Monday, December 19
Schola Cantorum, Gregory Wait, Director
Bring your voices and celebrate the 50th anniversary of Schola Cantorum’s sing-along of Handel’s beloved Messiah. For this special occasion, all who attend will have the rare opportunity to sing, or listen to, the entire work, uncut, conducted by Music Director Gregory Wait, and accompanied by Sinfonia Schola Cantorum.
7 PM
Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts
500 Castro Street, Mountain View
$41
650-903-6000, www.MVCPA.com
Tuesday, December 20
Noontime Concerts
San Francisco Renaissance Voices, Katherine McKee, Music Director, performs “A Festival of Lessons and Carols.” This event is modeled after the Festival of Lessons and Carols first performed in 1918 at King’s College, Cambridge (England), where it has been performed every year since. We again honor a tradition of the festival and will debut a commissioned carol by Bay Area composer Angela Kraft Cross, using text by Bay Area poet Elisabeth Eliassen.
12:30 PM
Old St. Mary’s Cathedral
660 California St., San Francisco
Free
415-777-3211, www.noontimeconcerts.org
Thursday, December 22
Chanticleer
“A Chanticleer Christmas” The 12-member a cappella vocal ensemble performs seasonal works old, new, and familiar. Nanino, Byrd, Praetorius, Gabrieli, Villette and Poulenc are among the composers who wrote of what happened at the manger; Joseph Jennings, Robert Shaw, Alice Parker and Robert de Cormier are among those who have made beloved arrangements of popular carols and songs. Seasonal anthems and carols by Americans from Billings to Ives to Steven Sametz will make for a classically rich and resplendent Chanticleer Christmas.
6 PM and 8:30 PM performances
Mission Santa Clara
500 El Camino Real, Santa Clara
$35–$75
6 PM Tickets online or 415-392-4400
8:30 PM Tickets online or 415-392-4400
Friday, December 23
Chanticleer
“A Chanticleer Christmas” The 12-member a cappella vocal ensemble performs seasonal works old, new, and familiar. Nanino, Byrd, Praetorius, Gabrieli, Villette and Poulenc are among the composers who wrote of what happened at the manger; Joseph Jennings, Robert Shaw, Alice Parker and Robert de Cormier are among those who have made beloved arrangements of popular carols and songs. Seasonal anthems and carols by Americans from Billings to Ives to Steven Sametz will make for a classically rich and resplendent Chanticleer Christmas.
8 PM
St. Ignatius Church
650 Parker Street, San Francisco
$35–$75
Tickets online or 415-392-4400
Saturday/Sunday, December 24/25
St. John Schola
St. John Schola Chants Matins & High Mass of Christmas: Gregorian Mass IX “Kyrie Rex Splendens” and Propers for the First Mass of Christmas in the Latin Gregorian chant of the Traditional Roman Rite, in the context of a fully Traditional Catholic Latin High Mass.
11PM Matins; Midnight: High Mass.
St. John’s Oratory at the historic Fishermen’s & Seamen’s Memorial Chapel
Fisherman’s Wharf, Pier 45 B (one block NE of Jefferson & Taylor, next to the bell-tower), San Francisco
FREE. Wheelchair accessible. Free parking beside the Oratory.
www.traditio.com/stjohn.htm
Continue reading next week’s calendar . . .