2014-15 Season - Our Tenth Anniversary Season
Radiant, Ravishing, Renaissance!
Radiant, Ravishing, Renaissance!
We’re turning 10 this year, and are spoiling ourselves and our audiences with a year-long celebration of our raison d’etre – the stunningly beautiful, diverse, inspiring, and enduring music of the Renaissance. Our stellar singers will be joined by our resident dance troupe, San Francisco Renaissance Dancers and some of our very favorite instrumentalists and others to present a glorious season of music honoring the accomplishments of the San Francisco Renaissance Voices over the last 10 years, and paving the way for our next decade – and beyond – of presenting the very best vocal and dramatic music from the heart of the Renaissance.
A PRELUDE TO VALENTINE'S DAY: with Jarring Sounds
February 7 - 7:30 pm - CLICK HERE to buy tickets
Seventh Avenue Presbyterian Church
1329 Seventh Avenue, San Francisco
When our lutenist, Adam Cockerham joins with American Bach Soloists' mezzo-soprano Danielle Reutter-Harrah they form the duo Jarring Sounds. In what is becoming an annual tradition, they present this concert of music across the ages for music lovers, and lovers of all kinds, as a prelude to Valentine's Day including music by Caccini, Purcell, Monteverdi, Brazilian Songs and "Speak Love" a song cycle by Frank Wallace based on the texts of a 1911 San Francisco poetry collection.
February 7 - 7:30 pm - CLICK HERE to buy tickets
Seventh Avenue Presbyterian Church
1329 Seventh Avenue, San Francisco
When our lutenist, Adam Cockerham joins with American Bach Soloists' mezzo-soprano Danielle Reutter-Harrah they form the duo Jarring Sounds. In what is becoming an annual tradition, they present this concert of music across the ages for music lovers, and lovers of all kinds, as a prelude to Valentine's Day including music by Caccini, Purcell, Monteverdi, Brazilian Songs and "Speak Love" a song cycle by Frank Wallace based on the texts of a 1911 San Francisco poetry collection.
MERRIE OLDE ENGLAND: English Country Dances & Madrigals
CLICK HERE to buy tickets - March 14 - 7:30 pm
St. Mark's Lutheran Church
1111 O'Farrell Street, San Francisco
CLICK HERE to buy tickets - March 21 - 7:30 pm
Crowden Music Center
1475 Rose Street, Berkeley
CLICK HERE to buy tickets - March 22 - 4:00 pm
St. Bede's Episcopal Church
2650 Sand Hill Road, Menlo Park
Spring of 2012 marked the beginning of our dance troupe, the San Francisco Renaissance Dancers. Under the guidance of Dance Director Jennifer Meller, our dancers have flourished and become an integral part of each season’s concert offerings, as well as performing as guest artists throughout the Bay Area including a recent appearance in Marin Baroque's production of John Blow's Venus & Adonis. In our March 2015 program they’ll delight us with popular dances from Merrie Olde England, accompanied by elegant instrumental music played on period instruments and madrigals composed by some our favorite British composers exquisitely sung by a quintet of our singers including selections from our 2007 madrigals concert, "The Regina Monologues."
CLICK HERE to buy tickets - March 14 - 7:30 pm
St. Mark's Lutheran Church
1111 O'Farrell Street, San Francisco
CLICK HERE to buy tickets - March 21 - 7:30 pm
Crowden Music Center
1475 Rose Street, Berkeley
CLICK HERE to buy tickets - March 22 - 4:00 pm
St. Bede's Episcopal Church
2650 Sand Hill Road, Menlo Park
Spring of 2012 marked the beginning of our dance troupe, the San Francisco Renaissance Dancers. Under the guidance of Dance Director Jennifer Meller, our dancers have flourished and become an integral part of each season’s concert offerings, as well as performing as guest artists throughout the Bay Area including a recent appearance in Marin Baroque's production of John Blow's Venus & Adonis. In our March 2015 program they’ll delight us with popular dances from Merrie Olde England, accompanied by elegant instrumental music played on period instruments and madrigals composed by some our favorite British composers exquisitely sung by a quintet of our singers including selections from our 2007 madrigals concert, "The Regina Monologues."
OUR FAVORITE THINGS: A Celebration of 10 Years of Renaissance Music-Making
May 30 - 7:30 pm - CLICK HERE to buy tickets
Crowden Music Center
1475 Rose Street, Berkeley
May 31 - 4:00 pm - CLICK HERE to buy tickets
St. Bede's Episcopal Church
2650 Sand Hill Road, Menlo Park
June 6 - 7:30 pm - CLICK HERE to buy tickets
Seventh Avenue Presbyterian Church
1329 Seventh Avenue, San Francisco
More than a few of our favorite things will make up this grand finale of our Tenth Anniversary Season ... it will be an a cappella tour de force, with music from the heart of the Renaissance including Adriano Banchieri's Madrigale Bestiale, the In Paradisum of Juan Esquivel, Giovanni Pierluigi Palestrina's Super flumina Babylonis, Clement Janequin's raucous Le Guerre, Gregorio Allegri's luminous Miserere, and other music by Byrd, Gesualdo, Hildegard, Josquin, Lassus, Monteverdi, Obrecht, Rossi, and more - don't miss this exciting Renaissance musical celebration!
May 30 - 7:30 pm - CLICK HERE to buy tickets
Crowden Music Center
1475 Rose Street, Berkeley
May 31 - 4:00 pm - CLICK HERE to buy tickets
St. Bede's Episcopal Church
2650 Sand Hill Road, Menlo Park
June 6 - 7:30 pm - CLICK HERE to buy tickets
Seventh Avenue Presbyterian Church
1329 Seventh Avenue, San Francisco
More than a few of our favorite things will make up this grand finale of our Tenth Anniversary Season ... it will be an a cappella tour de force, with music from the heart of the Renaissance including Adriano Banchieri's Madrigale Bestiale, the In Paradisum of Juan Esquivel, Giovanni Pierluigi Palestrina's Super flumina Babylonis, Clement Janequin's raucous Le Guerre, Gregorio Allegri's luminous Miserere, and other music by Byrd, Gesualdo, Hildegard, Josquin, Lassus, Monteverdi, Obrecht, Rossi, and more - don't miss this exciting Renaissance musical celebration!
Concerts from earlier in our 2014-15 Season:
IN MEMORIAM: The Best of the Dead
October 31 - 7:30 pm
Seventh Avenue Presbyterian Church
1329 Seventh Avenue, San Francisco
November 2 - 4:00 pm
St. Mark's Episcopal Church
2300 Bancroft Way, Berkeley
On Friday night, October 31, 2004 (yes, Hallowe’en night!) the very first San Francisco Renaissance Voices concert was presented at Seventh Avenue Presbyterian Church in San Francisco. Ten years to the day, we’ll celebrate our birthday in that church which has become our artistic home by performing the same work that started it all – Tomás Luis de Victoria’s magnificent Officium Defunctorum, written for the funeral of his royal patron the Dowager Empress Maria – which also began our group's "tradition" of performing the Office of the Dead each year at this time. This program will also include elegies written by Ockeghem, Josquin, Byrd & Weelkes for composers who inspired and nurtured them. For those of you coming to the concert on Hallowe'en we invite you to enjoy another San Francisco Renaissance Voices tradition and come in costume!
Pre-concert lecture with Kaneez Munjee, Ph.D. one-half hour before each performance.
October 31 - 7:30 pm
Seventh Avenue Presbyterian Church
1329 Seventh Avenue, San Francisco
November 2 - 4:00 pm
St. Mark's Episcopal Church
2300 Bancroft Way, Berkeley
On Friday night, October 31, 2004 (yes, Hallowe’en night!) the very first San Francisco Renaissance Voices concert was presented at Seventh Avenue Presbyterian Church in San Francisco. Ten years to the day, we’ll celebrate our birthday in that church which has become our artistic home by performing the same work that started it all – Tomás Luis de Victoria’s magnificent Officium Defunctorum, written for the funeral of his royal patron the Dowager Empress Maria – which also began our group's "tradition" of performing the Office of the Dead each year at this time. This program will also include elegies written by Ockeghem, Josquin, Byrd & Weelkes for composers who inspired and nurtured them. For those of you coming to the concert on Hallowe'en we invite you to enjoy another San Francisco Renaissance Voices tradition and come in costume!
Pre-concert lecture with Kaneez Munjee, Ph.D. one-half hour before each performance.
THIRD ANNUAL: Festival of Lessons & Carols
Our Annual Free Family Concert - No tickets or reservations required!
December 20 - 7:30 pm
Seventh Avenue Presbyterian Church, 1329 Seventh Avenue, San Francisco
Don't miss this traditional Festival of Lessons & Carols including a festive holiday reception afterwards! This event is modeled after the Festival of Lessons & Carols first performed in 1918 at King's College, Cambridge (England) where it has been performed every year since. There will be plenty of opportunity for you to sing carols along with us to get you into the holiday spirit. A tradition of the festival is to specially commission a new work each year to be performed and we are delighted to premier Рождество 1963 года (Christmas, 1963) by New York City composer Nicholas Rastegar.
Our Annual Free Family Concert - No tickets or reservations required!
December 20 - 7:30 pm
Seventh Avenue Presbyterian Church, 1329 Seventh Avenue, San Francisco
Don't miss this traditional Festival of Lessons & Carols including a festive holiday reception afterwards! This event is modeled after the Festival of Lessons & Carols first performed in 1918 at King's College, Cambridge (England) where it has been performed every year since. There will be plenty of opportunity for you to sing carols along with us to get you into the holiday spirit. A tradition of the festival is to specially commission a new work each year to be performed and we are delighted to premier Рождество 1963 года (Christmas, 1963) by New York City composer Nicholas Rastegar.
FIFTH ANNUAL: Boar's Head Festival & Mid-Winter Gala
January 3 - 8:00 pm - CLICK HERE to buy tickets
Seventh Avenue Presbyterian Church
1329 Seventh Avenue, San Francisco
(Join us any time between 7:00 & 8:00 pm for a pre-concert glass of wine or mead and to enjoy our silent auction!)
January 4 - 4:00 pm - CLICK HERE to buy tickets
St. Bede's Episcopal Church
2650 Sand Hill Road, Menlo Park
(Join us any time between 3:00 & 4:00 pm for a pre-concert glass of wine or mead and to enjoy our silent auction!)
January 3 - 8:00 pm - CLICK HERE to buy tickets
Seventh Avenue Presbyterian Church
1329 Seventh Avenue, San Francisco
(Join us any time between 7:00 & 8:00 pm for a pre-concert glass of wine or mead and to enjoy our silent auction!)
January 4 - 4:00 pm - CLICK HERE to buy tickets
St. Bede's Episcopal Church
2650 Sand Hill Road, Menlo Park
(Join us any time between 3:00 & 4:00 pm for a pre-concert glass of wine or mead and to enjoy our silent auction!)
Join us for this 650 year old tradition celebrating Twelfth Night ... Our annual Boar’s Head Festival & Mid-Winter Gala, first performed by us in January of 2011, delights audiences young and old alike, and is our most popular event of each and every season! This evening of feasting, libations, music and dramatic surprises takes place at the court of Her Royal Highness Queen Elizabeth I and we are especially delighted to be joined by guest artist internationally-renowned countertenor Brian Asawa (pictured above left) and audience-favorite Phantom of the Opera's soprano Susan Gundunas joins us once again as our Queen.
During this year's Festival the ambassador and members from the Imperial Court of the Emperor Kangxi appear in her majesty's court bringing with them the music and dance of Ancient China for an eclectic concert when joined by our choristers performing the music of Medieval and Renaissance England.
During this year's Festival the ambassador and members from the Imperial Court of the Emperor Kangxi appear in her majesty's court bringing with them the music and dance of Ancient China for an eclectic concert when joined by our choristers performing the music of Medieval and Renaissance England.
We'll be joined by our dance troupe San Francisco Renaissance Dancers and guest Lion Dancers Jonathan Jiang and Gary Tang, lutenist Adam Cockerham on theorbo, Margaret Davis on folk harp and recorders, and Kristoph Klover, mandolin.
The evening begins with a reception and silent auction, followed by the concert at court; the evening ends with a grand Renaissance feast - all washed down with generous amounts of wine and mead! Any attire you choose for her majesty's court is fine ... however those of you who choose to come in period costume or masque will be especially welcomed!
***Discounts are available for groups of 10 or more. CLICK HERE to send us an email requesting a quote.***
The evening begins with a reception and silent auction, followed by the concert at court; the evening ends with a grand Renaissance feast - all washed down with generous amounts of wine and mead! Any attire you choose for her majesty's court is fine ... however those of you who choose to come in period costume or masque will be especially welcomed!
***Discounts are available for groups of 10 or more. CLICK HERE to send us an email requesting a quote.***
