After a rigorous search for a successor to former Artistic Director Corey Jamason, the San Francisco Bach Choir is pleased to announce Magen Solomon will be assuming leadership as of June 1, 2014.
Dr. Solomon has been Artistic Director of the San Francisco Choral Artists since 1995. She brings a wealth of experience with university, professional and community choirs and many years experience as an innovative teacher and conductor. Under her leadership SFCA (a semi-professional chamber choir specializing in contemporary a cappella choral music) has premiered over 230 choral works, performed at conferences of Chorus America and the American Choral Directors Association, been awarded the ASCAP Adventurous Programming Award, and has released three CDs. The ensemble has collaborated with nationally known instrumental ensembles including The Whole Noyse, The Alexander String Quartet, Veretski Pass, Sonos Handbell Ensemble and others.
From 2010–2014 she served as Artistic Director of the Stockton Chorale and Master Chorale, and for twelve years was Music Director of the Oakland Symphony Chorus. From 2004–2010 Dr. Solomon taught in the graduate and undergraduate programs of Choral and Sacred Music at the University of Southern California’s Thornton School of Music. She has also taught and conducted at Santa Clara University, Smith and Mount Holyoke colleges, and at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Active across the US and abroad as a clinician, teacher, and guest conductor, Dr. Solomon has directed the California Bach Society, Pro Coro Canada, UC Santa Cruz Chamber Singers and others ensembles. She has collaborated on performances of major choral works with Michael Tilson Thomas (San Francisco Symphony), Nicolas McGegan (Philharmonia Baroque), Helmuth Rilling (Oregon Bach Festival), Kent Nagano (Berkeley Symphony), and Christoph von Dohnányi (Los Angeles Philharmonic) among others.
She is editor of the “New Voices In Research” column in the Choral Journal, Chair of the ACDA Herford Dissertation Prize Committee, and has published an edition of Johannes Eccard’s Newe deutzsche Lieder (1578) with A-R Editions.
Judy Stone, President of the Board of Directors, welcomed Dr. Solomon.
“On behalf of the Board of Directors and the members of the San Francisco Bach Choir, it is my great pleasure to welcome Dr. Magen Solomon as our new Artistic Director. We feel that with her enthusiasm for working with choral singers, her many years of experience as a conductor and teacher, and her dedication to performing the works of Bach and early music in general, she is the ideal person to lead the Choir into our 80th season and beyond.”
The choir will announce plans for its 2014/2015 season soon via press release and on our website www.sfbach.org.
The San Francisco Bach Choir is an auditioned community choir providing the Bay Area with exceptional concerts focused particularly on the music of J.S. Bach, his contemporaries, and predecessors, and on rarely heard music of the Renaissance and Baroque. Founded in 1936, it is one of the oldest continuously-performing choirs in the western United States. The Choir uses a historically informed approach, period instruments and professional instrumentalists and soloists. Audiitons for new singers will be held in late summer and early fall. To arrange an audition, visit the SFBC website at www.sfbach.org, or call SFBC at 855-4SF-BACH (855-473-2224, toll-free)
