Valérie Sainte-Agathe has been Artistic Director of the San Francisco Girls Chorus (SFGC) since 2013. According to my archives, my first encounter with her came at the end of February of 2014, when SFGC contributed to a performance by the San Francisco Symphony of Gustav Mahler’s third symphony conducted by Michael Tilson Thomas. She has served as Chorale Director of the Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra & Chorale (PBO) since 2022; and she will make her debut conducting both the ensemble and the chorale at the beginning of December.
Banner design for the Gloria Web page on the PBO Web site
That debut will be a “seasonal” program, best typified by the performance of the eighth of the twelve concerti grossi in Arcangelo Corelli’s Opus 6 collection, composed in the key of G minor and given the title “Christmas Concerto.” This will be balanced by the second half of the program, which will be a performance of Antonio Vivaldi’s best known choral composition, his RV 589 setting of the “Gloria” portion of the Mass. The remainder of the program will consist of two premiere performances. The opening selection will be the world premiere of “Quem Pastores Laudavere,” composed by Roderick Williams. The remaining selection on the program will be the United States premiere of “The Holdfast,” composed by Caroline Shaw. She prepared her own libretto, weaving original texts with excerpts from Thomas Hardy’s poem, “The Darkling Thrush.”
As usual, this performance will take place in Herbst Theater, located at 401 Van Ness Avenue on the southwest corner of McAllister Street. The performance will begin at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, December 5. (At 6:45 p.m. Sainte-Agathe will lead a performance by SFGC in the lobby.) Ticket prices range from $40 to $125, with a $20 rate for those under the age of thirty. They may be purchased through a City Box Office Web page, which includes a diagram showing where seats are still available.
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