Volti Vocalists will Again Join Forces with LCCE

One of the more adventurous offerings last season by the Left Coast Chamber Ensemble (LCCE) involved a joint program with the Volti chamber choir. That partnership was so successful that Volti will again collaborate with LCCE at the next concert in its 2018–2019 season. The title of the program will be Volti + Left Coast Premieres: The Tower and the Garden.

That subtitle is also the title of a new major piece for voices and string quartet composed by Gregory Spears and being given its West Coast premiere. Half an hour in duration, the work sets three poems juxtaposing the dangers of unchecked technological advancement (the tower) and the need for a place of refuge (the garden). The Tower and the Garden was commissioned jointly by Volti, Cantori New York, The Crossing, and Notre Dame Vocale.

The program will also present the world premiere of another work commissioned by Volti, Laurie San Martin’s “Witches.” The work was inspired by a short story by Lucy Corin with the same title. Corin’s tale examines the dark but playful imagination of contemporary young girls. The music is scored for vocal ensemble, cello, and two oboes. The oboe will also figure in the premiere of a new work by Addie Camsuzou commissioned by LCCE. “Murmuration,” which was inspired by the flock patterns of starlings, was scored for oboe and strings. In addition, oboist Tom Nugent will be featured in a performance of Benjamin Britten’s Opus 2, which he called “Phantasy Quartet.”

LCCE oboists Andrea Plesnarski and Tom Nugent (courtesy of LCCE)

The San Francisco performance of this program will take place at 7:30 p.m. on Monday, November 19. The venue will be the Recital Hall of the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, located at 50 Oak Street, between Van Ness Avenue and Franklin Street and a short walk from the Van Ness Muni Station. Single tickets will be sold at the door for $35 for general admission and $18 for those under the age of 35. Tickets may be purchased in advance online through an event page on the LCCE Web site.