Chanticleer did not waste any time in announcing its 48th season of four programs. I first heard from them almost exactly a month ago. (I did not announce the 47th season until the beginning of August.) Subscriptions for the new season first became available at the end of May, and single tickets will go on sale at the beginning of next month. As was the case last season, a Web page has been created for subscription purposes, which includes not only the entire season but also reduced subscriptions for either three or two of the programs. Single tickets will be available for purchase through City Box Office beginning at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, July 1. Program details have not yet been finalized, but currently available information for performances in San Francisco is as follows:
Sunday, September 28, 2 p.m., San Francisco Conservatory of Music, Caroline H. Hume Concert Hall (50 Oak Street): The title of the first program will be Our American Journey. It will celebrate America’s 250th year of independence by showcasing the diverse voices, songs, harmonies, and rhythms of our shared musical heritage. A commissioned work by Trevor Watson will demonstrate the link between traditional American hymnody and African American spirituals. The repertoire will also include Black gospel quartets, shape-note singing, barbershop quartets, bluegrass tunes, and vocal jazz. There will also be folk songs such as “Calling my Children Home” and “Shenandoah,” as well as Irving Berlin’s “Blue Skies” and “Home” from The Wiz.
Sunday, December 21, 8 p.m., St. Ignatius Church (650 Parker Avenue): A Chanticleer Christmas will follow the usual tour of the Bay Area (and extending to Sacramento for the first time), with one performance in San Francisco. As usual, the program will present a vision of joy and transcendence through beautifully sung music of all centuries, beginning with a candlelit chant procession. Also as usual, the conclusion will be one of an upbeat gospel celebration. Selections will reflect on those initially planned by founder Louis Botto.
Saturday, March 28, 2 p.m., San Francisco Conservatory of Music, Caroline H. Hume Concert Hall: September’s “American Journey” will be followed by a journey through San Francisco. Appropriately enough, the title of the concert will be I Left My Heart in San Francisco. The program will present works by Bay Area composers past and present, echoing the spirituals of resilience, the jazz of revolution, the folk songs of protest, and the contemporary sounds that continue to shape the cultural landscape.
Poster design for American Early Music showing the notation used at that time
Sunday, June 7, 5 p.m., St. Mark’s Lutheran Church (1111 O’Farrell Street): The title of the final program will be American Early Music. I have to confess that one of my favorite books is Gilbert Chase’s America’s Music, which I have in its second revised edition. His subtitle was “From the Pilgrims to the Present;” and his account of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries was a real page-turner. The program will present polyphony, hymns, folk traditions, and spirituals; and it promises to be an engaging journey of discovery for many in the audience.
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