Picking choral concerts at this time of year is a little like deciding which estate reserve wine you're going to pass up at the tasting so that you can make it home. Check SFCV's preview page for more selections. Here are just a few possibilities — the solid Cabs, leaving the chardonnays for another day.
1. San Francisco Bach Choir's holiday concert approach has always been an audience favorite. The singers troop in for the second half, each carrying a candle, and singing "O Come, O Come Emmanuel" to start the carols.
It's so traditional and beautiful it might make you cry.
Psallite! A Candlelight Christmas: Dec. 4, 8 p.m., Dec. 5, 4 p.m., Calvary Presbyterian Church, S.F., $15-$35.
Listen to the Music
2. Speaking of tradition, Chanticleer is back for their annual Christmas celebration. This time they feature Jan Sandstrom's ”And the word became flesh,” a world premiere. In addition to their performance at Stanford's Memorial Church, the group has managed to fit in 12 performances of this concert beginning in Oakland at the Cathedral of Christ the Light.
A Chanticleer Christmas: Dec. 9, Stanford Memorial Church, 8 p.m.; Dec. 10-22, various venues and times.
3. Around the Bay Area, it's becoming almost as traditional to hear Marc-Antoine Charpentier's Midnight Mass as Handel's Messiah. And it's easy to see why: Charpentier based his glorious work on 11 humble noëls — Christmas carols, a novel strategy for a whole mass, and one that insured it would be his most popular piece by far. In fact, this lovely, seasonal piece will be performed first by the Calvary Presbyterian Chancel Choir in San Francisco on Dec. 10. But if you're going to take it in only once, you might want to wait for Charpentier experts Magnificat, who have adopted this piece as their annual contribution to the seasonal festivities.
Charpentier's Midnight Mass, Dec. 17, 8 p.m., St. Patrick's Seminary, Menlo Park; Dec. 18, 8 p.m. St. Mark's Episcopal Church, Berkeley; Dec. 19, 4 p.m., St. Mark's Lutheran Church, S.F., $12-$35.
4. Probably no one is taking a wider view of the season than the San Francisco Boys' Chorus in their “Bach to Broadway” concert, featuring mezzo-soprano Zheng Cao. Old J.S. would probably take a dim view of this pairing, but that's one of the disadvantages of being a dead white male. Deal with it, Johann.
S.F. Boys' Chorus, Dec. 11, 2 p.m., Calvary Presbyterian Church, S.F., $20-$27.
5. The Sacramento Choral Society and Orchestra go all Mormon Tabernacle on you in their feast of favorite carols, holiday songs, and audience sing-alongs at UC Davis' Mondavi Center. The two performances always sell out, so get tickets now if you want them.
Sacramento Choral Society, Home for the Holidays: Dec. 11, 8 p.m.; Dec. 12, 2 p.m., Robert C. Mondavi Center, UC Davis, $30-$50.
Two more for the Messiah:
Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra's Messiah, its first in 10 years. Dozens of major orchestras have tapped PBO's music director, Nicholas McGegan, to conduct this oratorio over the past decade; finally Bay Area audiences have a chance to hear his interpretation again. And PBO has lined up a starry roster of soloists to complement him.
Nicholas McGegan conducts Handel's Messiah, Dec. 3, 7:30 p.m., Herbst Theatre, S.F.; Dec. 4, 7:30 p.m, and Dec. 5, 7:00 p.m., First Congregational Church, Berkeley; Dec. 7, 7:30 p.m., Center for the Performing Arts, Menlo-Atherton, $35-$95.
Despair not, all ye who want to see the American Bach Soloists' Messiah in the beautiful Grace Cathedral. There are still tickets available to the shows (discounts available for season subscribers), but they're going fast. A limited number of obstructed view seats will be sold on the day of the performances. ABS' performances of this work have developed quite a following. The setting aside the orchestra and chorus give a spirited and moving account of the work no matter which of Handel's several versions they're playing.
Handel's Messiah, Dec. 16-17, 7:30 p.m., Grace Cathedral, S.F.; Dec. 18, 7:30 p.m., Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts, UC Davis, $18-$70.