Schola Cantorum San Francisco
Appearing: December 11-14, Celebrate the Holidays. Purchase tickets here.
Founded in 1998 by Director Emeritus John Renke, Schola Cantorum San Francisco (SCHOLASF) has caught the attention of audiences and critics in and beyond the Bay Area for its purity of sound, careful tuning, and fine blend of voices. The members of ScholaSF have performed with many of the finest choral ensembles in the Western U.S., including Chanticleer, American Bach Soloists, Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra Chorale, and the choruses of the San Francisco Opera and Symphony. Especially known for its interpretations of Renaissance polyphony, the group is equally at home in a broad range of choral styles, from Gregorian chant to contemporary works.
For eight years as resident liturgical choir at the National Shrine of St. Francis of Assisi in San Francisco's North Beach, SCHOLASF performed an ambitious repertoire of Gregorian chant, Renaissance polyphony, and sacred music spanning seven centuries in weekly services of Mass and Vespers year round and in regular concerts throughout the season. Reorganized in 2005 as an independent, non-profit arts organization, SCHOLASF now offers its treasured gift of music for concerts, liturgies and private events, as well as educational and community outreach programs, throughout the San Francisco Bay Area.
Important debuts last season included a critically acclaimed presentation by the San Francisco Early Music Society and an engagement with the Marin Symphony as Coro Piccolo in Carl Orff's Carmina Burana in April. In June of 2008, SCHOLASF participated in the American premiere of Alessandro Striggio's newly discovered Mass for Five Choirs at the Berkeley Festival and Exhibition, conducted by Davitt Moroney and sponsored by Cal Performances and UC Berkeley.
The choir’s first two CDs, Pilgrimage: Music from the National Shrine of Saint Francis and This Christmas Night, have been critically acclaimed internationally, garnering praise for a sound “equal to the best of the mixed-voice choirs in Great Britain.” Schola Live!, SCHOLASF’s third release and first live recording, features selections drawn from concerts recorded throughout the 2006-2007 season.
Dr. Paul Flight, a noted choral conductor and singer, is in his first year as artistic director of SCHOLASF. A former member of such distinguished ensembles as The Waverly Consort, Pomerium Musices, and the New York Collegium, he brings a wealth of expertise to the ensemble.
For more information about SCHOLASF, visit www.scholasf.org.
SCHOLASF will appear on the NCCO's December program, Celebrate the Holidays, with Melody Moore, soprano. Purchase your tickets here.