San Francisco – The International Orange Chorale of San Francisco (IOCSF) will present “East by Southeast” on Saturday, December 7, 2019 at 7:30 PM at Christ Church East Bay, 2138 Cedar St, Berkeley, and on Saturday, December 14, 2019 at 7:30 PM at St. Mark’s Lutheran Church, 1111 O’Farrell St, San Francisco. The concert features a selection of 20th and 21st century choral pieces by composers from the Philippines, Indonesia, and South Korea. Composers represented on the program include Excelsis Betil-Viña, Fidel Calalang Jr., Ryan Cayabyab, Saunder Choi, Francisco Feliciano, Gregorio Responso Labja, Slamet Sjukur, Mary Katherine Trangco, and Hyo-Won Woo.
The International Orange Chorale of San Francisco, recipient of the 2011 Chorus America / ASCAP Award for Adventurous Programming, is devoted to performing both established repertoire and newly commissioned works by promising composers. To date, IOCSF has premiered more than seventy works, including some from composers within the ensemble, and several that have subsequently been published by Santa Barbara Music, G. Schirmer, and Hal Leonard.
Admission to the concerts is free, although donations are welcome. For more information, visit www.iocsf.org.
Notes on the program
Most of the pieces IOCSF will perform this season come from the Philippines, a tremendously diverse country of more than 100 million people speaking over 100 languages. The Filipino composers here likewise span diverse genres: sacred and secular, folk-influenced and avant-garde, popular and classical. On the sacred side, we have two settings of traditional liturgical texts in Tagalog: Fidel Calalang Jr.’s “Ama Namin” is a lush setting of the Pater Noster text filled with longing for peace and redemption, while Ryan Cayabyab’s “Aba Po, Santa Mariang Reyna” brings an energetic contrapuntal sensibility to the Salve Regina. Among the most complex pieces on our program is Mary Katherine Trangco’s “Juan 14,” setting “I am the way, the truth, and the life”; while among the most minimalist is Francisco Feliciano’s “To the Unnamed Light” on a devotional text by Rabindranath Tagore. Excelsis Betil-Viña brings us “Glong-Ngo Ko,” a raw and heartfelt, powerful hymn of praise in Cebuano and Giangan. Rounding out our sacred repertoire is the up-tempo, polyrhythmic “Cum Sancto Spiritu” by South Korean composer Hyo-Won Woo.
Our program also represents popular musical traditions with a contemporary choral sensibility. We include the simple, direct love song “Usahay” by Gregorio Responso Labja, while an arrangement by Saunder Choi of the childrens’ song “Leron, Leron Sinta” plays with rhythms, tempi, and harmonies to make a piece that’s anything but simple. Finally, we go to Indonesia for Slamet Sjukur’s “Tetabeuhan-Sungut,” in which the choristers imitate the sounds of a gamelan orchestra.
“The music this season fits perfectly with our goal of programming choral music that expands our listeners’ horizons,” said Zane Fiala, IOCSF’s Artistic Director. “These pieces are intricately constructed, dramatically engaging, and loads of fun to sing. We can’t wait to bring them to you!”