Renaissance Italy Meets 21st Century SF Bay Area
BACH and Tristan Arts
Present:
Vespro della Beata Vergine (1610)
by
Claudio Monteverdi
(aka Monteverdi’s Vespers)
September 29, 2018 @ 7:30 PM
An evening of music which have remained structurally unchanged for 1500 years.
Performed by Bay Area Classical Harmonies Soloists, Chorus and Chamber Orchestra
Claudio Monteverdi (1567-1643): Vespro della Beata Vergina, “Evening Prayers to the Blessed Virgin”, by Claudio Monteverdi (1610, excerts,)
Conducted by Andrew Chung, scored by Stephen Whitehead
FOR TICKETS
Saturday, September 29,2018 7:30 PM
Arlington Community Church, Kensington
52 Arlington Ave, Kensington CA 94707
FREE Parking
Tickets
Online: $25 general, $20 seniors, $15 students
@Door: $30 general, $25 seniors, $15 students
BACH and Chamber Orchestra
Presents:
Lamenting and Glorifying Two Heroines from Antiquity
May 19th @ 7:30pm
An evening of music from two pieces written at the beginning and end of the 17th century, celebrating the 330th anniversary of the composition of Dido and Aeneas by Henry Purcell
Performed by Bay Area Classical Harmonies Soloists, Chorus and Chamber Orchestra
Henry Purcell (1659-1695): Dido and Aeneas (1688, complete)
Conducted by Andrew Chung
Claudio Monteverdi (1567-1643): Vespro della Beata Vergina, “Evening Prayers to the Blessed Virgin”, by Claudio Monteverdi (1610, excerts,)
Conducted by Andrew Chung, scored by Stephen Whitehead
FOR TICKETS
May 19, 2018 7:30pm
Arlington Community Church
52 Arlington Ave, Kensington, CA
FREE Parking
Tickets: $28 General Admission
$25 Seniors and $15 Students at the door
May 20th & 21st
If Music Be the Food of Love:
Bay Area Classical Harmonies in Concert
Celebrate spring with a concert full of the vibrance and romance of the season. Join Bay Area Classical Harmonies for a special evening of choral music that spans generations. An eclectic program of Monteverdi, Purcell, and contemporary American composers is united by the universal theme of love. Featured on the program are the world premieres of “Again and again,” “Do you remember,” and “Paradise Lost” by local composer Alexander Frank. Enjoy an evening of exquisite counterpoint and beautiful choral melodies with Bay Area Classical Harmonies, conducted by Andrew J. Chung.
Saturday, May 20th at 7:30 PM
Joyce Gordon Gallery
406 14th Street
Oakland, CA
FREE Parking with Wine & Cheese Reception
Tickets: $20 General Admission; $15 Seniors;
$10 Students at the door
Sunday, May 21st at 7:30 PM
Arlington Community Church
52 Arlington Avenue
Kensington, CA
FREE Parking
Tickets: $20 General Admission; $15 Seniors;
$10 Students at the door
Friday April 21st at 7:30 PM
BACH & ACC Concert Series Presents:
Divisa Ensemble
The Divisa Ensemble is recognized for its engaging performances and eclectic programming. A quintet of flute, oboe, violin, viola, and cello, the ensemble’s instrumentation and “mix-and-match” approach allow for a wide variety of repertoire comprising all traditional and contemporary styles. For more details please visit their website www.divisaensemble.com
Divisa Ensemble is thrilled to perform once again at the Arlington Community Church in the gorgeous hills of Kensington. Come join us for an evening of charming chamber music works on what is sure to be a lovely Spring evening!
Program:
Three Miniatures for oboe and violincello, by James Niblock
I. Allegro
II. Andante
III. Lento – Vivace
Quartet for flute, violin, viola, and violincello, Nr. 1, G major, by Gioacchino Rossini
I. Moderato
II. Andante
III. Rondo Allegro
Variationen uber ein Thema von N. Paganini, by Rudolf Hartmann
-Intermission-
Three Madrigals for violin and viola, by Bohuslav Martinu
I. Poco allegro
II. Poco andante
III. Allegro
Conversations, by Arthur Bliss
I. The Committee meeting
II. In the Wood
III. In the Ballroom
IV. Soliloquy
V. In the Tube at Oxford Circus
Friday April 21st at 7:30 PM
Arlington Community Church
52 Arlington Ave, Kensington
FREE Parking with Wine & Cheese Reception
Tickets: $20 General Admission; $15 Seniors;
$10 Students (At Door with ID)
Friday, March 10th @ 7:30 PM
ACC & BACH Presents:
Vajra Voices
Remembered Migrations:
Voices of Women in Medieval to Modern Song
Vajra Voices with Shira Kammen, harp & vielle
Karen R. Clark, director
Featuring the premiere of Theresa Wong’s
Songs on 12th century poems of Sun Bu-er
Inspired by the stories and voices of women, Remembered Migrations weaves medieval French chanson and motets with premieres of new works by Shira Kammen, and Theresa Wong. For the medieval trouvére the passion and pain of unrequited love was a virtuous pursuit. Theresa Wong’s new work, To Burst, To Bloom: Songs on Poems of 12th Century Taoist Immortal Sun Bu’er are settings of ancient texts on inner alchemy, these songs explore the fluid interplay of abstract vocal utterances with language and meaning. And, Shira Kammen’s lush settings of American poems – Cold Wind and Rain, and Sun, Moon, and Stars – align with traditional songs, such as, Jean Ritchie’s Now is the Cool of the Day to make for an evening of reflection and intrigue.
Since 2010, the seven women of Vajra Voices, directed by Karen R. Clark, have delighted audiences with their performances of medieval music. In 2016, Vajra Voices provided the vocal inspiration for the Garrett Moulton dance premiere of Divining with the Oakland Ballet; and, again, in the production of Speak, Angels in San Francisco’s Yerba Buena Center. KQED wrote, “Vajra Voices’ unearthly sounds were thrillingly spun.” Vajra Voices & Shira Kammen’s recent CD, O Eterne Deus: Music of Hildegard von Bingen (Music & Arts label) is receiving international attention. Choir & Organ (U.K.) writes “the rich, full-blooded ensemble sings with intensity.
Shira Kammen is a Multi-instrumentalist and occasional vocalist Shira Kammen has spent well over half her life exploring the worlds of early and traditional music. A member for many years of the early music Ensembles Alcatraz and Project Ars Nova, and Medieval Strings, she has also worked with Sequentia, Hesperion XX, the Boston Camerata, the Balkan group Kitka, the King’s Noyse, the Newberry and Folger Consorts, the Oregon, California and San Francisco Shakespeare Festivals, and is the founder of Class V Music, an ensemble dedicated to providing music on river rafting trips. She has performed and taught in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Europe, Israel, Morocco, Latvia, Russia and Japan, and on the Colorado, Rogue, Green, Grande Ronde, East Carson and Klamath Rivers. The strangest place Shira has played is in the elephant pit of the Jerusalem Zoo. She has recently taken courses in Taiko drumming and voiceover acting. www.shirakammen.com
Theresa Wong is a composer, cellist and vocalist active at the intersection of music, experimentation, improvisation and the synergy of multiple disciplines. Bridging sound, movement, theater and visual art, her primary interest lies in finding the potential for transformation for both the artist and receiver alike. Wong has presented her work internationally at venues such as Fondation Cartier in Paris, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco, Fabbrica Europa in Florence Italy, Cafe Oto in London, Festival de Arte y Ópera Contemporánea in Morelia, Mexico, Unlimited 21 Festival in Wels, Austria and at The Stone and Roulette in New York City. She is the recipient of grants from the Center for Cultural Innovation, American Composers Forum, San Francisco Friends of Chamber Music and Meet The Composer. Wong is a Civitella Ranieri Foundation Fellow and has also been awarded artist residencies at the Headlands Center for the Arts and Yaddo. She currently works and resides in Berkeley, California. www.theresawong.org
Friday, March 10 @ 7:30 PM
Arlington Community Church
52 Arlington Ave, Kensington
FREE Parking with Wine & Cheese Reception
Tickets: $20 General Admission; $15 Seniors;
$10 Students (At Door with ID)
Sunday, October 30th @7:00 PM
BACH & ACC Presents
Gallimaufry: Mappa Mundi
Please join BACH and ACC to a brand-new musical experience with GALLIMAUFRY. They are an ensemble of twenty-plus voices that sings mostly secular medieval and renaissance music, early texts set to new music, new arrangements of old tunes, and traditional music of various cultures celebrating great places of the world.
Gallimaufry presents a concert of mostly Medieval and Renaissance music associated with specific places – a musical travelogue, with compositions celebrating Venice, Florence, Innsbruck, Iceland, Constantinople and other far-flung destinations.
Sunday, October 30th @7:00 PM
Arlington Community Church
52 Arlington Ave, Kensington
Wine & Cheese Reception
Tickets: $15 General Admission; $10 Seniors;
$10 Students at the door
Tickets available for a $5 discount when purchased in advance for General Admission and Seniors
FREE Parking and Handicap Accessible
Friday September 16, 2016 @ 7:30 PM
BACH and ACC Presents:
Shugga
“Shugga” was born down at the crossroads; Where professional studio musicians meet Deep South Soul and bring you a musical experience that will both surprise and delight. We combine Jazz, Gospel, Pop, R&B and new thought effortless all orchestrated by Larry Steelman.
Sugga, Helen, Larry, Jay Styne and Carrie Jadhe, create the most unique mix of soul & smarts in music today. Every genre, any song, and each venue is your opportunity to experience the “Shugga” magic. Hearing is believing…
See Shugga play at Caffe Trieste!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
Friday, September 16th @ 7:30 PM
Arlington Community Church
52 Arlington Ave, Kensington
FREE Parking with Wine & Cheese Reception
Tickets: $20 General Admission; $15 Seniors;
$10 Students at the door
August 13th @ 7:30 PM
BACH, ACC & Opera on Tap SF Presents:
Songs From Exotic Lands
Come and enjoy an evening of beautiful music that is tropically inspired with artful dining featuring renowned Chef Peter Jackson. This event isbrought to you by the lush operatic pairings of Opera on Tap San Francisco and Bay Area Classical Harmonies.
Saturday, August 13th @ 7:30 PM
Arlington Community Church
52 Arlington Ave, Kensington
FREE Parking
Tickets: $75 per person
Early Birds – Avail our 10% Ticket Discount at $65
Offer is Good Until August 1 Only!
Sunday July 31st @ 4PM
BACH & ACC Presents:
A Mini Concert with:
Elaine Laguerta & Marvin Sanders
Elaine Laguerta grew up listening mostly to Beethoven’s piano sonatas and Phantom of the Opera. She studied with Christine Dhogue, Jasheen Jayakody, and Carol Stewart. In 2005, she earned the Music Teachers’ Association of California Certificate of Merit. In 2010 she earned a B.A. in Music from UC Berkeley, studying piano performance with Jackie Chew and Betty Woo. She has performed with the UC Berkeley Symphony Orchestra, University Baroque Ensemble, and the University Chorus. Elaine lives in Oakland and works as a landscape designer.
Marvin Sanders has been in Bay Area since 1982. He has performed and produced concerts in various venues during ever since. He has degree in music from UC Berkeley.
~PROGRAM~
Sonata in g minor J.S. Bach (1685-1750)
Allegro moderato
Adagio
Allegro
Sonata in A Major Cesar Franck (1822- 1890)
Allegretto ben moderato
Allegro
Recitativo-Fantasia
Allegretto poco mosso
10 minute break
Sonata #14 c sharp minor “Sonata Quasi una Fantasia” op. 27 no. 2
L. V. Beethoven (1770-1827)
Adagio sostenuto
Allegretto
Presto agitato
Reverie Claude Debussy (1862- 1918)
Sunday July 31st 4:00 PM
Arlington Community Church
52 Arlington Ave, Kensington
FREE Parking
Tickets: $15 General Admission; $10 Students at the door
Friday May 20th @ 7:30 PM BACH & ACC Presents
St. Petersburg Men’s Ensemble [RUSSIA]
Masterpieces of Russian Choral Music from Baroque to Classical
Friday may 20th, 7:30PM
Arlington Community Church
52 Arlington Ave, Kensington
FREE Parking with Reception
Tickets: $20 General Admission; $15 Seniors;
$10 Students at the door
BACH & ACC Presents
Coro Ciconia: Love Writ Large
Asher Davidson, Director
Sunday April 24 @ 7:00 PM
Medieval manners of reverence—a secular context for Machaut’s great Mass
This spring we delve hungrily into disparate aspects of admiration. The sacred dance O Virgo splendens embodies trancelike veneration; in Ciconia’s exuberant O Padua, the shining star is a fervently admired city. Several songs from Machaut’s Rémède de Fortune depict shameless giddiness, dutiful devotion, and fervent gratitude, while his wretchedly beautiful rondeau Puis qu’en oubli broaches the misery of rejection. We find profound compassion for the besmirched in the Fortuna desperata of Busnois and its intricate homage by Agricola; our shared grief at the loss of Machaut, declared in the Armes, amours of Andrieu, is comfortless but resigned.
Why not the Messe de Nostre Dame as centerpiece? Machaut’s remarkable and inimitable work, by far the earliest known setting of the complete Ordinary, offers in its adoration of the divine an expressive range perhaps never exceeded.
Singers: Peter Fisher, Cheryl Koehler, Jane Jewell, Dorothy Manly, Jean McAneny, Stephen Pitcher, Ralph Prince, Scott Robinson, Helen Wolfe-Visnick, Donald Ziff
Sunday April 24 @ 7:00 PM
Arlington Community Church
52 Arlington Ave, Kensington
FREE Parking with Reception
Tickets: $20 General Admission; $15 Seniors;
$10 Students at the door
March 12th, Saturday @ 7:30 PM
BACH and ACC Presents
Frequency 49
REPERTOIRE
Francis Poulenc – Trio for oboe, bassoon, and piano, op. 43 (1926)
Heinrich Herzogenberg – Trio for oboe, horn, and piano, op. 61 (1889)
Heitor Villa-Lobos – Chôros no. 2 for flute and clarinet (1924)
Leo Smit – Sextet for woodwind quintet and piano (1933)
SATURDAY, MARCH 12TH @ 7:30PM
Arlington Community Church
52 Arlington Avenue
Kensington
FREE Parking with Wine & Cheese Reception
Tickets: $20 General Admission; $15 Seniors;
$10 Students at the door
ACC & BACH PRESENTS
Le Lai de la Fonteinne
Vajra Voices
with Shira Kammen, Harp & Vielle
Karen R. Clark, director
Vajra Voices comes together to study, rehearse, and perform early to modern music. Holding the questions of what makes historical music authentic, and gives modern relevance to ancient western traditions, each member of Vajra Voices contributes her unique voice, life knowledge, and musical expertise to create meaning and expression. In addition to holding degrees from leading music schools, including Indiana University, Case Western, and Stanford University, members of Vajra Voices have studied privately in the studio of director, Karen R. Clark where embodying technical skill and a deep understanding of text and vocal styles is emphasized. In early music, such as the medieval music of Hildegard von Bingen we develop our own transcriptions based on Hildegard’s original notation found in existent manuscripts (Dendermonde, and Riesen Codex). In rehearsal, we recite the texts of the songs together—repeatedly— to determine the meaning, nuance, and flow of each phrase. In new music, we seek to work with the composer whenever possible. Our goal is to be as informed as possible on the intent behind the notation such that we convey— as fully as possible— the meaning. Members of Vajra Voices are active music educators in the San Francisco Bay Area. Allison Zelles Lloyd is a Music Education Specialist at St. Mary’s College, Cheryl Moore teaches Renaissance & Baroque Dance, Amy Stuart Hunn is a conductor, and others are active as a private vocal instructors. Director, Karen R. Clark has served as faculty on many workshop series, to include, Chanticleer, the San Francisco Early Music Society, and the Madison Festival, and has coached ensembles such as the Seattle Medieval Women’s Choir, UC Berkeley Chamber Singers, and Tinctoris Five at Stanford University. Vajra Voices looks forward to presenting workshops for singers and ensemble directors and welcomes inquiries and invitations. www.vajravoices.com
Le Lai de la Fonteinne (The Lay of the Fountain) will be sung by the women’s chamber ensemble Vajra Voices, directed by Karen Clark. They will be joined by Shira Kammen on harp and vielle in a rarely heard work by 14th Century French composer Guillaume de Machaut. Also, on the program are more recent works of Zoltan Kodaly, and Shira Kammen.
Le Lai de la Fonteinne is in essence a prayer and hymn of praise to the Virgin and a meditation on the nature of the Trinity, likened by the poet to a fountain. The fountain itself, the stream flowing from it and its source are three apparently separate things, which in reality are one: God the Father is the source, the fountain is the Son, and the stream is the Holy Ghost. The cleansing and thirst-quenching properties of water, its strength to remain itself even as ice or vapor, the fount of harmony and purity – all are invoked as images uniting in the vision of the Virgin as the true foundation of faith: “just like water the sweet fruit of life took on human flesh and human shape in your empty womb.”
– Paul Hillier, The Hilliard Ensemble
Multi-instrumentalist and occasional vocalist Shira Kammen has spent well over half her life exploring the worlds of early and traditional music. A member for many years of the early music Ensembles Alcatraz and Project Ars Nova, and Medieval Strings, she has also worked with Sequentia, Hesperion XX, the Boston Camerata, the Balkan group Kitka, the King’s Noyse, the Newberry and Folger Consorts, the Oregon, California and San Francisco Shakespeare Festivals, and is the founder of Class V Music, an ensemble dedicated to providing music on river rafting trips. She has performed and taught in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Europe, Israel, Morocco, Latvia, Russia and Japan, and on the Colorado, Rogue, Green, Grande Ronde, East Carson and Klamath Rivers.
Shira happily collaborated with singer/storyteller John Fleagle for fifteen years, and performs now with several groups: a medieval ensemble, Fortune’s Wheel: a new music group, Ephemeros; an eclectic ethnic band, Panacea; an English Country Dance band, Roguery,the early music ensembles Cançoniér and In Bocca al Lupo, as well as frequent collaborations with performers such as storyteller/harpist Patrick Ball, medieval music experts Margriet Tindemans and Anne Azema, and in many theatrical and dance productions. She has worked with students in many different settings, among them teaching summer music workshops in the woods, coaching students of early music at Yale University, Case Western, the University of Oregon at Eugene, and working at specialized seminars at the Fondazione Cini in Venice, Italy and the Scuola Cantorum Basiliensis in Switzerland
She has played on several television and movie soundtracks, including ‘O’, a modern high school-setting of Othello and ‘’The Nativity Story’, and has accompanied many diverse artists in recording projects, among them singers Azam Ali and Joanna Newsom. Some of her original music can be heard in an independent film about fans of the work of JRR Tolkien. The strangest place Shira has played is in the elephant pit of the Jerusalem Zoo. She has recently taken courses in Taiko drumming and voiceover acting. shirakammen.com
SATURDAY, JANUARY 30th @ 7:30PM
Arlington Community Church
52 Arlington Avenue
Kensington
Refreshments, wine and snacks provided.
Tickets: $20 General Admission; $15 Seniors;
$10 Students at the door
February 12th, Friday @ 7:30 PM
BACH and ACC Presents
We LOVE/HATE Valentine’s Day!
with
Join BACH & ACC for a concert event with our special guests Opera On Tap San Francisco.
The concert will be consist of scenes from Puccini’s La Boheme, Mozart’s Don Giovani, and Gonoud’s Faust sung by members of the Opera on Tap.
Founded in 2011, Opera on Tap (OTT) corporation with 501(c)3 status whose mission is to break down the stereo-type that opera is a stuffy or elitist art form by bringing it to bars. Our organization is formed for educational purposes including:
1. Educating the public on culture and the arts.
2. Providing support and performance opportunities to young opera singers and classical instrumentalists.
3. Expose new audiences to opera and classical music by taking opera and classical music out of the concert hall and performing it in alternative venues.
4. To aid young performers in their development by giving them the opportunity to perform and to promote and support them through our organization.
5. To help promote new classical works of contemporary classical and operatic composers.
Opera On Tap San Francisco brings opera to the people with monthly access to free live music! It is our mission to break down the stereo-type that opera is a stuffy or elitist art form by bringing it to bars. Local singers let their hair down and bring you into what feels like an after hours back stage party, singing some of the opera’s best-known and little-known pieces in a friendly, relaxed atmosphere.
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 12TH @ 7:30PM
Arlington Community Church
52 Arlington Avenue
Kensington
Refreshments, wine and snacks provided.
Tickets: $20 General Admission; $15 Seniors; $10 Students at the door
Saturday, November 21st @ 7:30 pm
Join us for another great evening experience. As ACC had teamed up with Bay Area Classical Harmonies (BACH) to produce a brand-new musical experience for Kensington: a community Concert Series hosting some of Bay Area’s best musicians.
Avenue Winds engages audiences of all ages with dynamic chamber music performances featuring new works by local San Francisco Bay Area composers as well as the classics of the woodwind quintet repertoire.
Performing with artistry and virtuosity, this engaging woodwind quintet has performed in recital at numerous venues, including the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, University of San Francisco, Berkeley Chamber Performances and the Old First Concert Series.
Avenue Winds maintains a special interest and enthusiasm for 20th and 21st-century works and actively seeks out collaborations with contemporary composers as part of the LoCAL Living Music Project.
“Any opportunity to work with the Avenue Winds is an immense pleasure. One of the most professional and talented ensembles I know, they have given some of the most outstanding and thoughtful performances of contemporary music I have heard…performances that the composers have told me were the most insightful and well-executed performances they have ever received. They are one of the most remarkable wind quintets I know.” — John Bilotta, composer
Learn more at their website www.avenuewinds.com.
Sunday November 1st @ 7:00 pm
BACH & ACC Concert Series Presents:
Danse Macabre: Honoring Death, Fate & Transformation
Performed by Chamber Chorus Gallimaufry with Shira Kammen, Artistic Director & instrumentalists Peter Maund and Michelle Levy.
Multi-instrumentalist and occasional vocalist Shira Kammen has spent well over half her life exploring the worlds of early and traditional music. A member for many years of the early music Ensembles Alcatraz and Project Ars Nova, and Medieval Strings, she has also worked with Sequentia, Hesperion XX, the Boston Camerata, the Balkan group Kitka, the King’s Noyse, the Newberry and Folger Consorts, the Oregon, California and San Francisco Shakespeare Festivals, and is the founder of Class V Music, an ensemble dedicated to providing music on river rafting trips. She has performed and taught in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Europe, Israel, Morocco, Latvia, Russia and Japan, and on the Colorado, Rogue, Green, Grande Ronde, East Carson and Klamath Rivers.
Shira happily collaborated with singer/storyteller John Fleagle for fifteen years, and performs now with several groups: a medieval ensemble, Fortune’s Wheel: a new music group, Ephemeros; an eclectic ethnic band, Panacea; an English Country Dance band, Roguery,the early music ensembles Cançoniér and In Bocca al Lupo, as well as frequent collaborations with performers such as storyteller/harpist Patrick Ball, medieval music experts Margriet Tindemans and Anne Azéma, and in many theatrical and dance productions. She has worked with students in many different settings, among them teaching summer music workshops in the woods, coaching students of early music at Yale University, Case Western, the University of Oregon at Eugene, and working at specialized seminars at the Fondazione Cini in Venice, Italy and the Scuola Cantorum Basiliensis in Switzerland.
She has played on several television and movie soundtracks, including ‘O’, a modern high school-setting of Othello and ‘’The Nativity Story’, and has accompanied many diverse artists in recording projects, among them singers Azam Ali and Joanna Newsom. Some of her original music can be heard in an independent film about fans of the work of JRR Tolkien. The strangest place Shira has played is in the elephant pit of the Jerusalem Zoo. She has recently taken courses in Taiko drumming and voiceover acting.
A native of San Francisco, Peter Maund studied percussion at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music and music, folklore and ethnomusicology at the University of California, Berkeley. A founding member of Ensemble Alcatraz and Alasdair Fraser’s Skyedance, he has performed with early and contemporary music ensembles including Alboka, Anonymous 4, Berkeley Contemporary Chamber Players, Chanticleer, Davka, El Mundo, The Harp Consort, Hesperion XX, Kitka, Los Cenzontles, Musica Pacifica, Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra and Voices of Music, among others. Presenters and venues include Cal Performances, Carnegie Hall, Celtic Connections (Glasgow); Cervantino Festival (Guanajuato), Confederation House (Jerusalem); Edinburgh Festival; Festival Interceltique de Lorient; Festival Pau Casals; Folkfestival Dranouter; Horizante Orient Okzident (Berlin); The Kennedy Center; Lincoln Center; Palacio Congresos (Madrid); Queen Elizabeth Hall (London); and Tage Alter Musik (Regensburg). He is the author of “Percussion” in A Performers Guide to Medieval Music, Indiana University Press, 2000. He has served on the faculty of the University of California, Berkeley as well as in workshops sponsored by Amherst Early Music, the San Francisco Early Music Society, the American Recorder Society and the American Orff-Schulwerk Association. Described by the Glasgow Herald as “the most considerate and imaginative of percussionists” he can be heard on over 50 recordings.
Michelle Levy has been performing on and exploring the possibilities of bowed string instruments for over 20 years. She studied classical viola & Old Time fiddle/banjo at Brown University, then continued her musical studies in Medieval performance practice on vielle with Shira Kammen and with members of Sequentia at the Vancouver Medieval Programme at the University of British Columbia.
She comes from a family of artists; her grandfather, Eliezer, is a multi-instrumentalist who regularly played for folk dances in Tel-Aviv in the 1940′s. Currently based in the San Francisco Bay area, California, she is Artistic Director of Redwood Guild of Early Music and is an Artist-In-Residence with Youth In Arts. She has performed internationally with an eclectic variety of ensembles and vocalists, including The Boston Camerata and vocalists Owain Phyfe, Abby Green, Maia Archote, and Moh Alileche. She’s been a featured performer at the Vancouver Early Music Festival (2013) with Sequentia & The Elaine Adair Ensemble as well as at the Connecticut Early Music Festival (2010) with Istanpitta Early Music Ensemble, and her new Contra-dance band, TriTonic, recently featured at the New England Folk Festival 2013 (NEFFA). She enjoys playing fiddle for contra and English country dance camps in the woods as well as performing with Shira Kammen’s Class V Music, an ensemble dedicated to creating music on whitewater rafting trips. www.MichelleVielle.com
As a fiddle/violin teacher, Michelle is certified in the Orff Shulwerk approach to teaching music as well as the Mark O’Connor Method. She teaches all ages from 3 and up.
REFRESHMENTS PROVIDED DURING THE CONCERT
NOVEMBER 1ST, SUNDAY @ 7:00PM
ARLINGTON COMMUNITY CHURCH
52 Arlington Avenue, Kensington, CA
Tickets: $20 Standard, $15 – Seniors (55+), $10 – Students (with ID)
Cash or check only at the Door
CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE TICKETS
Friday October 16th @ 7:30
BACH & ACC Concert Series Presents: Shugga
“Shugga” was born down at the crossroads; Where professional studio musicians meet Deep South Soul and bring you a musical experience that will both surprise and delight.
The centerpiece is Helen Gray. Her four-octave range is only part of the story. Helen is steeped in a family legacy of famous performers. 5 studio albums and world tours with Little Richard later, Helen has come home to the Bay Area and found her musical companion in Larry Steelman.
Larry is the quintessential Los Angeles “heavyweight”. Not only was he the pianist for Johnny Mathis, his prolific songwriting, arranging, and session skills are currently in high demand throughout the world.
Together, Helen & Larry create the most unique mix of soul & smarts in music today. Every genre, any song, and each venue is your opportunity to experience the “Shugga” magic. Hearing is believing…
Wine & Cheese Reception immediately following
OCTOBER 16th, FRIDAY @ 7:30PM
ARLINGTON COMMUNITY CHURCH
52 Arlington Avenue, Kensington, CA
Tickets: $20 Standard, $15 – Seniors 55+), $10 – Students (with ID)
Cash or check only at the Door
CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE TICKETS
Friday September 11th @ 7:30 BACH & ACC Presents:
Piano Recital – Music of Mozart, Ravel, Beethoven and Chopin. Featuring Pianist Colin Brady
Colin Brady began studying the piano at age nine with Frances Wojnar, and subsequently with James Arthur Gardner, Bruce Cook, and Dale Tsang. He studied piano at San Francisco State University with Roger Woodward and Victoria Neve, and chamber music with the Alexander String Quartet. In 2000 he won first prize for the Itala Gambino Memorial Award for High School Piano and also received a first prize in the 2000 MTAC Baroque Festival. In 2005, he was one of three pianists chosen to perform a movement of the Beethoven Piano Concerto No.3 with the Diablo Valley Philharmonic Orchestra. He has participated in masterclasses with Jon Nakamatsu, Frederic Chiu, and Ursula Oppens. In 2010 he placed as an alternate performer in the annual San Francisco State Concerto Competition playing the first movement of the Third Concerto by Sergei Rachmaninoff, and was a competitor in the 2010 CAPMT concerto competition. In 2013 he was a concerto soloist with the Forest Hill chamber Orchestra playing the Piano Concerto no.23 by W.A. Mozart and was a final round competitor in the 2013 Forest Hill Young Artists Music Competition. Colin Brady is a regular performer at the Forest Hill Concerts series in San Francisco as well a performer with Contra Costa Performing Arts Society. He passionately enjoys teaching piano and maintains a home teaching studio in San Francisco with many wonderful students.
Sonata in F major k.332
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
I. Allegro
II. Adagio
III. Allegro Assai
JeuxD’eau (play of water)
Maurice Ravel
Sonata in A-flat major Op.110
Ludwig van Beethoven
I. Moderato cantabile molto espressivo
II. Allegro molto
III. Adagio Non Troppo, Adagio Nn Troppo, Fuga, L’istesso Tempo De Arioso, L’istesso Tempo Della Fuga poi a poi di nuovo vivente
Nocturne in D-flat major Op.27 no.2
Frederic Chopin
REFRESHMENTS PROVIDED DURING THE CONCERT
SEPTEMBER 11th, FRIDAY @ 7:30PM
ARLINGTON COMMUNITY CHURCH
52 Arlington Avenue, Kensington, CA
TICKETS: $20 General, $15 Seniors (55+), and $10 Students
CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE TICKETS
Fridays May 8th @ 7:30 – Bay Area Classical Harmonies, ACC & Pro Art’s Gallery Presents:
ANNUAL SPRING Concert, Josquin’s Missa Pange Lingua and Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater
Bay Area Classical Harmonies invites you to enjoy exquisite musical works of the Renaissance and Baroque periods in their annual spring concert.
The program includes Josquin des Prez’s final mass, Missa Pange lingua, Stabat Mater by Giovanni Battista Pergolesi, and a trio of instrumental works by Josquin. Enjoy lush counterpoint and beautiful melodies with BACH’s premiere choral ensemble and instrumental quartet.
REFRESHMENTS PROVIDED DURING THE CONCERT
MAY 8th, FRIDAY @ 7:30PM
ARLINGTON COMMUNITY CHURCH
52 Arlington Avenue, Kensington, CA
TICKETS: $18 General Admission; $15 Seniors;
$12 Student at the door
CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE TICKETS
FRIDAY APRIL 17th, @ 7:30
BACH & ACC Presents: HEAVEN AND EARTH
Please join BACH and ACC for an evening of beautiful music of HEAVEN AND EARTH featuring the Vajra Voices & Angelorum Medieval Harp Ensemble, Karen Clark & CherylAnn Fulton, Directors. They will be performing music of HILDEGARD VON BINGEN.
FEATURING:
Vajra Voices comes together to perform early to modern music for women’s voices. Holding the questions of what makes historical music ‘authentic’ each individual in the ensemble contributes her unique voice, knowledge and expertise to make the meaning and expression of ancient western traditions relevant to our modern sensibilities. An attempt to understand context in the time the music is composed, its intended purpose, and how best to bring the meaning and expression forward to modern ears is of primary importance to Vajra Voices.
We begin with music of Hildegard von Bingen (1098-1179)— known as the Sybil of the Rhine— wherein we develop our own transcriptions from original manuscripts. Our program of French Troubadour and Trouvere repertory stems from our studies of the Poetria Nova of the 13th century rhetorician Geoffrey Vinsauf. Other programs on the horizon expand into the 21st century to include music of John Tavener, and Estonian composers, Veljo Tormis and Arvo Part.
The Bay area women’s ensemble Vajra Voices performs medieval to modern music in a singing style inspired by Hildegard von Bingen that is “clear, sweet, and strong.” In 2010, Vajra Voices debuted in the Berkeley Early Music Festival, and returned to the Festival in 2014 with the harp ensemble Angelorum, for an enthralling standing-room-only audience at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church. Following that concert Vajra Voices was engaged to sing for the Choral Eucharist celebration of the 40th Anniversary of the ordination of the first women ministers in the Episcopal Church in San Francisco’s Grace Cathedral. In 2014-15, Vajra Voices performs and records music of Hildegard von Bingen: In Celebration of the Divine Feminine. http://www.vajravoices.com
“Then he took the harp to tune it. God! whoever saw how well he handled it, touching the strings and making them vibrate, sometimes causing them to sing and at other times to join in harmonies, he would have been reminded of the heavenly harmony.”
from Roman de Horn (c. 1170)
The medieval harp in the 21st century has the same power to enchant and uplift that it had in the 12th. Angelorum, directed by renowned harpist Cheryl Ann Fulton, brings the music of the spheres down to earth weaving together medieval modes, melodies, and methods of improvisation on historical harps to create a vibrant, shimmering tapestry of sound.
Angelorum, the world’s only medieval harp choir, was first formed in 1996 by director Cheryl Ann Fulton. The group has performed in the Festival of Harps; with Chanticleer in the production of The Resurrection Play of Tours; and appeared with Ensemble Alcatraz and KITKA on their CD Cantigas de Amigo. The current group recently performed a program of the music of Hildegard von Bingen with singer Karen Clark and Vajra Voices for the 2014 Berkeley Early Music Festival and a CD recoding project is in the works. http://www.angelorumharps.com
REFRESHMENTS PROVIDED DURING THE CONCERT
APRIL 17th, FRIDAY @ 7:30PM
ARLINGTON COMMUNITY CHURCH
52 Arlington Avenue, Kensington, CA
TICKETS: $18 General, $15 Seniors (65+), and $12 Students
CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE TICKETS
SUNDAY May 3, @ 7:00 – Shira Kamen Chorus.
SUNDAY MAY 3rd @ 7:30PM
Arlington Community Church
52 Arlington Avenue
Kensington
Refreshments, wine and snacks provided.
Tickets: $18 General Admission; $15 Seniors;
$12 Student at the door
CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE TICKETS
FRIDAY May 8, – BACH @ 7:30 featuring Renaissance Music & Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater performed by BACH Chorus.
REFRESHMENTS PROVIDED DURING THE CONCERT
MAY 8th, FRIDAY @ 7:30PM
ARLINGTON COMMUNITY CHURCH
52 Arlington Avenue, Kensington, CA
TICKETS: $18 General, $15 Seniors (65+), and $12 Students
PURCHASE TICKETS HERE
FRIDAY CONCERT @ ARLINGTON:
The St. Petersburg Men’s Ensemble
Performing Russian Sacred and Folk Music
Please join us on Friday May 30, 7:30 pm
Arlington Community Church
52 Arlington Ave., Kensington
TICKETS
$18 General / $15 Senior / $12 Student
PURCHASE TICKETS
Parking is available across the street and the building is wheelchair accessible
SATURDAY March, 14 @ 7:30
BACH & ACC Presents: Evening of Songs & Piano Music
From Gustavo Hernández García, Tenor and John Boyajy, Piano
Music by: Mozart, Ravel and Grieg
Please join BACH and Arlington Community Church for an evening of wonderful Songs and Piano music from Mozart, Ravel and Grieg, featuring pianist John Boyajy & Gustavo Hernández García, Tenor
John Boyajy received his Bachelor’s and Masters degrees from The Juilliard School of Music. He appeared at Avery Fischer Hall in Lincoln Center; many college campuses; on the Concerts Grand and Dance Palace piano series in Marin County; Sebastopol Center for the Arts; and Old First Church and the Victorian Englander House in San Francisco. John performed the Beethoven Fourth and Schumann Piano Concertos and the Beethoven Choral Fantasy with the Bay Area Classical Harmonies Orchestra and Chorus under Andrew Chung. In addition to public appearances, he performs at private homes and is often involved in fundraisers and similar community events.
As a collaborative artist, John has appeared with dozens of singers, including Maxine Bernstein, Executive Director of San Francisco-based LIEDER ALIVE!; Roberta Wain-Becker, director of Golden Gate Opera; and nationally acclaimed basso Kirk Eichelberger. He has also accompanied almost every orchestral instrument, with the notable exceptions of the piccolo and euphonium. John has written commentary on the Bay Area classical music scene for San Francisco Classical Voice and is a Board member of the Marin County branch of the California Music Teachers’ Association and San Francisco-based LIEDER ALIVE!
As a teacher of both children and adults, John emphasizes a strong, natural technique and shares his passion for the piano and its incomparable literature. His approach successfully assists students in achieving their highest potential. His students have won honors (up to and including first prize) in many Bay Area competitions. In his vocal coaching work, John focuses on good diction, maintenance of the line through good support, and overall musicianship.
John has served as a judge at many competitions, including the United States Open Music Competition. He is a member of the music ministry team at All Saints Lutheran Church in Novato where, in addition to accompanying the choir, he appears as tenor soloist. http://jboyajy.homestead.com
Gustavo Hernández García, tenor, began his singing career through the Young Musicians Program of UC Berkeley, where he studied with David Tigner. He has been a featured soloist for the Young Musician’s Program, Bay Area Singers’ Forum, North Bay Opera, and the Oakland Youth Chorus, through which he performed for former president Bill Clinton. Hernández has sung lead tenor roles in Il Barbiere di Siviglia, Lucia di Lammermoor, and Norma, and secondary roles in Idomeneo, Tosca, Die Zauberflöte and Carmen. Hernández’s forays into Oratorio include singing the tenor solos for Mendehlsson’s Elijah, The Messiah, The Mozart Requiem, Rossini’s Stabat Mater, Mozart’s Coronation Mass and the Mozart Vespers. Hernández recently sang with the San Francisco Opera Chorus inGötterdämmerung and the Los Angeles Opera Chorus in Der fliegende Holländer. After receiving his B.M. from the San Francisco Conservatory in 2005, Hernández received his M.M. in Vocal Arts at the USC Thornton School of Music. http://nationalchildrenschorus.com/team/gustavo-hernandez-garcia
REFRESHMENTS PROVIDED DURING THE CONCERT
MARCH 14TH, SATURDAY @ 7:30PM
ARLINGTON COMMUNITY CHURCH
52 Arlington Avenue, Kensington, CA
TICKETS: $18 General, $15 Seniors (65+), and $12 Students
CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE TICKETS
Join us for another great evening experience. As ACC had teamed up with Bay Area Classical Harmonies (BACH) to produce a brand-new musical experience for Kensington: a community Concert Series hosting some of Bay Area’s best musicians.
Avenue Winds engages audiences of all ages with dynamic chamber music performances featuring new works by local San Francisco Bay Area composers as well as the classics of the woodwind quintet repertoire.
Performing with artistry and virtuosity, this engaging woodwind quintet has performed in recital at numerous venues, including the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, University of San Francisco, Berkeley Chamber Performances and the Old First Concert Series.
Avenue Winds maintains a special interest and enthusiasm for 20th and 21st-century works and actively seeks out collaborations with contemporary composers as part of the LoCAL Living Music Project.
“Any opportunity to work with the Avenue Winds is an immense pleasure. One of the most professional and talented ensembles I know, they have given some of the most outstanding and thoughtful performances of contemporary music I have heard…performances that the composers have told me were the most insightful and well-executed performances they have ever received. They are one of the most remarkable wind quintets I know.” — John Bilotta, composer
Learn more at their website www.avenuewinds.com.
Join us for another great evening experience. As ACC had teamed up with Bay Area Classical Harmonies (BACH) to produce a brand-new musical experience for Kensington: a community Concert Series hosting some of Bay Area’s best musicians.
Avenue Winds engages audiences of all ages with dynamic chamber music performances featuring new works by local San Francisco Bay Area composers as well as the classics of the woodwind quintet repertoire.
Performing with artistry and virtuosity, this engaging woodwind quintet has performed in recital at numerous venues, including the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, University of San Francisco, Berkeley Chamber Performances and the Old First Concert Series.
Avenue Winds maintains a special interest and enthusiasm for 20th and 21st-century works and actively seeks out collaborations with contemporary composers as part of the LoCAL Living Music Project.
“Any opportunity to work with the Avenue Winds is an immense pleasure. One of the most professional and talented ensembles I know, they have given some of the most outstanding and thoughtful performances of contemporary music I have heard…performances that the composers have told me were the most insightful and well-executed performances they have ever received. They are one of the most remarkable wind quintets I know.” — John Bilotta, composer
Learn more at their website www.avenuewinds.com.
ACC & BACH PRESENTS
Le Lai de la Fonteinne
Vajra Voices
with Shira Kammen, Harp & Vielle
Karen R. Clark, director
Vajra Voices comes together to study, rehearse, and perform early to modern music. Holding the questions of what makes historical music authentic, and gives modern relevance to ancient western traditions, each member of Vajra Voices contributes her unique voice, life knowledge, and musical expertise to create meaning and expression. In addition to holding degrees from leading music schools, including Indiana University, Case Western, and Stanford University, members of Vajra Voices have studied privately in the studio of director, Karen R. Clark where embodying technical skill and a deep understanding of text and vocal styles is emphasized. In early music, such as the medieval music of Hildegard von Bingen we develop our own transcriptions based on Hildegard’s original notation found in existent manuscripts (Dendermonde, and Riesen Codex). In rehearsal, we recite the texts of the songs together—repeatedly— to determine the meaning, nuance, and flow of each phrase. In new music, we seek to work with the composer whenever possible. Our goal is to be as informed as possible on the intent behind the notation such that we convey— as fully as possible— the meaning. Members of Vajra Voices are active music educators in the San Francisco Bay Area. Allison Zelles Lloyd is a Music Education Specialist at St. Mary’s College, Cheryl Moore teaches Renaissance & Baroque Dance, Amy Stuart Hunn is a conductor, and others are active as a private vocal instructors. Director, Karen R. Clark has served as faculty on many workshop series, to include, Chanticleer, the San Francisco Early Music Society, and the Madison Festival, and has coached ensembles such as the Seattle Medieval Women’s Choir, UC Berkeley Chamber Singers, and Tinctoris Five at Stanford University. Vajra Voices looks forward to presenting workshops for singers and ensemble directors and welcomes inquiries and invitations. www.vajravoices.com
Le Lai de la Fonteinne (The Lay of the Fountain) will be sung by the women’s chamber ensemble Vajra Voices, directed by Karen Clark. They will be joined by Shira Kammen on harp and vielle in a rarely heard work by 14th Century French composer Guillaume de Machaut. Also, on the program are more recent works of Zoltan Kodaly, and Shira Kammen.
Le Lai de la Fonteinne is in essence a prayer and hymn of praise to the Virgin and a meditation on the nature of the Trinity, likened by the poet to a fountain. The fountain itself, the stream flowing from it and its source are three apparently separate things, which in reality are one: God the Father is the source, the fountain is the Son, and the stream is the Holy Ghost. The cleansing and thirst-quenching properties of water, its strength to remain itself even as ice or vapor, the fount of harmony and purity – all are invoked as images uniting in the vision of the Virgin as the true foundation of faith: “just like water the sweet fruit of life took on human flesh and human shape in your empty womb.”
– Paul Hillier, The Hilliard Ensemble
Multi-instrumentalist and occasional vocalist Shira Kammen has spent well over half her life exploring the worlds of early and traditional music. A member for many years of the early music Ensembles Alcatraz and Project Ars Nova, and Medieval Strings, she has also worked with Sequentia, Hesperion XX, the Boston Camerata, the Balkan group Kitka, the King’s Noyse, the Newberry and Folger Consorts, the Oregon, California and San Francisco Shakespeare Festivals, and is the founder of Class V Music, an ensemble dedicated to providing music on river rafting trips. She has performed and taught in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Europe, Israel, Morocco, Latvia, Russia and Japan, and on the Colorado, Rogue, Green, Grande Ronde, East Carson and Klamath Rivers.
Shira happily collaborated with singer/storyteller John Fleagle for fifteen years, and performs now with several groups: a medieval ensemble, Fortune’s Wheel: a new music group, Ephemeros; an eclectic ethnic band, Panacea; an English Country Dance band, Roguery,the early music ensembles Cançoniér and In Bocca al Lupo, as well as frequent collaborations with performers such as storyteller/harpist Patrick Ball, medieval music experts Margriet Tindemans and Anne Azema, and in many theatrical and dance productions. She has worked with students in many different settings, among them teaching summer music workshops in the woods, coaching students of early music at Yale University, Case Western, the University of Oregon at Eugene, and working at specialized seminars at the Fondazione Cini in Venice, Italy and the Scuola Cantorum Basiliensis in Switzerland
She has played on several television and movie soundtracks, including ‘O’, a modern high school-setting of Othello and ‘’The Nativity Story’, and has accompanied many diverse artists in recording projects, among them singers Azam Ali and Joanna Newsom. Some of her original music can be heard in an independent film about fans of the work of JRR Tolkien. The strangest place Shira has played is in the elephant pit of the Jerusalem Zoo. She has recently taken courses in Taiko drumming and voiceover acting. shirakammen.com
SATURDAY, JANUARY 30th @ 7:30PM
Arlington Community Church
52 Arlington Avenue
Kensington
Refreshments, wine and snacks provided.
Tickets: $20 General Admission; $15 Seniors;
$10 Students at the door
February 12th, Friday @ 7:30 PM
BACH and ACC Presents
Celebrate Valentine’s Day Weekend
with Opera On Tap
Join BACH and ACC as they host San Francisco Chapter of Opera on Tap. The concert will be consist of scenes from Puccini’s La Boheme, Mozart’s Don Giovani, and Gonoud’s Faust sung by members of the Opera on Tap.
Founded in 2011, Opera on Tap (OTT) corporation with 501(c)3 status whose mission is to break down the stereo-type that opera is a stuffy or elitist art form by bringing it to bars. Our organization is formed for educational purposes including:
1. Educating the public on culture and the arts.
2. Providing support and performance opportunities to young opera singers and classical instrumentalists.
3. Expose new audiences to opera and classical music by taking opera and classical music out of the concert hall and performing it in alternative venues.
4. To aid young performers in their development by giving them the opportunity to perform and to promote and support them through our organization.
5. To help promote new classical works of contemporary classical and operatic composers.
Opera On Tap San Francisco brings opera to the people with monthly access to free live music! It is our mission to break down the stereo-type that opera is a stuffy or elitist art form by bringing it to bars. Local singers let their hair down and bring you into what feels like an after hours back stage party, singing some of the opera’s best-known and little-known pieces in a friendly, relaxed atmosphere.
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 12TH @ 7:30PM
Arlington Community Church
52 Arlington Avenue
Kensington
Refreshments, wine and snacks provided.
Tickets: $20 General Admission; $15 Seniors;
$10 Students at the door