Music Director Robert Gurney is one of the regular organists at the California Palace of the Legion of Honor in Lincoln Park.  He gives concerts on the second weekend of every month, and he will be giving concerts this coming weekend, June 13 and 14.  Legion organ concerts are free to the public (with museum admission), and are held in the Rodin Gallery at 4 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. 

The Legion's fantastic E.M. Skinner organ is a wonderful historic instrument.  It has unusual bells and whistles, including a marvelous battery of real percussion instruments.  You won't see them, of course, but they are there in the organ loft.  It is a real pleasure to sit in that beautiful Rodin Gallery, listening to Robert's masterful playing of the Legion's symphonic organ.  Robert's program for this weekend is:

High School Cadets  John Philip Sousa 1854-1932

Sonata in C Minor for Organ    Felix Mendelssohn 1809-1847
  I. Grave
  II. Adagio
  III. Allegro maestoso e vivace
  IV. Fuga

Four Two-Part Inventions    Johann Sebastian Bach 1685-1750
  No. 14 (B Flat)
  No. 13 (A Minor)
  No. 4  (D Minor)
  No. 8  (F)

Bist Du Bei Mir (from the "Anna Magdalena Clavier Book) J.S. Bach

An Der Schonen Blauen Donau  (On The Beautiful Blue Danube) Johann Strauss
Jr. 1825-1899

Music from the film "The Mission"   Ennio Morricone b. 1928

Pomp and Circumstance March No. 1 in D   Sir Edward Elgar 1865-1934
arr. Edwin H. Lemare 1865-1934

The San Francisco Lyric Chorus, under the direction of Robert Gurney, invites singers to join us for our Summer 2009 trimester. We have openings in all parts.

Tenors and Basses especially are needed.

Program:  Mozart, Schubert and Mendelssohn

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart:  Vesperae Solennes de Confessore, K 339
Franz Schubert:  Mass in G
Felix Mendelssohn:  Say Where Is He Born from Christus
Felix Mendelssohn:  There Shall A Star From Jacob from Christus
Felix Mendelssohn:  He Watching Over Israel from Elijah
Felix Mendelssohn:  Kyrie in D Minor

Rehearsals begin Monday, May 11, 2009.

Rehearsals are held on Monday nights from 7:15-9:45 p.m. at Trinity Episcopal Church, Bush & Gough Streets, San Francisco.

To arrange for an audition (ability to blend and sing in tune, some sight reading skill expected) or obtain further information, contact Music Director Robert Gurney at 415-775-5111 or rgurney@sflc.org.

Our concerts will be held on Saturday, August 22, 2009 at 8 p.m. and Sunday, August 23, 2009 at 5 p.m.

For our Summer 2009 trimester, we will explore some of the most beautiful music of those master composers, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Franz Schubert and Felix Mendelssohn.

The Mozart Vesperae Solennes de Confessore is a set of six pieces with lots of variety.  Dixit Dominus is cheery and sprightly, as is the Confitebor.  Beatus Vir is all melody and energy.  Laudate Pueri has a wonderfully energetic fugue in it.  The Laudate Dominum has the most incredibly gorgeous soprano solo, with some great music for the chorus, too.  The work ends with a magnificent Magnificat.

Schubert's Mass in G is pure lyrical Schubert, tender and sweet in some places, stirring and majestic in others!

It's Felix Mendelssohn's 200th birthday this year, so we're celebrating with some of the best of the best.  He Watching Over Israel is one of the classic Mendelssohn choruses from his most famous work, Elijah.  Say Where Is He Born is a wonderful trio from an unfinished oratorio, Christus, leading into an absolutely gorgeous chorus, There Shall A Star From Jacob. 

You probably won't have heard Mendelssohn's Kyrie in D Minor.  It was thought to be lost, and was only made available in the 1960s.  It's about ten minutes long, SSATB with accompaniment, both soaring and somewhat dark.

You won't want to miss the San Francisco Lyric Chorus, under the direction of Robert Gurney, as they present:  Classical Music of Canada and Brazil

Saturday, April 25, 2009
8 p.m.
Sunday, April 26, 2009
5 p.m.
Trinity Episcopal Church
Bush & Gough Streets
San Francisco

Tickets:  General $20; Seniors & Advance, $17
Free admission for students 5-18
Please, no children under five
Visit our website:  www.sflc.org
For information call (415) 721-4077

PROGRAM:

José Maurício Nunes Garcia--Requiem
Stephen Chatman--Two Rossetti Songs
Stephen Chatman--Gloria
Healey Willan--Rise Up, My Love
Healey Willan--O Sing Unto The Lord A New Song
Imant Raminsh--Ave Verum Corpus
Ruth Watson Henderson--Sing All Ye Joyful
Srul Irving Glick--What I Have Learned Is This
Srul Irving Glick--The Hour Has Come

FEATURING:

Robert Train Adams, Organ

Our featured work is the Requiem by the remarkable Afro-Brazilian composer José Maurício Nunes Garcia, 1767-1830.  Grandson of slaves, he is known as the Brazilian Mozart.  He was a priest, composer, singer, violinist, pianist, teacher of prominent Brazilian composers, and chapel master to the court-in-exile of Portuguese King João IV.  He introduced Brazil to the works of Mozart and Haydn and other European composers.  His Requiem is reminiscent of Mozart’s great work, with added Romantic elements.
 
We also present modern and contemporary choral music from Canada.  University of British Columbia professor Stephen Chatman's Two Rossetti Songs are lyrical settings of poems by Dante and Christina Rossetti.  His Gloria is an energetic, rhythmic contrast.  Healey Willan's Rise Up, My Love and O Sing Unto The Lord A New Song are wonderful anthems by the father of Canadian choral music.  Latvian immigrant Imant Raminsh's Ave Verum Corpus is an exquisite work in the Eastern Orthodox tradition.  Ruth Watson Henderson's Sing All Ye Joyful is a delightful setting of text from Tolkien's The Hobbit.  Srul Irving Glick was one of Canada's most performed and recorded composers.  His What I Have Learned Is This is a movement from his memorial to Leonard Bernstein.  The Hour Has Come is the last movement of a six-part work with that title, expressing the beauty of the earth and exclaiming dramatic warning that we must come together in harmony before we and the earth perish.

Tickets are now on sale for our fabulous Spring concert of music from Canada and Brazil.  You really don’t want to miss hearing this unique and exciting music!

Tickets: $20 general; $17 advance sale/seniors; free admission for students 5-18 with ID.
Please, no children under 5.
Tickets can be purchased by phone at (415) 721-4077, or on the web at www.sflc.org/concerts.

Here are our concert details:
 
SF Lyric Chorus Spring 2009 Concert:  Classical Music of Canada and Brazil

Saturday April 25, 2009, 8:00pm
Sunday, April 26, 2009, 5:00pm
Trinity Episcopal Church
Bush & Gough Streets, San Francisco
 
Program:
José Maurício Nunes Garcia:  Requiem
Stephen Chatman:  Two Rossetti Songs
Stephen Chatman:  Gloria
Healey Willan:  Rise Up, My Love
Healey Willan:  O Sing Unto The Lord A New Song
Imant Raminsh:  Ave Verum Corpus
Ruth Watson Henderson:  Sing All Ye Joyful
Srul Irving Glick:  What I Have Learned Is This
Srul Irving Glick:  The Hour Has Come

Featured Accompanist
Robert Train Adams, Organ

Afro-Brazilian composer José Maurício Nunes Garcia (1737-1830) created an expressive and passionate Requiem in the classical style.  Known as the Brazilian Mozart, he composed a work that reminds the listener of Mozart, yet looks forward to the Romantic period. 

University of British Columbia professor Stephen Chatman has crafted three small jewels.  His Two Rossetti Songs are lyrical settings of profound poems by Dante and Christina Rossetti.  His Gloria is a rhythmical, energetic contrast.

Healey Willan's Rise Up, My Love is a gorgeous setting of a text from the Song of Solomon.  O Sing Unto The Lord A New Song is a majestic work in grand English anthem style.

Latvian immigrant Imant Raminsh's Ave Verum Corpus is an exquisite work in the Eastern Orthodox tradition, with contemporary touches.

Ruth Watson Henderson's Sing All Ye Joyful is a delightful setting of text from the end of Tolkien's The Hobbit, when Gandalf the Wizard and Bilbo Baggins, the Hobbit, have returned from their long adventures.

Srul Irving Glick's What I Have Learned Is This is a movement from his memorial to Leonard Bernstein, a gentle pondering about life in Jewish folk-song style.  The hour Has Come is the last movement of a six-part work with that title, expressing the beauty of the earth and exclaiming dramatic warning that we must come together in harmony before we and the earth perish.



 

Music Director Robert Gurney is one of the regular organists at the California Palace of the Legion of Honor in Lincoln Park.  He gives concerts on the second weekend of every month, and he will be giving concerts this coming weekend, March 14 and 15.  Legion organ concerts are free to the public (with museum admission), and are held in the Rodin Gallery at 4 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.  

The Legion's fantastic E.M. Skinner organ is similar to Trinity's wonderful E.M. Skinner instrument.  The Legion organ has additional bells and whistles, including a marvelous battery of real percussion instruments.  You won't see them, of course, but they are there.  It is a real pleasure to sit in that beautiful room, listening to Robert's masterful playing of the Legion's symphonic organ.  His program for this weekend will include Marcel Dupré's Cortege et Litanie, music by Scott Joplin, Richard Rodgers, and much more.

Music Director Robert Gurney is one of the regular organists at the California Palace of the Legion of Honor in Lincoln Park, San Francisco.  He gives concerts on the second weekend of every month, and he will be giving concerts February 14 and 15, 2009.  Legion organ concerts are free to the public (with museum admission), and are held in the Rodin Gallery at 4 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.  

The Legion's fantastic E.M. Skinner organ is similar to the wonderful E.M. Skinner instrument at Trinity Episcopal Church, which the Lyric Chorus is privileged to use for rehearsals and concerts.  The Legion organ has additional bells and whistles, including a wonderful battery of real percussion instruments.  You won't see them, of course, but they are there.  It is a real treat to sit in that beautiful room, listening to Robert's masterful playing of the Legion's symphonic organ.  Celebrate Valentine's Day listening to a marvelous concert.  Robert's program for this weekend is as follows:

Rigaudon  (from Idomenee)   Andre Campra (1660-1744)

Pasticcio       Jean Langlais  (1907-1991)

Gymnopedies No. 1 (Lent et douloureux)    Eric Satie (1866-1925)

Fantasia in E Flat    Camille Saint-Saens (1835-1921)
   I. Con moto   II. Allegro di molto con fuoco

Selections from "Carmen"     Georges Bizet (1838-1875)
   Toreador Song
   Habanera
   Seguidilla
   Flower Song

A Gershwin Songbook      lyrics by Ira Gershwin (1896-1983) music by George
Gershwin (1898-1937)
   Someone To Watch Over Me (from Oh Kay!", 1926)
   Maybe (from "Oh Kay!")
   A Foggy Day (from "Damsel In Distress", 1937)
   Soon (from "Strike Up The Band", 1926)
   S'Wonderful from "Funny Face", 1927)
   Embraceable You (from "Girl Crazy", 1930)

Want to have a special choral experience in Spring 2009? Join the San Francisco Lyric Chorus and Music Director Robert Gurney as we sing a number of rarely performed works.

We have openings in all parts.

Tenors and Basses especially are needed.

Program: Look North! Look South!: Music from Canada and Brazil

José Maurícío Nuñes García (1767-1830, Afro-Brazilian composer)—Requiem
Stephen Chatman—Two Rossetti Songs
Stephen Chatman--Gloria
Healey Willan—O Sing Unto The Lord A New Song
Healey Willan—Rise Up, My Love
Imant Raminsh—Ave Verum Corpus
Ruth Watson Henderson—Sing All Ye Joyful
Srul Irving Glick—What I Have Learned Is This
Srul Irving Glick—The Hour Has Come

Rehearsals begin Monday, January 12, 2009

Rehearsals are held on Monday nights from 7:15-9:45 p.m. at Trinity Episcopal Church, Bush & Gough Streets, San Francisco.

To arrange for an audition (ability to blend and sing in tune, some sight reading skill expected) or obtain further information, contact Music Director Robert Gurney at 415-775-5111 or rgurney@sflc.org.

Our concerts will be held on Saturday, April 25, 2009 at 8 p.m. and Sunday, April 26, 2009 at 5 p.m.

Afro-Brazilian composer José Maurícío Nuñes García (1767-1830) is a remarkable artist. Grandson of slaves, he is known as the Brazilian Mozart. He was a priest, composer, singer, violinist, pianist, teacher of prominent Brazilian composers, and chapel master to the court-in-exile of Portuguese King João IV. He introduced Brazil to the works of Mozart and Haydn and other European composers. His Requiem is reminiscent of Mozart's great work. It is, however, totally his.

Stephen Chatman is a Professor and Head of the Composition Department at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada. His Two Rossetti Songs are lyrical settings of profound and sensitive poems by Christina Rossetti. His Gloria is an energetic, rhythmic contrast.

Healey Willan is considered the father of Canadian choral music. He was trained in the English cathedral style. O Sing Unto The Lord A New Song is a grand anthem in that tradition. Rise Up, My Love is probably the most well known of his anthems, a gorgeous setting of a text from the Song of Solomon.

Imant Raminsh is a Latvian émigré to Canada. His Ave Verum Corpus is an exquisite work in the Eastern Orthodox tradition.

Ruth Watson Henderson is a composer, pianist and teacher. Sing All Ye Joyful is a delightful setting of text from J. R. R. Tolkien's The Hobbit.

Srul Irving Glick was one of Canada's most performed and recorded composers. His music is lyrical and lush in tonality, called romantic by some, reflective of the feelings and modes of his Jewish musical heritage. What I Have Learned Is This is a movement from Glick's musical memorial to Leonard Bernstein, with text from Ecclesiastes in a gentle, humorous setting. The Hour Has Come is the last movement of a six-part work with that title, soft and lyrical in expressing the beauty of the earth and dramatic in warning that we must come together in harmony before we and the earth perish.

It's going to be a wonderful season! We hope singers in the area will join us to sing some of this exciting music!

We're really excited! We're now on YouTube! See our glorious technicolor video performance of Randall Thompson's Last Words of David at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k953DffvZ3w

Music Director Robert Gurney is one of the regular organists who play at the California Palace of the Legion of Honor. He will give concerts on Saturday, January 10 and Sunday, January 11 on the Legion's fabulous E.M. Skinner organ. Legion organ concerts are held in the Rodin Gallery and begin at 4 p.m. The concerts are free with museum admission.

Robert will be playing a variety of music, from classical to pop. If you haven't heard him perform at the Legion or the Legion's fabulous E.M. Skinner organ (with lots of bells and whistles), you are in for a real treat! Robert is a master on this unique, one-of-a-kind symphonic organ. His program is as follows:

"A Trumpet Minuet" Alfred Hollins 1865-1942

"Prelude sur l'Introit de l'Epiphanie" Maurice Durufle 1902-1986

"Chartres" (Noel Varie) from "Four Carol Preludes" Richard Purvis
1913-1994
I. Lento
II. Variation 1 (Quasi Carillon)
III. Variation 2 (Cantabile)
IV. Variation 3 (Grand Choeur)

"For Nenette" Bill Evans 1929-1980
"One For Helene"

"A Harry Warren/ Al Dubin Songbook" Music by Harry Warren 1893-1981,
Lyrics by Al Dubin 1891-1945
You're Beginning To Be a Habit With Me
Shuffle Off To Buffalo, from "Forty-Second Street" (1932)
September In The Rain (1937)
I Only Have Eyes For You, from "Dames" (1934)
About A Quarter To Nine (1935)

Members of the San Francisco Lyric Chorus will join Music Director Robert Gurney on his monthly Legion of Honor concert, Saturday, December 13 and Sunday, December 14, at 4 p.m. The Legion is located in Lincoln Park--34th Avenue & Clement in San Francisco. Concerts are free with museum admission. The wonderful E.M. Skinner organ console is in the Rodin Sculpture Gallery. This month Robert and the Chorus will perform popular holiday favorites, with a sing-along at the end.

So, plan your weekend concertizing carefully and join us for festive music at the Legion!