SFGC Opening Night Concert release

MEDIA CONTACT:
Scott Horton
(510) 735-9200
Bluescott260@hotmail.com

EDITOR NOTE: Downloadable, High-Resolution photos are available here:
http://photos.shcommunications.org/GalleryThumbnails.aspx?gallery=84631

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

SAN FRANCISCO GIRLS CHORUS OPENS
30TH ANNIVERSARY SEASON

October 24 and 26 Concerts in San Francisco and Berkeley
Feature World Premiere by Augusta Read Thomas and Guest Organist David Higgs

San Francisco, September 17 2008 – The San Francisco Girls Chorus opens its 2008-2009 30th Anniversary season with two concerts of “Dreams and Visions”, featuring two centuries of music including the world premiere of settings of e. e. cummings’ poetry by American composer Augusta Read Thomas and guest organist David Higgs. Two performances of “Dreams and Visions” will be given, Friday, October 24, at 8 p.m. at Calvary Presbyterian Church in San Francisco, and Sunday, October 26, at 3 p.m. at First Congregational Church in Berkeley conducted by Artistic Director Susan McMane.

30th Anniversary Season Opening Concerts

Dreams and Visions
Friday, October 24, 2008, 8 p.m.
Calvary Presbyterian Church
2515 Fillmore Street, San Francisco

Sunday, October 26, 2008, 3 p.m.
First Congregational Church
2345 Channing Way, Berkeley

David Higgs, Organ

Program: POULENC: Litanies à la vierge noire; WILLCOCKS: Psalm 150; FAURE: Ave Verum; RACHMANINOFF: The Angel; ERIK BERGMAN: Dreams; AUGUSTA READ THOMAS: world premiere settings of two e.e. cummings poems.

In the hands of some of the great composers of history and of our time, dreams and visions weave an enchanting spell in sound and words. Augusta Read Thomas’ works has been acclaimed for its innovative and vivid use of tonal colors and textures in sound. Poulenc’s Litanies is a deeply moving and subtly gorgeous work that shimmers with beauty and power. Psalm 150 is an exciting, bombastic setting, contrasting to the hauntingly lyrical Ave verum. Erik Bergmann’s Dreams shows the Chorus at its most virtuosic and thrilling in a complex soundscape with changing colors and textures.

About the San Francisco Girls Chorus

Four home season performances, a New York debut, a debut tour to Brazil, guest appearances with San Francisco Opera, San Francisco Symphony and Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra, guest artists and a new recording highlight the 30th anniversary season of the San Francisco Girls Chorus. Featured premieres include commissions by composers Augusta Read Thomas, Gabriela Lena Frank, Eleanor Daley and Dwight Okamura. Season guest artists include organist David Higgs, jazz vocalist Paula West, Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra and cellist Emil Miland. The four-concert, eight-performance Bay Area season runs October 24 2008-June 6 2009 at various venues in San Francisco and the East Bay.

Celebrating 30 years of extraordinary music with its 2008-2009 international season, the San Francisco Girls Chorus is recognized as one of the world’s most respected vocal ensembles. Its level of training, performance, quality and range, passion and leadership in commissioning music for treble voices are lauded by musicians, critics and audiences. San Francisco Symphony Music Director Michael Tilson Thomas says, “The San Francisco Girls Chorus is a treasure. Their training, musicality and vibrant spirit are evident whenever they perform. I have enjoyed our long association and look forward to many years of collaboration.”

Founded in 1978, the San Francisco Girls Chorus has become a regional center for choral music education and performance for girls and young women ages 7-18. More than 300 singers from 160 schools in 44 Bay Area cities participate in this internationally recognized program, deemed “a model in the country for training girls’ voices” by the California Arts Council.

The organization comprises a professional level performance, recording and touring ensemble and an Alumnae Chorus, both conducted by Artistic Director Susan McMane; the four-level Chorus School training program, supervised by Director Elizabeth Avakian; and a Preparatory Chorus for 5-7 year olds.

In addition to three Grammy Awards, the Girls Chorus has won many honors, including the prestigious “Margaret Hillis Award”, two ASCAP awards for Adventurous Programming, in 1999 and 2004. The Girls Chorus is invited annually to perform with prestigious musical organizations including San Francisco Opera, San Francisco Symphony, Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra and others. The Girls Chorus has been honored to sing at many prestigious national and international venues, including the World Choral Symposium in Kyoto, Japan, in 2005. They have been featured at the American Choral Directors Association Western Division Convention in Salt Lake City and represented North America in the prestigious World Vision Children’s Choir Festival in Seoul, Korea, and in the Gateway to Music Festival at the Forbidden City Concert Hall in Beijing.

The Girls Chorus School offers a program of unparalleled excellence, designed to take young girls from their first introduction to the art of choral singing through a full course of choral/vocal instruction. The comprehensive music education includes the study and development of choral artistry, vocal technique, music theory, music history, and performing style. The discipline, teamwork, and concentration young girls learn in the Chorus School rehearsals and performances instill in them the values necessary for high achievement in music and in life.

The Girls Chorus’ discography continues to grow with a new release in November 2006 entitled Voices of Hope and Peace, a recording that includes many exciting SFGC commissions. Other recordings include: Christmas, featuring diverse holiday selections; Crossroads, a collection of world folk music; and Music from the Venetian Ospedali, a disc of Italian Baroque music. The Girls Chorus can also be heard on several San Francisco Symphony recordings, including three Grammy® Award –winners.

30th ANNIVERSARY TICKETS AND SUBSCRIPTIONS

Tickets for the October 24 and 26 30th Anniversary Season opening concerts are priced $15-$28. Season subscriptions are also still available, priced $61-$163 for four-concert packages. For subscription orders, please call 415-863-1752 x 304. Single tickets are available for purchase by phone at City Box Office, 415-392-4400; online at www.sfgirlschorus.org; or in person at City Box Office, 180 Redwood Street, Suite 100, San Francisco (Monday – Friday, 9:30a.m.-5p.m.).

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