FREE Concert: Choir of Jesus College, Cambridge, with Chapel College

Concert: Gabrieli, Magnificat å 17
Free admission

THE COMBINED CHOIRS OF JESUS COLLEGE, OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE, ENGLAND, will be making a rare appearance in America as part of a tour of the West Coast this December, performing their only Bay Area date at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church.

The Choirs, comprised of 14 boy choristers and 26 male and female undergraduate choral scholars, will perform seasonal music by composers from the 16th to the 21st Centuries, including: Benjamin Britten, Nico Muhly, and Giovanni Gabrieli, amongst others. Chapel College Men and Boys Ensemble will join Jesus College in singing Gabrieli’s splendid 17-part Magnificat and will also present anthems from their regular season of Choral Evensong services at St. Paul’s.

• Singet dem Herr nein neues lied BWV 225/I J.S. Bach (1685-1750) 
  
• Pacific Canticles  Ivan Moody (b. 1964) 
  
• Hymn of the Nativity  Kenneth Leighton (1929-1988)
  
• Jesus Christ the Apple Tree  Elizabeth Poston (1905-1987) 
  
• We wait for thy loving kindness  William McKie (1901-1984)
  
• Creator of the stars of night  Gabriel Jackson (b. 1962)
  
• Noël from Esquisses Byzantines  Henri Mulet (1878-1967) 
  
• Angelus ad Virginem  Traditional, arr. Andrew Carter (b. 1939)
  
• I sing of a maiden  Patrick Hadley (1899-1973) 
  
• Lord, thou hast been our refuge Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958) 
  
• Magnificat à 17  Giovanni Gabrieli (1554/1557-1612) 
  
• Vigilate  William Byrd (1540-1623)
  
• Bright Star Carol  Nico Muhly (b. 1981)
  
• In dulci jubilo  Traditional, arr. R. L. Pearsall (1795-1856)
  
• The Shepherd’s Carol  Bob Chilcott (b. 1955) 
  
• Little Drummer Boy  Traditional arr King’s Singers 
  
• In the bleak midwinter  Harold Darke (1888-1976) 
  
• Nunc dimittis  Geoffrey Burgon (1941-2010) 
  
• Benedicamus Domino  Peter Warlock (1894-1930)
  
• I wish you Christmas  John Rutter (b. 1945)
  

ABOUT THE CHOIRS OF JESUS COLLEGE:Jesus College, Cambridge, founded in 1496 by John Alcock, Bishop of Ely, is distinctive in maintaining two choirs: the Chapel Choir, which is made up of boy choristers and adult male singers, and the College Choir, a mixed choir which has female undergraduates for its treble lines.
The Times of London praised the “energy, verve, immaculate tuning and beguiling tone” of Jesus’ choral scholars following their appearance at the Easter at King’s festival. The Choirs made international headlines on their last visit to the U.S. two years ago, when they were stranded in Washington DC as heavy snowfall forced Heathrow airport in London to close. They have given recent recitals in France, Belgium, Turkey, Germany and Estonia.
The choirs also have a rapidly expanding discography, including “Sweet Spirit Comfort Me,” which showcases the sound of the boy choristers; Charles Wood’s “St Mark Passion,” released on the Naxos label to great acclaim; and their newest album “Journey Into Light,” featuring music for Advent, Christmas, Epiphany and Candlemas.

ABOUT THE DIRECTOR
Mark Williams took up the post of Director of Music at Jesus College Cambridge in September 2009. Williams studied at Trinity College Cambridge where he was also the Organ Scholar. In 2000, at the age of 21, he was appointed Assistant Organist of St Paul’s Cathedral in London and Director of Music at St Paul’s Cathedral School.
Described as “the shooting star of the international organ scene” by the international press, he has appeared in the U.K., Europe and America with many of his country’s leading ensembles, including the London Philharmonic Orchestra, the City of London Sinfonia, and the Gabrieli Consort and Players. He is the Principal Conductor of English Chamber Opera, the Organist in Residence at the annual international William Byrd Festival in Oregon, and has given solo recitals and led master classes in the U.K., the U.S., Asia and Africa.

 For full biographies, photos and audio clips, please visit: www.jesuscollegechoir.com

 ABOUT CHAPEL COLLEGE MEN AND BOYS ENSEMBLE:
Chapel College Men and Boys Ensemble brings together boy trebles, changed-voice high school students, and Bay Area professional singers to present quality sacred choral literature in concert and liturgical settings.  Directed by Christopher Kula, a seasoned choral conductor and music educator who “excels...in training boy choristers [to sing] with a clear and charming tone and exemplary concert decorum” (San Francisco Classical Voice), Chapel College sings regularly for the monthly Choral Evensong service at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, Oakland.  Chapel College is a project of the Pacific Collegium, artist-in-residence at St. Paul’s; the two groups have collaborated on large-scale works including Monteverdi’s Vespers of 1610 and, most recently, a special free September Concert presentation of J.S. Bach’s B Minor Mass in commemoration of the tenth anniversary of 9/11.

For more information, please visit www.pacificcollegium.org