One of Musae's founding members, Sabrina Adler, is typical of the group, which takes its name from the original "ladies of song," the Muses of Greek mythology. The 15 women have been performing eclectic and accessible music to acclaim before audiences for 11 years. They are now getting ready for their first program with a medieval theme on Dec. 12 and 13, in San Francisco and Tiburon, respectively.
The first time I saw Adler was on the stage as a very young angel in Marin Opera's Hansel and Gretel, conducted by her father, Kurt Herbert Adler, the late long-time general director of the San Francisco Opera (1953-1981). Even before, she joined the San Francisco Girls Chorus, sang with various ensembles, later worked as SFGC's production manager, and when attending Brown University and, for her law degree, Stanford, she always found the opportunity to sing. Prior to Musae's inception in 2004, she was a member of the women's vocal ensembles Ars Cantus and In Treble.
In Treble and S.F. Girls Chorus alumnae combined to form Musae, Adler recalls, "because many of us were looking for an opportunity to sing in a group that was challenging and, therefore, satisfying, but that didn't require a full-time or professional-level commitment. Over the years, we have purposefully diversified such that more than a third of our current members are not SFGC alums. Many of us have full-time careers that have nothing to do with music, though some of us sing in multiple groups or as soloists, or are music teachers or conductors of other ensembles."
Musae repertoire ranges from classical choral works of all eras to bluegrass, jazz, and beyond. Last spring the group collaborated with Ragazzi Continuo and the instrumental chamber ensemble Musa to perform Bach's "Singet dem Herrn" and Dufay's "Nuper Rosarum Flores." Next spring, they will perform music from the Baltics, including a new commission from Estonian composer Karin Kuulpak, who recently won Chanticleer's young composer competition. They have also recorded three full-length albums.
The medieval program aims at exploring "contrasting works from the great codices of olde Europe, from chant and organum to fauxbourdon and early polyphony with a brief visit into more Eastern music." Musae promises to delve into the origins of the Christmas Carol phenomenon and the kind of popular church music with roots in the 13th century.
Ben Johns, Musae's music director, sang with Chanticleer and now acts as its director of education and of the LAB choir. As Musae performs without a conductor, Johns' role is to choose the repertoire and provide general artistic guidance.
Musae's (and music's) attraction for Adler includes enjoyment of "the camaraderie among a group of women who are equally committed to the music, some of whom I've known for almost 30 years now. Musae has allowed me to continue to build on the excellent music education I received from the Girls Chorus, while also gaining exposure to new styles of music and learning from directors and colleagues who were trained differently." From a greater perspective:
My fellow singers, Ben, and I relish the opportunity to come together once a week to spend two-and-a-half hours immersed 100% in the music. As the world around us becomes increasingly hectic, sometimes our rehearsal time is the only time during the week when we're able to live completely and totally in the moment, undistracted by kids, work, technology, or anything else. And what we value first and foremost in our performances is to create that same atmosphere for our audiences -- to perform authentically and allow them to share that space with us. It's that quality that makes our performances special, and which keeps me (and our audiences, we hope!) coming back.
It was from Musae that I learned during the awkwardly-named, but very important Giving Tuesday about Amazon Smile. When you change your login to Amazon to Amazon Smile, a small portion of every purchase you make from that point on will go to a 501(c)(3) public charitable organization you designate -- without any cost to you, the designated organization, or any action required from either; Amazon does it all. Also, just by clicking on the Amazon Smile logo in your account, you can change the beneficiary any time. It's a good way to create Giving Every Day.