SAN FRANCISCO, October 10, 2011—The Grammy-winning vocal ensemble Chanticleer rings in the holiday season with profound, peaceful, and joyous music in beautifully decorated missions, churches and cathedrals around the Bay area. Eleven performances of A Chanticleer Christmas will be given from December 10 – 23 beginning in Oakland at the magnificent Cathedral of Christ the Light, and continuing in Petaluma, Sacramento, San Francisco, Berkeley, Carmel and Santa Clara.
Now a holiday classic throughout the country, featured in four consecutive annual appearances by Chanticleer on NBC TV’s Today Show, A Chanticleer Christmas has received the highest acclaim, with the New Yorker declaring, “No one does a better choral Christmas than the virtuoso male voices of Chanticleer.”
This season Chanticleer returns to its roots with a program featuring inspiring works by the Renaissance masters Victoria, Gabrieli, and Guerrero. Modern works by luminary composers Jaakko Mäntyjärvi, Steven Stucky, and Benjamin Britten will be featured alongside centuries-old carols from England, Spain, and the Americas. A charming mix of festive and familiar Christmas carols and spirituals will round out this year's memorable presentation of A Chanticleer Christmas.
In April, Chanticleer returns with What Do You Think I Fought For? consisting of four very personal musical reflections on conflict accompanied by film and video. This provocative program also features Chanticleer’s first film score. The program will be presented in San Francisco, Berkeley and Atherton March 31 through April 4.
Mission Road concludes the seasonin June.Chanticleer has gloried in the beauty and perfect acoustics of the California missions ever since its very first 1978 concert in the Mission Dolores. Mission Road will see the Ensemble back on the historic route, with an entirely new program presented in six historic California Missions from San Luis Obispo to San Francisco.
Chanticleer’s 2011-12 season features the release of a number of new recordings, including best-loved carols: “Our Favorite Carols” from live performances in Stanford’s Memorial Church and “Love Story,” the acclaimed concert heard in the Bay Area in September. These are all available from Chanticleer’s digital storefront.
Chanticleer was awarded Chorus America’s prestigious Education and Outreach Award for 2010, and takes pride in its annual interaction with more than 5,000 students around the Bay Area and the U.S. The ensemble recently launched its newest educational program, introducing a small, mixed youth chorus for Bay Area singers aged 14-20 known as the Louis A. Botto (LAB) Choir in honor of Louis A Botto, the founder and original Artistic Director of Chanticleer.
Called “America’s favorite choral ensemble,” by the New Yorker magazine, Chanticleer has developed a worldwide reputation for its impeccable musicianship, beauty of sound, and wide-ranging repertoire from Renaissance and Mexican Baroque to jazz, gospel, folk, and adventurous new music. Chanticleer Records releases live and studio recordings on CD and in downloads, and both may be found through the organization’s website: www.chanticleer.org.
For information about recordings and downloads, as well as performance dates and tickets to A Chanticleer Christmas ($27-$54), visit the website: www.chanticleer.org. Tickets are also available by phone at 415/392-4400 or 800/407-1400.
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A CHRISTMAS CHANTICLEER December 10-23, 2011
Cathedral of Christ the Light, Oakland, Dec 10, 8:15 pm
St. Vincent Church, Petaluma, Dec 11, 6 & 8:30 pm
Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament, Sacramento, Dec 14, 8 pm
St. Ignatius Church, San Francisco, Dec 17, 8 pm
First Congregational Church, Berkeley, Dec 18, 8 pm
Carmel Mission, Dec 21, 6 & 8:30 pm
Mission Santa Clara, Dec 22, 6 & 8:30 pm
St. Ignatius Church, San Francisco, Dec 23, 8 pm
Tickets: 415/392-4400 or 800/407-1400 Also at www.chanticleer.org
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