choral music Reviews
April 29, 2008
No Winning Combination
The UC Berkeley Chamber Chorus and University Chorus sing Reich, Bernstein, and James MacMillan, with mixed results.
April 8, 2008
Sounds of Sweetness
San Francisco Choral Artists gathers a springtime bouquet of monochromatic pastels.
March 18, 2008
New Work Pays Off Richly
Chanticleer and the Shanghai Quartet take listeners down a winding, beautiful Chinese path.
March 11, 2008
Vocal Pleasure
The versatile male singers of Clerestory perform with musical excellence and enthusiasm.
March 4, 2008
An Oratorio Lit From Within
Edward Elgar’s meditative, impressive oratorio The Dream of Gerontius receives a fluid, powerful performance in Sacramento.
Aiming for the Stars
The American Bach Choir strives for visionary vocalism, but often falls short of transcendence.
Earth, Wind, and Fire
Volti and the Piedmont Children's Choirs join together for an evening of original commissions.
Controlled Flights of Vocal Fancy
The expert dilettanti of the California Bach Society sing 17th-century Italian works.
January 29, 2008
An Off-Season Oratorio
American Bach Soloists offers a stellar postholiday performance of Bach's Christmas Oratorio.
A Satisfying Requiem in Oakland
Oakland East Bay Symphony and Chorus transform Verdi's masterwork into a public act of remembrance.
January 15, 2008
Vocal Epiphanies
Coro Hispano de San Francisco serves up a feast of music to accompany the Three Kings.
January 8, 2008
Songs Stuck Between Two Worlds
Kitka channels the Rusalki, restless figures of Slavic folklore, in a vocal-theater project of mixed effectiveness.
December 18, 2007
Singing Into the Light
Sacred & Profane celebrates the season of light across varied religious divides.
December 11, 2007
Songs of Peace in Midwinter
The women's voices of Voci banish the cold with thoughtful songs, lovingly performed.
Christmas All Aglow
Under new director Corey Jamason, the San Francisco Bach Choir presents holiday delights by candlelight.
December 4, 2007
Christmas With Charpentier
Paul Flight and the California Bach Society offer a refreshing selection of choral gifts.
Change of Oratorio
Nicole Paiement leads a fine interpretation of Handel's Jephtha at UC Santa Cruz.
November 20, 2007
Calling Old St. Nick
Chora Nova offers an excellent sense of ensemble — and community — in a concert of rarely heard music.
November 6, 2007
October 30, 2007
Crowned in Glory
The San Francisco Girls Chorus sings like queens in a spirited concert of English music.
Russian Mystery and Majesty
The Russian Patriarchate Choir opens a window onto a rich choral tradition.
Cross-Cultural Exchange
Carmina Slovenica and the Piedmont Choir Ensemble join forces for a superb celebration of new music.
October 23, 2007
English Anthems in the Grand Style
The California Bach Society takes on Handel's grand Chandos Anthems with poise and confidence.
September 18, 2007
Full-Blooded Russian Voices
The Sretensky Monastery Choir fills Davies Hall with powerful chant and popular tunes.
Three Decades of Spirited Singing
Chanticleer's 30th-anniversary concert explores wide-ranging repertoire.
September 11, 2007
Contrasting Renaissance Artistries
The Artists' Vocal Ensemble achieves a polished and professional sound.
September 4, 2007
August 7, 2007
The Music Shines Through
San Francisco Choral Society fills Davies Hall with beautiful music in Brahms' German Requiem.
June 12, 2007
The Premier Premiere Season
After only its first season, Clerestory is the chorus to watch in the years ahead.
The New Cantabile
Cantabile tackles Bach and the Beatles.
June 5, 2007
The New Choir on the Block
Choralis blazes onto the Bay Area choral scene.
May 22, 2007
A Mass by Committee
The local premiere of the Chanticleer Mass And on Earth, Peace sends a mixed message.
May 15, 2007
Songs for My Beloved
Schola Cantorum San Francisco sings songs of love.
May 8, 2007
Inspiring Call to Action
An Artists' Vocal Ensemble concert to benefit the victims of Darfur reflects on the history of suffering.
April 24, 2007
An Oratorio for Our Time
The Santa Cruz Symphony and the Cabrillo Symphonic Chorus performs Tippett's stand-alone oratorio, A Child of Our Time.
March 27, 2007
Marian Devotion From Scandinavia
The ethereal Norweigian Trio Mediæval returns to Herbst, with ancient and modern compositions.
Shining Early Cantatas
American Bach Soloists still singular in their presentation of Bach, both in solos and as an ensemble.
A Mendelssohn Masterpiece Receives Its Due
Herbert Blomstedt and the San Francisco Symphony and Chorus dare to trump Messiah with Elijah.
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For reviews older than March 27, 2007, please refer to the Archives.