SF to Conclude Chanticleer Xmas Performances

Members of Chanticleer celebrating the Christmas spirit through song (banner for the Web page with the details for this season’s holiday tour)

Those that have followed this site for some time probably know that Chanticleer celebrates the season with a program entitled A Chanticleer Christmas, whose title speaks for itself. In the past the program has been taken on tour through many different venues in California, and last year the tour ran from December 11 to December 23. This year, however, there has been a significant change of plans.

First of all, the tour begins tonight, not in California but in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. As the tour continues, both New York and Chicago will host two performances of the program, while, here in California, the only cities to enjoy repeat performances will be Petaluma and Carmel. That means that San Francisco will host only one performance, and that will be the one that concludes the entire tour on December 23.

As in the past, the program will begin with a candlelight procession, which provided the setting for selections by Renaissance composers. However, this year the music for the procession will be works by William Byrd and Arvo Pärt. Taken as a whole, the program will feature selections from the Renaissance to spirituals and traditional carols. Three of the Chanticleer vocalists, Adam Brett Ward, Jared Graveley, and Andrew Van Allsburg, will provide arrangements for many of the selections. There will also be a new “guest” arrangement provided by Cedric Dent, one of the recent members to join the Take 6 American a cappella gospel sextet. Another tradition will be concluding the evening with Joseph Jennings’ raucous settings of traditional spirituals.

As already mentioned, the San Francisco performance will begin at 8 p.m. on Saturday, December 23, and run for about two hours without interruption.  As in the past, the venue will be Saint Ignatius Church, located on the campus of the University of San Francisco at 650 Parker Avenue on the northeast corner of Fulton Street. Ticket prices will be $85 for Premiere seating, $68 for Preferred seating, $54 for Reserved seating in the Balcony, and $36 for general admission seating in the side sections of the sanctuary. All tickets are being sold online by City Box Office. Tickets can also be purchased by calling City Box Office at 415-392-4400.