World

Little Opera is a comprehensive nine-month after-school program that challenges the assumption that opera is not for everyone.  We bring together elementary aged students in grades 1-6 and professional Bay Area artists to create, rehearse, and perform an original opera.

Babies to 4-year-olds explore, along with their favorite adult, the sounds and imagination of the Spanish language. Jorge Liceaga leads you on a magical musical journey with his voice, his imagination and many musical instruments!

Guitarist Jorge Liceaga is a founder of Cascada de Flores, a music ensemble dedicated to the exploration, preservation and dissemination of Mexican and Caribbean music and dance. With his partner Arwen Lawrence he is also involved in numerous creative collaborations, recording projects, community outreach activities and in-school programs and workshops.

Concert Choir (Intermediate/Advanced level) is for boys ages 7-12 with previous choir experience and/or instrumental lessons, boys match pitch and are ready for 2-part music of choral standards including classical and contemporary works, continued sight-reading experience, more advanced tone building. Meets once weekly, 120 minutes plus small group Musicianship Class.

Overture Choir (Beginning level), is for boys ages 6 and up with limited skills. Skills covered: matching pitch, steady rhythm, vocal tone building, beginning sight-reading, repertoire: unison classical and folk music plus rounds. Meets once a week, 90 minutes plus small group Musicianship Class.

Chorissima is the concert, recording, and touring ensemble of the San Francisco Girls Chorus, and is conducted by Artistic Director Susan McMane. The dedicated young artists of the ensemble, ages 12-18 years old, present a season concert series in the San Francisco Bay Area, tour nationally and internationally, and appear annually with renowned artistic partners, such as San Francisco Opera and San Francisco Symphony. Membership in Chorissima is by audition, after graduation from the Chorus School.

Emphasis is placed on more complex and challenging music, in addition to more demanding expectations for the refinement of sight-singing skills. Comprehension and vocalizing of musical phrasing is more complex at this level. Vocal technique is expected to become more consistent, and greater agility and practice are necessary to hear and learn music in more foreign languages. There are high expectations for the development of chorister independence in work ethic and also in rehearsal techniques.

Level III extends the challenging program of music repertoire, musical concepts, and performing experiences. The expectations and personal responsibility of choristers are increased, the training is more intensive, and the rewards become more fulfilling. Choristers are exposed to an expanded three-part repertoire in two to three additional languages and more advanced concepts of choral singing are introduced. Choristers who work conscientiously in Level III should have little difficulty in progressing toward the standards that are required for advancement to Level IV.