Festival of Choirs: American Roots

Venue: California Theatre
Date: Fri March 19, 2010 8:00pm
City: San Jose
Price Range: All tickets $25
Tickets: 408-286-2600, Ext 23

Symphony Silicon Valley Chorale

Festival of Choirs: American Roots will feature Will Todd's Mass in Blue, an upbeat setting of the Latin mass, composed in the jazz idiom. Written in 2003 for choir, soprano solo and jazz instrumentation, the work is a brilliant blend of driving jazz rhythms, rich tonal colors, and groovy melodies. Dynamic soprano Renee Calvo and local jazz artists will star alongside Symphony Silicon Valley Chorale in the performance of this internationally popular piece.

The second half of the concert will celebrate the great African-American traditions of spiritual and gospel music rooted in slave folk songs and will feature East Bay singer Michelle Jordan as a soloist. Invited guest choirs West Valley College Chamber Singers and Masterworks Chorale, Cantabile Youth Singers, and the Leland High School Chamber Singers will Join the Chorale for these inspiring works showcasing the American Roots theme.

"For our Festival of Choirs, we invite outstanding local ensembles of young singers with the goal of giving them an opportunity to perform with professionals and show that they can continue making music throughout their lives," notes Elena Sharkova, artistic director of Symphony Silicon Valley Chorale and Cantabile Youth Singers.

Symphony Silicon Valley Chorale is composed of skilled singers dedicated to quality performances of major choral works. From its early heritage at San Jose State University to its present affiliation as the resident choir of Symphony Silicon Valley, the Chorale has sung a full range of choral repertory. The Chorale performs regularly with Symphony Silicon Valley, has performed with Ballet San Jose, and presents its own choral concerts in the California Theatre and elsewhere. For more information about Symphony Silicon Valley Chorale, visit http://www.symphonysiliconvalley.org/SSVchorale.php