SFCS to Conclude Season in Twentieth Century

Poster design for next month’s SFCS performance (from the Web page for this season’s concerts)

For those that do not yet know, the “season” of the San Francisco Choral Society (SFCS), led by Artistic Director Robert Geary, aligns with the calendar year, rather than beginning in September and concluding the following August. As a result, in a little less than a month’s time, there will be two performances of the penultimate program of the current season. (The year will end with the annual Festival of Carols Concert.) Those performances will take place at 7 p.m. on Saturday, November 21, and at 4 p.m. on Sunday, November 22.

The earliest work on the program was composed on the brink of the twentieth century. Louis Vierne’s “Messe solennelle” was completed in 1899. It was originally written for mixed chorus and two organs, but for this program the organ accompaniment will be provided solely by Zach Ullery. It will be presented as a “response” to the “call” of Arvo Pärt’s “Berliner Messe” Mass setting.

The second half of the program will be devoted entirely to the Boulanger sisters, Nadia and her younger sister Lili. Soprano Jessica House Steward will be the soloist in the performance of Nadia’s “Cantique de sœur Béatrice,” a setting of a text by Maurice Maeterlinck composed in 1909. This will be followed by Lili’s “Les Sirènes,” composed for solo soprano and three-part choir with piano accompaniment. The soprano will again be Steward with Keisuke Nakagoshi at the piano keyboard. Nakagoshi will conclude the program with a solo performance of a prelude in D-flat major, which Lili composed in 1911.

Both performances will take place in Calvary Presbyterian Church, which is located in Pacific Heights at 2515 Fillmore Street at the corner of Jackson Street. Tickets prices range from $35 to $59, with discounts for seniors, students, and those under the age of 30. As of this writing, tickets are being sold through City Box Office; but, for now at least, a password is required to make any purchases! The same appears to be the case for the live stream of the Sunday performance. However, things may change after 10 a.m. tomorrow, which is when all tickets will “officially” go on sale.