Raise Voices, Feed Body and Soul

In a time when natural disasters in Haiti and Chile have many people mobilizing their charitable impulses, the musicians of Voices of Music are lending their own helping hand. A collective of leading Renaissance and Baroque specialists codirected by Hanneke van Proosdij and David Tayler, Voices of Music already maintains a healthy community outreach program, ranging from classes for children to develop their recorder skills to performance workshops for musicians of all stripes.

Now, a wider audience can reap the benefits of their altruism at the group’s annual charity concert, “An Evening With the Stars,” held this year on March 20 at St. Mark’s Lutheran Church on San Francisco’s Cathedral Hill. The stars in this case include several luminaries of the early-music scene (Lisa Grodin, Katherine Kyme, Carla Moore, Tanya Tomkins), performing alongside a crop of emerging young artists chosen by special audition. The only cost to listeners is a donation of a nonperishable food item; in return, they get both a high-caliber performance and the satisfaction of supporting a good cause.

Actually, audience members are supporting two separate causes. First are the food donations, which add to the supplies of local soup kitchens. Then there’s the support given to the younger musicians, who enjoy an exciting opportunity to work alongside established masters and share a stage with them. As the ensemble observes, “The concert not only introduces these young artists to the community, but also forges an important connection between the performing arts and the different ways in which artists can participate in society.”

These emerging professionals include two Baroque cellists, Hannah Addario-Berry and Shirley Hunt, as well as recorder player Andrew Levy and lute continuo player Dominic Schaner. All four musicians are part of Voices of Music’s Advanced Professional Training Program, an exciting initiative in which seasoned pros offer — for free or at cost — intensive training to help students make the transition to a professional career. Besides receiving coaching on their individual instruments, these students also learn the practical side of carving out a music career: honing a resume, addressing photography needs, creating audio and video recordings. (The charity concert itself adds an important dimension, as these students benefit from receiving a professional recording of their performance.)

With an atmosphere of goodwill and what promises to be an enthusiastic audience, the concert should bring a healthy dose of good vibes and community building. But along with all the do-gooding will be some fearsome musical chops. And if the opinions of the ensemble’s devoted following are any indication, the performance could become a truly special occasion. As one fan recently gushed on Facebook, “What a wonderful, talented, exciting group of musicians you are. You bring joy and beauty with your art, with the way you capture the spirit of the music, the composer and the time. Thank you!!!!”