominus follows in this same vein. Its opening triple-meter section, featuring both choirs in turn, suggests the dancing of the Israelites upon their homecoming from the Babylonian captivity. The rising motion that opens the chant melody predominates throughout, including a Baroque-style dotted ascending line in the bass of Choir II. Domine probasti me begins as Nisi Dominus’s opposite—stubbornly homophonic—though it eventually gives way to a series of duets between various pairs of voices, again hearkening back to the early Franco-Flemish composers. Its prevailing homophony then returns before the customary concluding eight-part polyphony. This work, sampling techniques spanning the first century of development of the spezzati idiom, is a fitting end to this portion of our program.

Two centuries after Willaert and his contemporaries brought the polychoral tradition to its first maturity, J.S. Bach penned some of the greatest examples of its evolved form. We close today’s program with perhaps the grandest of these, Singet dem Herrn ein neues Lied. Unlike the other works on today’s program, Bach’s opens with a joyful introduction deploying all eight voices. The second section features more traditional antiphonal exchanges, followed by a series of canonic duets in perhaps another nod to the Franco-Flemish School. The quintessentially Baroque second half of this first movement takes the form of an extended accompanied fugue, featuring the transfer of a melismatic subject across every part and ending with a partial recapitulation of the opening material.

The second movement—a chorale harmonization punctuated by a more florid four-part “aria” sung by our solo quartet—recalls the coro favorito–cappella texture codified by Schütz. The third and final movement then begins in the unexpected key of E-flat Major. Choirs I and II open the movement trading nearly homophonic material, but as these exchanges accelerate, the choirs come together before uniting for a concluding gigue-like fugue. Bach therefore brings the motet—and our program—to a close like the other works on today’s program: with clarity and climactic convergence.

by Nate Widelitz

CBS Announces Nate Widelitz As New Artistic Director

We are thrilled to announce that Nate Widelitz has been appointed as the new artistic director of the California Bach Society.

Nate Widelitz

Nate brings to CBS a deep passion for early music, a collaborative spirit, and an artistic sensibility grounded in both scholarship and performance. His values resonate fully with CBS’s long-standing identity—where our core focus on Baroque repertoire blends with adventures in Renaissance, Romantic, and modern works, brought to life with care and curiosity.

Before joining CBS, Nate served as the associate director of Choral Activities and visiting instructor of Choral Music Education at Millikin University in Decatur, Illinois, where he directed both the Collegiate Chorale and Treble Choir. He is also the founding director of the Five Cities Baroque Foundation & Festival, which he launched to create immersive early music experiences that unite musicians and audiences in regional communities.

His previous appointments include assistant conductor of both the Yale Glee Club and the Pacific Chorale, along with extensive performing and educational work with the Los Angeles Master Chorale, where he sang as both a soloist and a core ensemble member in partnership with the Los Angeles Philharmonic.

Nate holds degrees in Choral Conducting from Yale University (MM) and the University of Southern California (BM, Vocal Arts, summa cum laude), and he was a Fulbright Scholar at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences. He is currently completing his Doctor of Musical Arts in Choral Conducting at Yale and is expected to receive the degree in October of this year.

We are proud to welcome Nate to the CBS family. His appointment affirms our commitment to artistic excellence and thoughtful programming—and opens a new chapter in our shared musical journey. We look forward to introducing you to Nate’s leadership in the 2025–2026 season and beyond.

As we look forward, we also extend our heartfelt thanks to the exceptional artists who guided us through this past season.

We are deeply grateful to Dr. Magen Solomon, our interim artistic director for the 2024–2025 season, and to Derek Tam, guest conductor for our December concert set, for their leadership, encouragement, and artistic integrity during this year of change. Their care, creativity, and spirit of collaboration shaped a season of depth and continuity, helping CBS navigate a time of transition with grace and generosity.

An innovative teacher, conductor, and champion of new music, Dr. Solomon brought decades of expertise in early and contemporary repertoire to CBS. Her extensive experience with leading ensembles across the country—and her lifelong dedication to engaging audiences, performers, and composers—brought wisdom, warmth, and a steady artistic hand to CBS during this interim period.

Derek Tam, praised for his deft conducting and thoughtful musicianship, brought elegance and insight to our December performances. As a key figure in the Bay Area early music scene, his presence helped reinforce CBS’s place within a thriving community of historically informed performance.

With gratitude, we thank them both for helping CBS move forward with confidence and clarity.

Meet Our Soloists for Brilliant Bach, May 2–4

BRILLIANT BACH

Borrowings and Transformations
May 2–4, 2025

Soprano Helene Zindarsian is admired for a voice that “goes straight to the heart of the listener.” A native San Franciscan, she made her professional debut as the soprano soloist in Mahler’s Des Knaben Wunderhorn with the San Francisco Ballet Company, after being “discovered” in Italy during an impromptu performance in a Sienese palazzo. Her Italian love affair continues in Sicily, where she is a regular guest artist with Filarmonica Laudamo, one of Italy’s most historic concert music societies.

A frequent soloist with Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra, Helene has been featured in Campra’s Requiem, Rameau’s Grand Motet, Handel’s Samson, Bach’s Christmas Oratorio, Vivaldi’s Gloria, Purcell’s Dioclesian, and Beethoven’s Choral Fantasy. Other solo highlights include Vaughan Williams’s Dona Nobis Pacem and Serenade to Music, Mozart’s Requiem, Haydn’s The Seasons and Lord Nelson Mass, Monteverdi’s Vespers of 1610, Handel’s Apollo and Daphne, Bach’s Magnificat, Cantata 131, and Missa Brevis in G Major, Faure’s Requiem, Berlioz’s Les nuits d’été, and Strauss’s Four Last Songs. She continues to enjoy longtime relationships with other local ensembles including American Bach Soloists, Cantata Collective, Marin Baroque, Marin Symphony, Marin Oratorio, and the San Francisco Symphony Chorus.

Filipino countertenor Kyle Sanchez Tingzon has been praised for his "powerful countertenor" (The Wall Street Journal) and "lovely, plummy voice" (Opera Today). Kyle appeared as soloist in last year’s California Bach Society concerts of the Biber Requiem, Steffani Stabat Mater, and Bach’s B Minor Mass. 

Other recent performances include work with American Bach Soloists, Philharmonia Baroque Chorale, his soloist debut with Pacific Opera Project in the US premiere of Vivaldi's Ercole su'l Termodonte, his debut with Tacoma Opera  in the world premiere of Tacoma Method, and his debut in Handel’s Rinaldo with Detroit Opera and The Glimmerglass Festival.

In 2022, Kyle completed his graduate and postgraduate studies in vocal performance, with a historical performance emphasis, at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, studying under César Ulloa. While there, he made role debuts in Handel’s Giulio Cesare in Egitto (in the title role) and Monteverdi’s L’incoronazione di Poppea (as Ottone).

For eleven years, tenor Ben Pattison served as a musical diplomat with the U.S. Army Band, “Pershing’s Own,” performing for numerous heads of state and seven U.S. Presidents. He is the founder and host of Folks’ Music (folksmusic.org), an online series that celebrates communities and their cultures through music.

Some favorite performances include broadcasts to the International Space Station, PBS specials with the American Pops Orchestra (Wicked in Concert, United in Song), Super Bowl 50, the 2019 MLB World Series, the 10th World Symposium on Choral Music in Seoul, and appearances with the National Symphony Orchestra at Carnegie Hall and the Kennedy Center. He was also a finalist in the Kurt Weill Foundation’s Lotte Lenya Competition and spent four summers at Brevard Music Center and the Janiec Opera Company.

In addition to his performing roles, Ben spent six years as a site director with the elementary school music nonprofit, noteBUSTERS. He recently directed the Middle School Band at the Waldorf School of the Peninsula. Next week, he joins Maestra Solomon and the San Francisco Bach Choir for Mozart’s Requiem and Marianna Martines’ Mass #2.

Bass-baritone Ari Nieh began singing professionally while studying mathematics at UC Berkeley. After finishing her doctorate, she earned a master of music in historical performance from Longy School of Music. In 2024, she returned to the Bay Area, where her current season includes concerts with Philharmonia Baroque, California Bach Society, and Artists' Vocal Ensemble.

Ari's past oratorio solo highlights include Handel's Messiah and Bach's Magnificat with the Byrd Ensemble and Seattle Baroque Orchestra, as well as Bach's St. John Passion with Ensemble Musica Humana. Her favorite stage roles span many centuries, including Theseus in Britten's A Midsummer Night's Dream, Sir Joseph Porter in H.M.S. Pinafore, Medoro in Handel's Orlando, and Devil in the Ordo Virtutum by Hildegard von Bingen. 

A seasoned chorister, Ari has also performed with Seattle's Byrd Ensemble; Philharmonia Baroque, AVE, and Volti in the Bay Area; The Thirteen in Washington, DC; and GRAMMY-nominated True Concord Voices and Orchestra in Tucson. As a church musician, she has been a staff singer at Church of the Advent and Grace Cathedral.

Jubilate Baroque Orchestra has been a fixture of the Bay Area early music scene for 35 years. Originally known as Magnificat Baroque Orchestra, Jubilate was formed in 1989 to provide period instrument accompaniment for Bay Area choirs and other arts organizations. In that capacity, Jubilate has given hundreds of performances with dozens of professional and community choirs, churches, and opera companies. In Spring 2023, Jubilate became a program of the San Francisco Early Music Society, allowing it to continue serving the community for many years to come.

Program notes for Brilliant Bach, May 2–4

BRILLIANT BACH

Borrowings and Transformations
May 2–4, 2025

The works on our Brilliant Bach program highlight the expressive range and stylistic breadth of Bach’s choral writing. His music speaks across centuries — regardless of belief — through its emotional force, formal clarity, and architectural beauty. These pieces offer not only spiritual depth, but a deeply human experience of reflection, wonder, and joy.

Today's program presents three choral works from different phases of Bach’s life. Each reveals a different facet of his approach to sacred music — early chorale-based counterpoint, festive adaptation, and polychoral writing.

Missa Brevis in G major, BWV 236 - Borrowings

Bach’s Missa Brevis in G major is one of four short masses that set only the Kyrie and Gloria, portions of the Latin Mass retained in Lutheran liturgy. Likely compiled in the late 1730s, these masses draw on movements from earlier Leipzig cantatas. Though Leipzig services were conducted in German, these Latin settings may have been intended for more cosmopolitan contexts, such as Dresden, where Latin remained in courtly use.

Bach used parody technique to adapt movements from cantatas BWV 17, 79, 138, and 179 to fit the Latin Mass text. This process involved more than simply changing the words; Bach reshaped vocal lines and phrasing to suit new meanings, creating a unified sacred work from diverse sources.

Some movements reflect the stylistic brightness of the galant style, with tuneful melodies and elegant phrasing that suggest Bach’s awareness of changing musical tastes. This blend of older counterpoint and a more modern style lends the work both gravitas and charm.

• Kyrie – Adapted from BWV 179, the movement unfolds in calm imitative counterpoint. Its serene, even somber, texture underscores the plea for mercy.

• Gloria – Presented in six sections:

• Gloria in excelsis Deo – A jubilant chorus adapted from BWV 79, with vigorous orchestral writing.

• Gratias agimus tibi – A lively bass solo from BWV 138, animated by flowing lines and a virtuosic melisma on the word gloria.

• Domine Deus – A supple and gracious duet for soprano and alto from BWV 79, blending expressiveness with elegance.

• Quoniam tu solus sanctus – A tenor solo from BWV 179, shaped with lyrical phrasing and gentle rhythmic motion.

• Cum Sancto Spiritu – A joyful fugue from BWV 17, with energetic counterpoint bringing the mass to a vibrant close.

Though more modest than the Mass in B Minor, this Missa Brevis distills Bach’s sacred style into a compact and expressive form.

Der Geist hilft unser Schwachheit auf, BWV 226

Composed in 1729 for the funeral of Johann Heinrich Ernesti, this double-choir motet combines polychoral texture with expressive clarity. Despite its somber occasion, the music celebrates the sustaining power of the Holy Spirit with vitality and transparency.

The first movement sets a passage from Romans 8 in graceful triple meter. Antiphonal exchanges between choirs give way to a unifying fugue, bringing all voices together and symbolizing the Spirit’s unifying strength.

The second movement, Der aber die Herzen forschet, is a four-voice double fugue. Two contrasting subjects — one rising, one falling — are developed and then combined, reflecting the theme of divine insight into the human heart.

The work closes with a simple chorale: Du heilige Brunst, süßer Trost. In homophonic style, it brings the motet to a serene and reassuring conclusion.

Transformations

Before turning to Bach’s Christ lag in Todesbanden, we present several earlier versions of the chorale tune that inspired it. The sequence begins with the plainchant Victimae paschali laudes, followed by Christ ist erstanden, in a setting by Bartholomäus Gesius (c.1562–1613), and two versions of Christ lag in Todesbanden by Johann Walther (1494–1570) and Lucas Osiander (1534–1604). These works chart the evolution of the tune from chant to chorale and set the stage for Bach’s expressive reimagining in BWV 4.

Christ lag in Todesbanden, BWV 4

This early cantata, likely written in 1707 or 1708, was almost certainly intended for Easter. Based on Martin Luther’s hymn of the same name, it offers a meditation on the themes of death, redemption, and resurrection. Though modeled on the older chorale motet tradition, it already displays Bach’s emerging voice and emotional depth.

The cantata opens with a serious Sinfonia whose harmonies and pacing establish a mood of solemnity and reflection. The chorale melody is already present, foreshadowing its central role in the work.

Verse 1 introduces the tune in the soprano line, with imitative counterpoint below. The alla breve “Halleluja” section adds urgency — more anxious than celebratory.

Verses 2–4 form a dramatic progression:

• Verse 2, a duet for sopranos and altos, evokes a sense of entrapment. The lines are tightly knit, suspended, and harmonically tense.

• Verse 3, for tenors, marks a turning point. The vocal line gains motion and lift, reflecting the proclamation that Christ has broken death’s grip.

• Verse 4, for full chorus, vividly depicts the battle between Life and Death. The altos hold the chorale tune while the other voices engage in animated fugal lines drawn from the same melody. The music builds to a triumphant unified “Halleluja.”

Verses 5–7 complete the emotional journey:

• Verse 5, for basses, powerfully affirms Christ as the Paschal Lamb with striking and wide-ranging vocal lines.

• Verse 6, a duet for sopranos and tenors, sparkles with triplets and dotted rhythms. Words like Sonne (sun) and Herz (heart) are painted with radiant musical gestures.

• Verse 7, a simple four-part chorale, concludes the cantata in quiet confidence. Its final “Halleluja” offers peace and resolution.

Throughout the cantata, the recurring “Halleluja” refrains shift in character—from restrained to exultant—mirroring the spiritual and emotional journey from death to resurrection.

Closing Reflections

This program traces a path through Bach’s sacred music, from the economical elegance of the Missa Brevis, through the polychoral vitality of Der Geist hilft, to the stark beauty of Christ lag in Todesbanden. Each work reflects a different dimension of Bach’s choral voice—his ability to unify structure and emotion, tradition and innovation.

Though rooted in religious tradition, this music resonates across boundaries. Its architecture, color, and depth speak to listeners in search of meaning, uplift, or simply beauty. The devotional becomes human; the spiritual, universal.

~ Pat Jennerjohn

Meet Our Soloists for From Tallis to Tavener, Feb 28–Mar 2

Elisabeth Reed, treble viol

Elisabeth Reed teaches Baroque cello, viola da gamba, and Baroque Ensemble at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music and at the University of California at Berkeley. Recent teaching highlights include master classes at the Juilliard School, the Shanghai Conservatory and Middle School, and the Royal Academy of Music. She is the director of the Voice of the Viol (a program of Voices of Music) and is a soloist and chamber musician with Voices of Music, Archetti, Pacific Musicworks, and Wildcat Viols. Elisabeth has appeared with the Smithsonian Chamber Players, the Seattle, Portland, Pacific, and Philharmonia Baroque Orchestras, and the American Bach Soloists. She has performed at the Boston Early Music Festival, the Berkeley Early Music Festival, the Valley of the Moon Festival, the Ohai Festival, the Whidbey Island Music Festival, and the San Luis Obispo Mozart Festival. She can be heard on the Virgin Classics, Naxos, Focus, Plectra, and Magnatunes recording labels and has many HD videos on the Voices of Music Youtube channel. She is a Guild- certified practitioner of the Feldenkrais Method of Awareness Through Movement, with a focus on working with musicians and performers.

Farley Pearce, tenor viol

Farley Pearce is a San Francisco musician who plays viols, violone, cello, and contrabass. He has performed with the Baroque orchestras of Vancouver, Portland, San Francisco, and Los Angeles, and is a member of the Voices of Music ensemble and the Sex Chordae Consort of Viols. He also has appeared with American Bach Society, Archetti, Magnificat!, Musica Pacifica, Marin Baroque, and the Albany Consort, as well as symphony orchestras in the Bay Area and the Spoleto Festival in Italy. His frequent recitals have featured old and new music for period contrabass as well as late 18th century music for viol and fortepiano.

David H. Miller, tenor viol

David H. Miller is a musicologist, a performer, and an Assistant Professor of Practice at the University of California, Berkeley, where he directs the University Baroque Ensemble. As a performer, he focuses on early bowed instruments (including the viola da gamba, violone, and Baroque double bass) and the music of the 16th, 17th, and 18th centuries. David has performed with the Handel and Haydn Society, Arcadia Players, Trinity Wall Street, and New York Baroque Incorporated, and collaborates often with Seven Times Salt. He holds a Ph.D. in musicology from Cornell University, and is a member of the American Musicological Society, the Society for American Music, the Viola da Gamba Society of America, and the Association of Anglican Musicians.

David Morris, bass viol and Baroque cello

David Morris has performed across the U.S., Canada, and Europe.  He is a member of Quicksilver and the Bertamo Trio and has been a continuo player for the Boston Early Music Festival since 2013.  He is a frequent guest performer on the New York State Early Music Association and Pegasus Early Music series and has performed with Tafelmusik, the Boston Symphony Orchestra, and the Mark Morris Dance Group. He has been a guest instructor in historical performance practice at Cornell University and Oberlin College and has recorded for Harmonia Mundi, CBC/Radio-Canada, and New Line Cinema.

Yuko Tanaka, organ

Yuko Tanaka, a native of Tokyo, Japan, is active as soloist and ensemble performer on harpsichord, fortepiano and chamber organ.  Yuko performs with ensembles including Bertamo Trio, Music of the Spheres, Archetti, Musica Pacifica, and has recorded with Moscow Chamber Orchestra and American Bach Soloists. She also performed with the San Francisco Symphony and the San Francisco Ballet Orchestra, and most recently with the Seattle Symphony performing Bach’s D major Harpsichord Concerto. For 15 years, Yuko was a soloist at the Carmel Bach Festival. Yuko directs Music Discovery Workshop (a program of San Francisco Early Music Society), maintains a private studio, conducts master classes, and appears as guest lecturer at various universities. Notable engagements include performances at the Frick Collection (New York City), Tage Alter Musik Regensburg (Germany) and the Istanbul International Music Festival. Yuko received a Doctor in Musical Arts (DMA) in early music from Stanford University and has studied with Margaret Fabrizio at Stanford University, Gustav Leonhardt in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, and Ketil Haugsand in Oslo, Norway.

Program notes for From Tallis to Tavener, Feb 28–Mar 2

English choral music has undergone a remarkable evolution since its medieval origins. Beginning with the monophonic Gregorian chants of the early Middle Ages, the tradition flourished with the development of polyphony in the later medieval period. The Renaissance era saw a golden age for English choral music, with composers like William Byrd and Thomas Tallis crafting intricate polyphonic works that balanced multiple independent vocal lines. The Baroque period brought new forms and styles, exemplified by Henry Purcell's expressive text-setting and melodic inventiveness. The 18th and 19th centuries saw the rise of choral festivals and the composition of large-scale works by Edward Elgar; while the early 20th century ushered in a distinctly English sound with Ralph Vaughan Williams and Gustav Holst incorporating folk melodies into their compositions. This period also saw Herbert Howells blending modern techniques with the English cathedral music tradition. In the latter half of the 20th century and into the 21st, composers like Benjamin Britten and John Tavener pushed boundaries with innovative harmonies and spiritual influences. Throughout this rich history, English choral music has consistently demonstrated an ability to evolve while maintaining a connection to its deep-rooted traditions.

Most of these composers are renowned for their large-scale choral works, but here we present a veritable treasure box of smaller gems for your musical delight. And we’ve sprinkled in a few surprises for you, namely, viol consort music from the Tudor and Jacobean eras.

In the late Renaissance and early Baroque, composers blurred the lines between vocal and instrumental music, especially for the viola da gamba. The viola da gamba’s expressive timbre closely mirrors the human voice, making it ideal for translating vocal music into instrumental form. Many composers of this era explicitly treated their works as interchangeable between voices and viols. Our guest artists will present fantasias, dance movements, and madrigals by William Byrd, John Wilbye, Giovanni Coperario, Thomas Tompkins, and Henry Purcell.

Thomas Tallis (c. 1505–1585) was a pivotal figure in English Renaissance music, serving under four Tudor monarchs. He composed numerous sacred works. Tallis's ability to adapt his compositional style to meet the changing religious demands of each monarch showcases his versatility and political acumen.

Although Tallis's mastery of polyphonic writing in the Renaissance style is well known, he also wrote simpler pieces as well. “O ye tender babes” is a didactic piece written in a very straightforward homophonic style, and the flexible, almost unmetered musical setting serves to focus on the words, which are an admonition to young people to turn their efforts towards education and virtue.

“Sumer is icumen in” (Anonymous)  is a medieval English round dating from the mid-13th century. It is one of the oldest known musical compositions. The song celebrates the arrival of summer with vivid imagery and lively lyrics. Structurally, it is designed for at least three voices to sing in a specific manner, with each voice starting at a different time. Its enduring popularity is evident in numerous modern performances and adaptations.

Imogen Holst (1907–1984), daughter of composer Gustav Holst, was a versatile musician who worked as a composer, arranger, conductor, and music educator. She composed choral works such as Three Psalms and arranged numerous folk songs. Notably, Holst served as Benjamin Britten's musical assistant and was an artistic director of the Aldeburgh Festival, playing a crucial role in promoting British music.

Holst was very interested in traditional English folk songs and arranged a number of them. “O Shepherd” and “My father gave me an acre of land” come from this rich tapestry of English pastoral folk music.

Sir Arthur Sullivan (1842–1900) is best known for his collaborations with W.S. Gilbert in comic operas, but he also composed significant choral works. Interestingly, Sullivan's hymn tune "St. Gertrude," commonly known as "Onward, Christian Soldiers," remains widely popular in hymnals today.

“Fair Daffodils” is a setting of a poem by the Elizabethan poet Robert Herrick. It was composed well before Arthur Sullivan was a “sir,” at the tender age of 15 (he was a very precocious child). Herrick’s poem was likely inspired by observing the short-lived bloom of daffodils in spring, using their fleeting beauty as a metaphor for the brevity of life. 

Sir Henry Bishop (1786–1855) was a prolific composer of English operas, glees, and songs, including the famous "Home, Sweet Home." As a choral composer, he wrote numerous part-songs and arranged traditional melodies. Bishop was the first British musician to be knighted, receiving the honor in 1842.

“Foresters, sound the cheerful horn,” a rollicking glee, is one of Bishop's best-known works. The piece draws inspiration from the traditional association of forests, hunting, and horn calls, while recalling the playful gods and goddesses portrayed in earlier English madrigals. 

William Turner (c. 1651–1740) was a prominent composer of the English Baroque period, known for his verse anthems and services. He composed over forty anthems, including "The Queen shall rejoice." Turner's long career at the Chapel Royal, spanning four monarchs, underscores his enduring influence on English sacred music.

“The Queen shall rejoice” is a celebratory anthem, written for the coronation of Queen Anne in 1702. It showcases the grandeur associated with English court music of the period.

Maurice Greene (1696–1755) was a prominent English composer and organist during the Georgian era. He held prestigious positions including organist at the Chapel Royal, professor of music at Cambridge University, and Master of the King's Musick. Greene's acknowledged masterpiece is the anthem "Lord, let me know mine end," which showcases his skill in polyphonic writing and use of expressive harmonies.

Henry Aldrich (1648–1710) was a versatile figure in 17th century Oxford, serving as dean of Christ Church and vice-chancellor of Oxford University. His compositions include full and verse anthems, as well as settings of canticles for Anglican services. 

“Out of the deep” is a verse anthem, a form that alternates between sections for full choir and passages sometimes sung by soloists.  The mood is quiet and yearning, with a recurring upward musical motif representing the words of this prayer rising up “out of the deep”.

Henry Purcell (1659–1695) is widely regarded as one of the greatest English composers. His compositions for the church include numerous anthems and service music. In addition to his sacred music, Purcell composed for the theater, writing incidental music, semi-operas, and the first important English opera, Dido and Aeneas. 

Purcell's "Cantate Domino" exemplifies his mastery of Baroque choral writing. This joyful setting of Psalm 98 features vibrant rhythms, word-painting, and contrasts between homophonic and polyphonic textures. 

Malcolm Singer (b. 1953) is a contemporary British composer and educator known for his diverse musical output. His choral works include Kaddish for choir and orchestra, and The Mask of Esther for children's choir. Singer's unique contribution to British music lies in his role as director of music at the Yehudi Menuhin School from 1998 to 2016, where he nurtured young musical talents and composed works that bridge classical and contemporary styles.

“Psalm 117,” composed in 1995, is set for double choir. It consists of only two verses; the composer exploits this constraint by combining long lyrical phrases and sections that explore the Hebrew language via intricate rhythmic patterns.

“The Agincourt Carol,” (Anonymous) also known as "Deo gratias Anglia," is a celebrated English folk song from the early 15th century, composed shortly after the Battle of Agincourt in 1415. This piece is one of the earliest examples of English carols and represents a significant milestone in the development of English polyphonic music. 

John Tavener (1944–2013) was a prominent figure in contemporary British classical music, known for his deeply spiritual compositions. His choral works, such as "The Lamb" and "Song for Athene" (famously performed at Princess Diana's funeral), are characterized by their mystical quality and Orthodox Christian influences. 

"The Lamb," composed in 1982,  is a setting of a poem by William Blake, the renowned English poet and artist. It features a simple, haunting melody that is passed between voice parts in a canon-like structure. 

Sir Edward Elgar (1857–1934) was one of the most celebrated English composers of his time. While best known for orchestral works like the Enigma Variations, Elgar also composed significant choral pieces, including "The Dream of Gerontius" and "The Music Makers." Elgar's importance in British music is underscored by his role in establishing an English national style that gained international recognition, bridging the gap between the Victorian era and 20th-century modernism.

"Ave Maria," Op. 2 No. 2, was composed in 1887. This early work exemplifies Elgar's rich, late-Romantic harmonic language. The piece features lush choral textures, with Elgar's characteristic long, arching melodic lines

Herbert Howells (1892–1983) was a key figure in 20th-century English church music. His choral compositions, including numerous settings of the Anglican service, are characterized by their rich harmonies and expressive depth. Howells' unique contribution lies in his ability to blend modern compositional techniques with the English cathedral music tradition, creating a distinctive sound that has profoundly influenced subsequent generations of British composers.

"My eyes for beauty pine" is a masterful anthem composed in 1925, to a text by Robert Bridges. Howells employs his characteristic rich harmonic language, including modal inflections and carefully crafted dissonances, to create a sense of yearning and transcendence. 

Benjamin Britten (1913–1976) was one of the most significant British composers of the 20th century. His choral output is extensive and varied, ranging from large-scale works like his War Requiem to smaller pieces like A Ceremony of Carols. His innovative approach to text setting and his ability to write accessible yet sophisticated music left a lasting impact on British musical culture.

"Concord" is the second choral dance from the opera Gloriana, composed in 1953 for the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II.

“Ballad of Green Broom” is part of Britten's "Five Flower Songs," Op. 47, composed in 1950. It is a lively, folk-inspired work that displays the composer’s wit and humor. The composition blends traditional elements with modern techniques, resulting in a work that is both accessible and sophisticated.

Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872–1958) was one of the most influential British composers of the 20th century. His work played a crucial role in establishing a distinctly English musical voice, drawing inspiration from folk songs and Tudor music. As a teacher at the Royal College of Music, he nurtured a new generation of composers, including Michael Tippett and Benjamin Britten, ensuring his legacy would continue to shape British classical music for decades to come.

"The Willow Song" is a setting of text from Shakespeare's Othello. Composed in 1913, it is part of his "Three Elizabethan Part Songs." The setting is tender and poignant, foreshadowing Desdemona's tragic fate. 

— Patrica Jennerjohn

Program notes for Gaudete, Dec 13–15

Our program's juxtaposition of Advent and Christmas text settings offers a unique opportunity to compare six centuries’ worth of composers’ settings of well-loved words of contemplation, wonder, and joy.  The ancient and medieval settings lay the foundation; the Renaissance and early Baroque works showcase clear polyphonic writing and modal harmonies; and their modern counterparts employ more complex harmonies, varied textures, and often a more intimate relationship between text and rhythm. Despite these differences, all the works richly evoke a contemplative, spiritual atmosphere. These pairings of old and new invite listeners to experience the timeless beauty of these texts through distinct musical lenses, separated by centuries yet united in their reverence for the subject matter: new life and renewed hope amid darkness.

Ave Maria: Gregorian Chant

The Gregorian chant setting of Ave Maria dates to the medieval period, likely originating between the 9th and 11th centuries. This monophonic melody has been a staple of Catholic liturgy and devotional practice for centuries. The chant setting uses the original Latin text of the Hail Mary prayer, its unadorned melodic line allowing the text to take precedence.

Three Carol-Anthems by Herbert Howells (1892–1983)

Written in his early maturity, Herbert Howells's Three Carol-Anthems represent a masterful blend of Renaissance-inspired polyphony and 20th-century harmonic language. As a university student, Howells had been sent to the new Westminster Cathedral, where Richard Terry was putting on pioneering performances of Renaissance polyphony.

Each of Howells’ settings is paired with a Renaissance counterpart.

 A Spotless Rose/Es ist ein Ros entsprungen, by Michael Pretorius (1571–1621)

A Spotless Rose is perhaps the most famous of Howells's Carol-Anthems. Its sweeping lines create an atmosphere that captures the mystery of the Incarnation of Jesus, with a plangent baritone solo at the heart of the piece. The sensuous final cadence of A Spotless Rose caused fellow composer Patrick Hadley to exclaim to Howells that “it [was] a stroke of genius. I should like, when my time comes, to pass away to that magical cadence.”

Praetorius's harmonization of Es ist ein Ros entsprungen offers a direct link to the piece's original Renaissance setting. His treatment is simple but inspired, and his setting is still sung today in English as Lo, How a Rose E’er Blooming.

Here is the Little Door/Magi veniunt ab oriente, by Jacobus Clemens non Papa (c. 1510–1555)

Howells's Here is the Little Door opens the set with a depiction of the Magi's arrival. The piece alternates between intimate simplicity and vivid outburst, mirroring the depiction of  Jesus’s birth and subsequent trials.

Clemens non Papa's "Magi veniunt ab oriente" provides a Renaissance perspective on the same theme. Clemens, a prolific Netherlandish composer of the mid-16th century, was known for his mastery of polyphonic writing. (He was called “non Papa” as a joke by his publisher, to distinguish him from Pope Clement VII.)

Sing Lullaby/Coventry Carol

Howells concludes his set with Sing Lullaby, a tender and hypnotic cradle song.

The Coventry Carol, arranged by Francis Melville (born 1995), provides a poignant Renaissance/modern contrast. This 16th-century lullaby, with its minor melody, comes from the Massacre of the Innocents narrative, in which King Herod ordered the killing of all infant males in a cruel search for the baby Jesus. 

There is no rose of swych vertu: Medieval Carol

There is no rose of swych vertu is a carol dating back to the early 15th century. The text, preserved in a manuscript at Trinity College, Cambridge (MS 0.3.58), blends Middle English and Latin in a devotional meditation on the Virgin Mary. This mixing of languages, known as macaronic verse, was a common feature in medieval religious poetry, serving both artistic and educational purposes.

There Is No Rose, from A Ceremony of Carols

Benjamin Britten (1913–1976) composed his setting of There Is No Rose as part of A Ceremony of Carols in 1942. This was one of several compositions written by Britten during his sea voyage in 1942 (he was returning from a rather unsuccessful sojourn in the United States during WWII). Originally scored for three-part treble chorus and harp, this program features an adaption for SATB voices and piano. There is a beautiful lilting quality to the accompaniment, with the voices expressing merriment at the prospect of meeting the baby Jesus.

Ein Kind ist uns geboren, by Heinrich Schütz (1585–1672)/A Child is Born, by Thad Jones (1923–1986)

Schütz's Ein Kind ist uns geboren (A Child is Born to Us) comes from his first collection of Kleine geistliche Konzerte  (Small Sacred Concertos, Op. 8), written in straitened circumstances during the Thirty Years’ War (1618–48). This intimate setting for four voices and basso continuo demonstrates the composer’s mastery of subtle vocal interplay.

Jones's jazz standard A Child is Born (1969) offers a contrasting perspective. Originally composed as an instrumental piece by trumpeter and band leader Thad Jones, its haunting and gentle melody is immediately captivating. Written in a 32-bar form in 3/4 time, it later acquired lyrics by Alec Wilder and is perhaps best known as a ballad performed by singer Tony Bennett and pianist Bill Evans.

O magnum mysterium, by Tomás Luis de Victoria (1548–1611)

One of the staples of Renaissance polyphony, Victoria’s justly famed setting employs smooth polyphony and subtle harmonic shifts to convey a sense of wonder and awe of the miracle of Jesus’s birth.

Quem vidistis pastores dicite, by Francis Poulenc (1899–1963)

Poulenc's Quem vidistis, from his Quatre Motets pour le Temps de Noël (1951–52), brings the listener to the shepherds’ fields, where the open plains are evoked with bright melodies accompanied by humming.

Videntes stellam, by Orlande de Lassus (1532–1594)

Videntes stellam (1562) is a prime example of Renaissance motet writing, with a bold rising motif at the beginning that seems to look up at the star and continues on with elegant, flowing lines.

Hodie Christus natus est, by Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck (1562–1621)

This motet is joyful and uninhibited.  It is a perfect exemplar of the early Italian-influenced Baroque style with its contrasting sections and varied choral textures.

Excerpts from Gaudete—traditional texts and melodies, arranged by Anders Öhrwall (1932–2012)

The Swedish conductor Anders Öhrwall was the director of music at Adolf Fredrik Church in Stockholm. Gaudete was composed for the Youth Choir of the Swedish Radio in 1962 to introduce Swedish Christmas music for mixed choir and instruments in settings suitable for all ages.

The melodies are from the Piae Cantiones, which was published in 1582 and includes 74 Latin and Swedish/Latin songs that were sung at the time in Scandinavian cathedral schools. Many of these carols, translated into English, form the foundation of Christmas carols familiar to us today, especially the 1961 Carols for Choirs arrangements by Sir David Willcocks. Öhrwall’s work gives a modern twist to the 16th-century style, and is a warm tribute to that era’s tradition of joint singing and playing. His notes indicate that these settings can be performed in many different combinations of voices and instruments, depending on the forces available. This program features three of the ten pieces in Gaudete: In dulci jubilo, To us a Child has been born today, and Let the earth with praise resound.

 Ave Maria, by Franz Biebl (1906–2001)

Franz Biebl's Ave Maria, composed in 1964, represents a modern take on this timeless text. Written for double choir, it interweaves portions of the Ave Maria with verses from the Angelus prayer (a devotional prayer to the Virgin Mary). Biebl's setting employs lush, sustained chords to overwhelm the listener with beauty. Originally written for an all-male firemen's chorus in Germany, it has since become popular with choirs worldwide, especially after the all-male choral group (and local favorite) Chanticleer recorded the work.

~ Derek Tam and Patricia Jennerjohn

Meet Our Soloists for Tesori Dorati, October 2024

Lauded by the Los Angeles Times for her “luxuriant large soprano” and by the Washington Post for her “arresting, magisterial voice and presence,” soprano Clarissa Lyons has appeared with the Metropolitan Opera, the Cleveland Orchestra, Boston Symphony Orchestra, and Wolf Trap Opera (the latter in the US premiere of Glassman’s 1769 work, L’Opera seria).  Clarissa is also a passionate recitalist and has performed at Carnegie Hall’s Weill Hall, the Park Avenue Armory, Lincoln Center’s Bruno Walter Auditorium, the Frick Collection, and Carmel’s Sunset Center.

Clarissa holds master’s degrees from Bard College Conservatory and the Manhattan School of Music.  A native Californian, Clarissa graduated with honors from the University of California Berkeley, where she was the recipient of the 2006 Eisner Prize for Excellence in the Arts and the 2014 Hertz Memorial Traveling Fellowship.  She was also named the winner of the Carmel Music Society Competition and West Bay Opera’s Henry and Maria Holt Competition. Clarissa teaches voice and lives in the East Bay with her two children, husband, and basset-hound mix. 

Filipino countertenor Kyle Sanchez Tingzon has been praised for his "powerful countertenor" (The Wall Street Journal) and "lovely, plummy voice" (Opera Today). Kyle appeared as soloist in last year’s California Bach Society concerts of the Biber Requiem, Steffani Stabat Mater, and Bach’s B Minor Mass. Other recent performances include work with American Bach Soloists, Philharmonia Baroque Chorale, his soloist debut with Pacific Opera Project in the US premiere of Vivaldi's Ercole su'l Termodonte, his debut with Tacoma Opera  in the world premiere of Tacoma Method, and his debut in Handel’s Rinaldo with the Glimmerglass Festival.

In 2022, Kyle completed his graduate and postgraduate studies in vocal performance, with a historical performance emphasis, at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, studying under César Ulloa. While there, he made role debuts in Handel’s Giulio Cesare in Egitto (in the title role) and Monteverdi’s L’incoronazione di Poppea (as Ottone).

He is the first-prize winner of the Handel Aria Competition, third-prize winner of the Loren L. Zachary Society National Vocal Competition, and a Colorado-Wyoming district winner and Rocky Mountain regional finalist in the Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition.

A Bay Area resident for more than 40 years, tenor Trente Morant is an accomplished and popular conductor, arranger, accompanist, and singer. For many years, he toured the country as a performer and lecturer, specializing in music from the Harlem Renaissance. He also served as musical director at theaters in the New York Tri-City area for numerous productions.  

In the Bay Area, he conducted the Berkeley Broadway singers, sang the role of the "leading player" in Pippin with the Alameda Civic Light Opera, and performed Carmina Burana with the Oakland Ballet. Other singing performances include Porgy and Bess, Bernstein's Mass, and Messiah with the Oakland East Bay Symphony.

Former artistic director of the Oakland Youth Chorus, Trente conducted the chorus in performances and workshops with such luminaries as Bobby McFerrin, Charlie Haden, Nancy Wilson, and Pete Seeger. Under his direction, the chorus performed at the White House and on CBS's The Morning Show. 

He has also conducted at the Monterey and San Francisco Jazz Festivals. Recently he served as vocal director for Woodminster Summer Musicals in Oakland. A three-time recipient of an “Artist in Residence” grant from the California Arts Council, Trente is a graduate of Westminster Choir College.

Critics have described bass Sepp Hammer as delivering “masterful and expressive solos” (San Francisco Classical Voice) and showing “warm baritone gravity” (The Boston Globe). His concert engagements in recent seasons have included Bach’s St. Matthew Passion (as Jesus) with the California Bach Society, Schubert’s Mass in G Major with Bay Choral Guild, Handel’s Dixit Dominus with San Francisco Choral Society, Bach’s Aus der Tiefen rufe ich, Herr, zu dir with Santa Cruz Chorale, Rutter’s Mass of the Children with the Solano Symphony, Zelenka’s Gloria with Chora Nova, and Vaughan Williams’ Five Mystical Songs with Contra Costa Chorale. 

Sepp appeared in the role of Eupolemus in Handel’s Judas Maccabaeus with Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra, and he sings regularly with the PBO Chorale. With various ensembles, he has also performed the Schütz Symphoniae Sacrae, Bach Magnificat, Bach B Minor Mass, Haydn Lord Nelson Mass, Brahms Requiem, Fauré Requiem, and Duruflé Requiem. Sepp holds a master’s degree in vocal performance from New England Conservatory and a bachelor’s degree in physics from the University of California, Berkeley.