Mission Possible: Chanticleer
San Francisco's Chanticleer heads back to school later this month. The group's small mixed choral ensemble, the Louis A. Botto Choir (LAB), made up of singers ages 14 to 20, will be performing free school and community concerts.
The program, "Music of New Spain: Exploring California’s Missions and Mexico’s Cathedrals," is crafted specially for Bay Area fourth graders, whose curriculum includes the study of California missions, but should appeal to all ages. It is also designed to coincide with Chanticleer’s June program, "Mission Road," to be presented in six missions from San Francisco to Santa Barbara.
The student audiences will learn what musical life in the New World might have been like, with works found in archives from California missions and Mexican cathedrals. The musical time period spans about 200 years, from early Renaissance to early Classical, with works from some of the first American-born composers of music.
School concerts are planned for Mission San Rafael, Sandpiper Elementary, Summerfield Waldorf, Mission Dolores School, Bahia Vista Elementary, A.P. Giannini Middle School, Presidio Middle School, Washington High School, and Montgomery High School.
The purpose of Chanticleer’s LAB Choir is to promote high-level, small-ensemble training for the area’s top young singers and to provide community service through free performances and free in-school visits. Performances begin in San Francisco schools on Feb. 27, with a free public performance at the Berkeley Public Library at 1:30 p.m. on March 3.
The current LAB Choir consists of young singers selected from choirs throughout the Bay Area including three from San Francisco, two from the Palo Alto/San Jose area, eight from the East Bay, seven from the Santa Rosa area, and four from Sacramento.
For more information, visit chanticleer.org
Vallejo Symphony Trio Treats Youth
Beginning this week, students in the North Bay — Vallejo and Benicia, to be exact — will be the lucky audiences for the annual in-school "mini-concerts" performed by the Vallejo Symphony. The theme for this year's concerts is The Continents. (Last year it was Recycling.)
This decades-old music education program serves every public school in those two communities (20 schools in all), and features specially arranged materials that are consistent with what the kids are learning in class. The trio of musicians — Susan Sigge, flute; Elizabeth Vandervennet, cello; and Kerry Borgen, violin — use everything from classical recitations to rap, and engage the audience through participation in the music, as well.
As schools are even worse off for funding than arts groups these days, the Vallejo Symphony Board of Directors takes all responsibility for fund-raising for the program, supporting it through donations from the Syar Foundation ($15,000), Valero Refinery, Benicia ($15,000), Target, and other local organizations.
The program kicked off Feb. 10 and will run through May 31. Read more about the event highlighted on SFCV here.
Making the All-State Band Honors
All eyes, ears, and batons will be directed to Fresno — yes, Fresno — this week for the annual All-State California Music Educators Conference, hosted by the California Band Directors Association. Bands from two Bay Area schools are among the five chosen to perform at the event: Hopkins Junior High School Orchestra from Fremont (Greg Conway, conductor), and the Foothill High Wind Ensemble from Pleasanton (Joshua Butterfield, conductor).
Even more impressive are the scores of young Bay Area musicians who will be performing in the state honors bands. Performances of the all-star Jazz Band, Jazz Choir, High School Band, High School Orchestra, Middle School Symphonic Band, and Middle School Concert Band will take place on Feb. 18 and Feb. 19.
For more information, visit the California Band Directors Association website.
(We will be sure to share event photos next week. Please send us your photos if you attend to Peggy Spear, Kids & Family editor at [email protected].)
Musician in Chief?
Sure, we've seen Bill Clinton play his sax on The Late Show with David Letterman, and who hasn't heard President Obama crooning Al Greene? So, does being presidential mean being musical? In honor of President's Day next Monday, SFCV did a little digging through vast historical records and online to find out who among our nation's leaders could carry a tune. Here's what we found:
- Richard Nixon played piano.
- John Quincy Adams played several musical instruments, including the violin, harp, guitar and flute.
- Thomas Jefferson was a violinist — he said it calmed his mind. He was also known to dabble with the cello and the clavichord.
- Woodrow Wilson also played violin.
- President Warren G. Harding organized the Citizen's Cornet Band, available for both Republican and Democratic rallies.
- President Harry Truman wanted to be a piano soloist.
Did we forget anyone? Let us know at [email protected].