SFGC Announces 2022–2023 Season

Artistic Director Valérie Sainte-Agathe leading the San Francisco Girls Chorus (photograph by Tim Hamlin)

Next month will see the beginning of the 2022–2023 concert season of the San Francisco Girls Chorus (SFGC), led by its Artistic Director Valérie Sainte-Agathe. As was the case last season, there will be four programs; however, as was also the case, all schedule specifics have not yet been finalized. Nevertheless, dates have been set for the first three of the programs, which will include the traditional holiday concert at Davies Symphony Hall and a program that will be co-presented with Chanticleer and its Music Director Tim Keeler. Those specifics that have been finalized as of today are as follows:

Friday, October 21, 7:30 p.m., SFJAZZ Miner Auditorium, Kamala’s Hope: The program title refers to the choral world premiere of a work that began as chamber music composed by Oakland-based Candace Forest. It will be the opening selection on the program, followed by a second world premiere performance of “I See You, I Hear You, I Believe You,” composed by Ursula Kwong-Brown. Three more female composers will be represented by works commissioned by SFGC as follows:

1. Angélica Negrón: Cosecha
2. Amy X Neuburg: Before I Forget
3. Pamela Z: Pen Pal

The program will then conclude with a “sneak preview” of excerpts from Matthew Welch’s choral-opera Tomorrow’s Memories: A Little Manila Diary, which had originally been scheduled for its premiere performance this past June.

Monday, December 12, 7 p.m., Davies Symphony Hall, Annual Holiday Concert: This traditional offering will begin with another world premiere composed on an SFGC commission. The title of the work is “Dreaming Horizons,” composed by Susie Ibarra. There will be five traditional selections:

1. Ride On, King Jesus
2. Keep Your Lamps!
3. Ain’-a That Good News!
4. Follow The River
5. Swing Low, Sweet Chariot

The program will conclude with two excerpts. The final selection will be the “Fire” movement from Katerina Gimon’s The Elements. This will be preceded by selected passages from Roy Kean’s The Journey of Harriet Tubman.

Friday, March 17, 7:30 p.m., Herbst Theatre, Neighbor Tones: This will be the program that SFGC will share with Chanticleer. It will begin with the world premiere of a not-yet-titled composition by Ayanna Woods, commissioned jointly by SFGC and Chanticleer. “The Womanly Song of God,” composed by Libby Larson, was also commissioned by SFGC. Between these two selections will be a performance of the song “Father Death Blues” from Philip Glass’ Don’t Grow Old in a choral arrangement that Glass prepared working with Lisa Bielawa. These selections will be followed by Trevor Weston’s “O Daedalus, Fly Away Home” and conclude with another preview of excerpts from Tomorrow’s Memories.

The current plan is that the season will finish with the world premiere of Tomorrow’s Memories in its entirety. As was originally planned, the production will be staged by Sean San José. However, as of this writing, neither specific dates nor a venue have been finalized. Single tickets for the first three concerts are now on sale, each with its own pricing. Each of the above dates is hyperlinked to a Web page with specific information about ticketing.