San Francisco Choral Artists is taking a big leap, both in visibility and in its repertoire. For its upcoming concert on Sunday, the group is going for its whiskers, partnering with the Alexander String Quartet in a concert that features three — count 'em — commissioned world premieres.
For me, part of the interest comes from the poetry that the new pieces are based on — Lawrence Ferlinghetti's language of the birds is set to music by Veronika Krausas, two poems by Amy Lowell form the basis of Michael Gandolfi's Winter Light, and Paul Verlaine's Clair de lune, already the inspiration for several beautiful songs, gets treated by Paul Seiko Chihara.
But in any case, the participation of ASQ makes this one of the most intriguing choral concerts this year.