SYNERGY - When the Outstanding Outperform

Sunday, December 8 - 4:00 p.m.

St. Mary Magdalen Church

2005 Berryman St., Berkeley

Purchase Tickets

$15 - Under Age 18

$30 - General Admission

$40 - Choir Supporter

Two of the Bay Area’s leading choirs will come together to create a sensational tour de force of seasonal choral music. Voci Women’s Vocal Ensemble and WomenSing, directed by Ofer dal Lal, will present Synergy, a varied program that will include works for double-choir, choir and solo, and other choral combinations. Allow the music to envelop you as you hear these stellar singers create a unity of sound that will be more expressive and affecting than any single part.

Is it possible for a piece of music to breathe life in a way that grips you and takes you on a journey? Yes, it is. Highly regarded Welsh composer Paul Mealor creates a salve for the soul with his rendition of A Spotless Rose. As with any true relationship, synergy occurs when one partner can complete the other’s sentences. Listen to Benjamin Britten’s A Hymn to the Virgin, a spiritual conversation where short Latin phrases engage and respond to Medieval English. Britten’s small, beautifully formed masterpiece was composed when he was only 16.

Among several choral pieces of joy, Tarik O’Regan’s Alleluia, Laus et Gloria is a shimmering example. The work is a laudatory fanfare! Estonian composer Urmas Sisask gathered his inspiration for his music through astronomy based on the trajectories of the planets in our solar system. From this he created the Planatal Scale upon which Heliseb valjadel is based. This prayer to the Virgin Mary brings synergy between Music and the Heavens, and the Heavens and Man.

Through these pieces, and many more, we will discover the Synergy within this holiday season. Partake in our collaboration and hear both Voci Women’s Vocal Ensemble and WomenSing as we sing together as one.

Host or Publisher WomenSing