Lacuna Arts will Use its Old First Concert for Fundraising

As has already been announced, the second concert in the eleventh season of the Lacuna Arts Chorale will be held in conjunction with the Old First Concerts series at Old First Church. The major work will be Hugo Distler’s 1933 setting of The Christmas Story in German, Die Weihnachtsgeschichte. This is structured around several choral variations of the carol “Es ist ein Ros entsprungen” (lo, how a rose e’er blooming). The variations are separated by a chanted narrative of the Nativity from the Gospels with different characters sung by vocal soloists. The entire account is framed by opening and closing choruses. the “prequel” for this performance will be Arvo Pärt’s “Which was the son of …,” an enumeration of the genealogy leading up to Jesus.

This performance will be given in conjunction with Lacuna Arts’ Time for Harmony campaign. This is a fundraising effort based on the needs of the community rather than explicit support of an arts organization. For every dollar contributed to Lacuna Arts as part of this campaign, the members of the Chorale will make a matching gift to an advocacy organization, such as the American Civil Liberties Union, the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, and The Trevor Project. Donations may be pledged through a Web page on the Lacuna Arts Web site.

The concert itself will take place at 8 p.m. on Friday, December 9. Old First Concerts take place at the Old First Church, located at 1751 Sacramento Street on the southeast corner of Van Ness Avenue. General admission will be $20 with discounted rates of $17 for seniors and $5 or full-time students showing valid identification. Children aged twelve and under will still be admitted for free. In addition there is a $2 discount for tickets purchased online in advance from the event page for this concert on the Old First Concerts Web site. There is also a discount available for those parking at the Old First Parking Garage at 1725 Sacramento Street, just up the street from the church.

The fundraising event will take place the following morning, Saturday, December, beginning at 11 a.m. and lasting for about two hours. The Chorale will perform selections in a setting that will also include abundant food and drink. The venue will be the a.Muse Gallery, located in NEMIZ (NorthEast Mission Industrial Zone) at 614 Alabama Street.