SFGC to Conclude Season with Choral Opera

Poster Design for the world premiere of Matthew Welch’s Tomorrow’s Memories (from the Eventbrite Web page)

Those that follow the San Francisco Girls Chorus (SFGC) regularly probably know by now that in 2020 the group commissioned Matthew Welch to compose a choral-opera. This was planned to be a semi-staged work based on the diary writings of Filipina immigrant Angeles Monrayo, which were published under the title Tomorrow’s Memories, A Diary, 1924–1928. In the spirit of that title, Welch decided to give his composition the title Tomorrow’s Memories: A Little Manila Diary.

Welch’s composition was originally scheduled for its world premiere during the 2021–2022 season. Most readers probably know by now that this event had to be canceled due to COVID. However, as SFGC began to resume performing, first with streamed virtual performances and later, this past February in a concert shared with Chanticleer, Artistic Director Valérie Sainte-Agathe included excerpts from Tomorrow’s Memories to serve as previews of the full-length composition. Next month the work will receive its world premiere with four performances of the entire score. Sainte-Agathe will conduct; and instrumentation will be limited to two performers, percussionist Haruka Fujii and Florante Aguilar alternating between guitar and ukulele.

Those performances will include staging by Sean San José, Artistic Director at the Magic Theatre, which is where the premiere performances will take place. He will work with Scenic Designer Cece Carpio, Lighting Designer GG Torres, and Movement Designer Patricia Barretto Ong, as well as his Associate Stage Director Melvign Badiola. The production team will also include Sound Designer Christopher Sauceda, working with Audio Engineer Zach Miley.

The four performances will take place at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, June 16, and Saturday, June 17, and at 3 p.m. on Saturday, June 17, and Sunday, June 18. The Magic Theatre is located in Landmark Building D in the Fort Mason Center. Tickets are currently on sale at prices between $20 and $65, and they may be purchased through an Eventbrite Web page. They may also be purchased by calling the Magic Theatre Box Office at 415-441-8822.