American Bach Soloists 2015-2016 Season Brochure

Jeffrey Thomas Artistic Director

ABS presents a feast of Baroque splendor including a trio of Bach oratorios, works for violin, cantatas, and luminous masterpieces by Handel

2015–16 27th Season

Christmas Oratorio

DECEMBER 2015

Bach: Christmas Oratorio Hélène Brunet soprano Agnes Vojtko alto Kyle Stegall tenor Jesse Blumberg baritone Jeffrey Thomas conductor Saturday December 12 2015 7:30 pm - St. Ignatius Church, San Francisco Bach’s “Christmas Oratorio” will also be performed on December 13 at 4:00 pm in the Robert and Margrit Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts in Davis.

Call (530) 754-ARTS for tickets.

“Singing with impressive precision and clarity, the choir revealed all the contrapuntal intricacies of Bach’s melodic lines” Classical Sonoma

“Jeffrey Thomas draws crisp, vital playing from the ace baroque instrumentalists of American Bach Soloists, who provide galvanizing vigor but also caress the gut strings of their period instruments with unusual beauty” Opera News

Last presented by ABS in 2008, Johann Sebastian Bach’s vast and inspiring “Christmas Oratorio” (Weihnachts-Oratorium, BWV 248) contains elements of three secular cantatas and an otherwise lost church cantata that Bach synthesized into a single, unified musical expression of the Christmas story.

Requiring four vocal soloists, a full complement of wind and brass instruments, and choir, it is an expansive piece comprised of six separate cantatas originally performed over multiple days. ABS will present Bach’s grand work in its entirety within the magnificent sanctuary of San Francisco’s St. Ignatius Church.

Messiah in Grace Cathedral

DECEMBER 2015

Handel: Messiah Hélène Brunet soprano Agnes Vojtko alto Kyle Stegall tenor Jesse Blumberg baritone Jeffrey Thomas conductor Wednesday December 16 2015 7:30 pm - Grace Cathedral, San Francisco Thursday December 17 2015 7:30 pm - Grace Cathedral, San Francisco Friday December 18 2015 7:30 pm - Grace Cathedral, San Francisco

“an annual Christmastime treat … Beneath the vaulted arches of Grace Cathedral, Handel’s Messiah surged and stormed. Onward! This was Thursday night, and the American Bach Soloists were performing the famous Baroque oratorio, a staple of the Christmas season, in what is definitely the Bay Area’s coolest setting for hearing it” San Jose Mercury News ABS “Messiah in Grace Cathedral” Winner of San Francisco Classical Voice “Best of the Bay” Award for Best Early Music / Baroque Performance and Best Choral Performers

The beloved holiday tradition continues!

Now in its 17th year, ABS’s annual presentations of Messiah in Grace Cathedral bring together Handel’s timeless score, the outstanding performances of ABS, and one of San Francisco’s most breathtaking settings for an indelible Bay Area experience.

Jeffrey Thomas directs the renowned periodinstrument orchestra, the American Bach Choir, and four leading vocal soloists in three unforgettable performances that are sure to draw music lovers from far and wide.

These performances sell out year after year. So, get your tickets today!

HÉLÈNE BRUNET

“[She] led us through the music willingly and effortlessly. In essence, Ms. Brunet was perfect” Calgary Herald

AGNES VOJTKO

“magnificent, sonorous voice” Classical Sonoma

KYLE STEGALL

“a ringing mastery of the required compass” The Sydney Morning Herald

JESSE BLUMBERG

“rich sound and dramatic authority” The New York Times

“When setting his tempos at a brisk clip, Thomas achieved some masterful effects: a great blending within the chorus, an infectious buoyancy through the ranks of the orchestra” San Jose Mercury News

Bach Favorites

JANUARY 2016

Bach: Herz und Mund und Tat und Leben Bach: Toccata & Fugue in D Minor for Violin Bach: Wachet! betet! betet! wachet!

Bach: Violin Concerto in E Major Tatiana Chulochnikova violin

2016 Recipient of The Jeffrey Thomas Award Mary Wilson soprano Derek Chester tenor Mischa Bouvier baritone Jeffrey Thomas conductor Friday January 22 2016 8:00 pm - St. Stephen’s Church, Belvedere Saturday January 23 2016 8:00 pm - First Congregational Church, Berkeley Sunday January 24 2016 4:00 pm - St. Mark’s Lutheran Church, San Francisco Monday January 25 2016 7:00 pm - Davis Community Church, Davis Pre-concert “Insights” begin one hour prior to each performance.

TATIANA CHULOCHNIKOVA

“Lovely, rich violin sound … Tremendous musical expression” Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

ABS’s 27th subscription season opens with an all-Bach program that displays the composer’s genius in a variety of settings.

Maestro Thomas leads his ABS forces in two brilliant cantatas, Herz und Mund und Tat und Leben, BWV 147 (“Heart and Mouth and Deed and Life”), a work best known for the beloved chorale setting, “Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring,” and Wachet! betet! betet! wachet!, BWV 70 (“Watch! Pray!

Pray! Watch!”), a bold and urgent setting of a text about the Day of Judgment.

Violinist Tatiana Chulochnikova, the 2016 recipient of The Jeffrey Thomas Award, will be featured in a pair of thrilling instrumental works. Exhibiting the dazzling technique and bravura style that have made her one of today’s most exciting new Baroque violinists, Chulochnikova will perform her own transcription for solo violin of Bach’s organ Toccata and Fugue in D Minor and the Concerto for Violin in E Major.

MARY WILSON

“She has a lustrous tone that can start as a whisper and grow into something so powerful it vibrates your bones” Sarasota Herald-Tribune

DEREK CHESTER

“Along with a ravishingly beautiful voice, he continually revealed a perfect balance of logic and passion” Front Row, D Magazine

MISCHA BOUVIER

“rare vocal and interpretive gifts” San Francisco Classical Voice

JEFFREY THOMAS

“Thomas led an unflaggingly stylish performance” Musical America

Alexander’s Feast

FEBRUARY 2016

Handel: Alexander’s Feast Handel: Concerto Grosso in C Major Handel: Harp Concerto in B-Flat Major Anna Gorbachyova soprano (debut) Aaron Sheehan tenor William Sharp baritone Maria Christina Cleary harp Jeffrey Thomas conductor Friday February 26 2016 8:00 pm - St. Stephen’s Church, Belvedere Saturday February 27 2016 8:00 pm - First Congregational Church, Berkeley Sunday February 28 2016 4:00 pm - St. Mark’s Lutheran Church, San Francisco Monday February 29 2016 7:00 pm - Davis Community Church, Davis Pre-concert “Insights” begin one hour prior to each performance.

“The truly splendid ABS choir, with its round and transparent tone, tied both the evening and Handel’s message together” San Francisco Classical Voice

“The audience had the last word, speaking in long and sustained waves of well-earned cheering and applause” San Francisco Classical Voice

Based on a poem by John Dryden, subtitled “The Power of Music,” Handel’s ode, Alexander’s Feast, recounts a banquet held

by Alexander the Great in the conquered city of Persepolis. The musician Timotheus moves the great military commander through a course of emotions until he is compelled to seek revenge for his perished Greek soldiers, killed by the armies of the Persian King Darius III. Handel’s richly scored setting expresses the narrative in a direct manner that is, at times, surprising in its intensity.

This evening-length work of some of the composer’s most ambitious and glorious vocal and choral music will feature the acclaimed American Bach Choir and an outstanding trio of vocal soloists, including the Subscription Season debut of soprano Anna Gorbachyova. Following Handel’s tradition of inserting instrumental concertos between the work’s different parts, ABS will perform his Concerto Grosso in C Major and Harp Concerto in B-Flat Major.

ANNA GORBACHYOVA

“captivating presentation with effortless coloratura” Westdeutsche Allgemeine Zeitung

AARON SHEEHAN

“Sheehan set a standard for exposed, emotional singing” Berkshire Review

WILLIAM SHARP

“a sensitive and subtle singer” The New York Times

MARIA CHRISTINA CLEARY

“a pioneer of period harp practice” The Oregonian

Easter & Ascension Oratorios

APRIL 2016

Bach: Easter Oratorio Buxtehude: Heut triumphieret Gottes Sohn Bach: Ascension Oratorio Kuhnau: Ihr Himmel jubiliert von oben Clara Rottsolk soprano Eric Jurenas countertenor Zachary Wilder tenor Joshua Copeland bass Jeffrey Thomas conductor Friday April 22 2016 8:00 pm - St. Stephen’s Church, Belvedere Saturday April 23 2016 8:00 pm - First Congregational Church, Berkeley Sunday April 24 2016 4:00 pm - St. Mark’s Lutheran Church, San Francisco Monday April 25 2016 7:00 pm - Davis Community Church, Davis Pre-concert “Insights” begin one hour prior to each performance.

“Jeffrey Thomas, the company’s co-founder and longtime artistic and music director, led a performance of such vigor and dramatic urgency” San Francisco Chronicle

“Spectacle at its most sumptuous … last night’s singing, was, indeed, rapturously beautiful” Examiner.com

Bach composed impressive oratorios for three important occasions within the Lutheran calendar: Christmas, Easter, and the Feast of the Ascension. Completing the trilogy begun in December (see December 12-13 for “Christmas Oratorio”), ABS will perform the composer’s exuberant “Easter Oratorio” (Oster-Oratorium, BWV 249) and “Ascension Oratorio” (Lobet Gott in seinen Reichen, BWV 11). Pulling out all the stops for these jubilant works—trumpets, timpani, flutes, oboes, recorders, strings, and voices— Bach composed joyful, extroverted music, tempered by exquisite moments of reflective calm. Along with these masterworks from Bach’s mature years in Leipzig, Thomas and his ABS forces will perform an Ascension cantata by Bach’s predecessor Johann Kuhnau and Heut triumphieret Gottes Sohn (“Today God’s Son Triumphs”), a work for Easter by one of Bach’s important musical influences, Dieterich Buxtehude.

CLARA ROTTSOLK

“suave and composed … considerable coloristic resources” Philadelphia Inquirer

ERIC JURENAS

“beautiful, well-supported tone and compelling expression” The New York Times

ZACHARY WILDER

“brought an unearthly calm and authority” The Boston Globe

JOSHUA COPELAND

“The restrained dignity of his consistently lyrical voice, which could serve as a role model for singing authentically” San Francisco Classical Voice

Special Event

MARCH 2016

Bach’s Birthday Concert Jonathan Dimmock organist

Friday March 18 2016 8:00 pm - St. Mark’s Lutheran Church, San Francisco Internationally acclaimed organ recitalist, Jonathan Dimmock, is currently the organist for the San Francisco Symphony and Principal Organist at the California Palace of the Legion of Honor. He holds the unique distinction of having been the only American Organ Scholar of Westminster Abbey and is one of the few organists in the world to tour on six continents. He is founding director of Artists’ Vocal Ensemble (AVE), co-founder of American Bach Soloists, and founding president of Resonance, an organization that uses music in international conflict resolution. To celebrate Bach’s birthday, Mr. Dimmock has created an all-Bach program that celebrates the master’s genius as composer for “the king of instruments,” performing on one of the Bay Area’s most treasured tracker organs. Favorite gems and a few lesser known yet brilliant works will add up to a sensational special event.

Bach: “Dorian” Toccata & Fugue in D Minor Bach: Prelude & “Wedge” Fugue in E Minor Bach: “Jig” Fugue in G Major, and other works “The organ has rarely sounded more clear and multi-hued than in his very expert and virtuoso hands and feet” Adelaide Advertiser

Insights

LEARN MORE ABOUT THE MUSIC One hour prior to our regular performances in January through April 2016, enjoy a free and informative lecture given by an ABS musician.

Three accomplished scholars will share their insights about the music, the composers, and the experience of hearing great music from the Baroque era performed to the highest standards.

January - Bach Favorites

Corey Jamason February - Alexander’s Feast

Jamie Apgar April - Easter & Ascension Oratorios

Master Classes

Steven Lehning

EXPERIENCE THE MAGIC ABS will present three Master Classes at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music.

Witness the artistic transformations that make Master Classes so tremendously exciting, as performers and ABS musicians share their knowledge and insights. These events are free and open to the public.

For more information, please visit americanbach.org/education.

Monday February 22 2016 7:30 pm Debra Nagy oboe Monday April 4 2016 7:30 pm Jeffrey Thomas conductor Monday April 18 2016 7:30 pm Sandra Miller flute San Francisco Conservatory of Music 50 Oak Street at Van Ness The ABS Master Classes are generously sponsored

by Judith Flynn.

Bach’s Mass in B Minor Anatomy of a Masterwork A 30-minute Documentary in HD

Watch on americanbach.org/youtube Using footage from the 2014 ABS Festival & Academy, this film explores the work from the perspectives of ABS musicians who perform it each summer. Interviews with ABS Music Director Jeffrey Thomas, violinist Elizabeth Blumenstock, bassist Steven Lehning, flutist Sandra Miller, oboist Debra Nagy, trumpeter John Thiessen, and others, illuminate the work’s history, musical structure, and artistic challenges as well as the rewards of revisiting it annually in performance.

Clarence E. Heller Charitable Foundation

The American Bach Soloists are grateful for the support of these and other Foundations, Corporations, Government Agencies, and Individual Sponsors.

American Bach Soloists are Artists-in-Residence at St. Stephen’s Church, Belvedere.

Season-at-a-Glance

BACH’S CHRISTMAS ORATORIO

Saturday December 12 2015 7:30 pm - St. Ignatius Church, San Francisco

MESSIAH IN GRACE CATHEDRAL

Wednesday December 16 2015 7:30 pm - Grace Cathedral, San Francisco Thursday December 17 2015 7:30 pm - Grace Cathedral, San Francisco Friday December 18 2015 7:30 pm - Grace Cathedral, San Francisco

BACH FAVORITES

Friday January 22 2016 8:00 pm - St. Stephen’s Church, Belvedere Saturday January 23 2016 8:00 pm - First Congregational Church, Berkeley Sunday January 24 2016 4:00 pm - St. Mark’s Lutheran Church, San Francisco Monday January 25 2016 7:00 pm - Davis Community Church, Davis

ALEXANDER’S FEAST

Friday February 26 2016 8:00 pm - St. Stephen’s Church, Belvedere Saturday February 27 2016 8:00 pm - First Congregational Church, Berkeley Sunday February 28 2016 4:00 pm - St. Mark’s Lutheran Church, San Francisco Monday February 29 2016 7:00 pm - Davis Community Church, Davis

SPECIAL EVENT: BACH’S BIRTHDAY CONCERT

Friday March 18 2016 8:00 pm - St. Mark’s Lutheran Church, San Francisco

EASTER & ASCENSION ORATORIOS

Friday April 22 2016 8:00 pm - St. Stephen’s Church, Belvedere Saturday April 23 2016 8:00 pm - First Congregational Church, Berkeley Sunday April 24 2016 4:00 pm - St. Mark’s Lutheran Church, San Francisco Monday April 25 2016 7:00 pm - Davis Community Church, Davis

2016 FESTIVAL & ACADEMY

Support ABS

Tickets go on sale early in 2016.

Friday August 5 through Sunday August 14 2016 - S.F. Conservatory of Music

Dedicated to historically informed performances of Bach and his contemporaries, the American Bach Soloists provide meaningful, memorable, and valuable musical experiences for our audiences through inspiring performances and recordings, and we support the preservation of early music through educational programs for students and emerging professionals.

Ticket sales cover less than half the cost of bringing ABS to our community. ABS is proud to receive significant foundation and government support, but the bulk of our contributed income comes from generous donations from individuals like you.

Won’t you please consider including a tax-deductible donation to help us bridge the gap? Become an ABS donor and enjoy special benefits. For more information, please call (415) 621-7900 or visit americanbach.org/support. Thank you!

americanbach.org (415) 621-7900

Venues SAN FRANCISCO Grace Cathedral 1100 California Street

STAGE SECTION AA SECTION A SECTION B SECTION C

St. Ignatius Church 650 Parker Avenue

Grace Cathedral

St. Mark’s Lutheran Church 1111 O’Farrell Street BELVEDERE St. Stephen’s Church 3 Bayview Avenue BERKELEY First Congregational Church 2345 Channing Way

St. Ignatius Church

DAVIS Davis Community Church 412 C Street For more venue information, including seating diagrams, maps, and directions, please visit americanbach.org/venues.

St. Mark’s Lutheran Church

All seats are reserved. All sales are final.

Programs and artists are subject to change.

Balcony seating is not available in Grace Cathedral or sections B and C in Belvedere.

To request balcony seating, please check the box on the order form.

St. Stephen’s Church

Section C in St. Stephen’s Church (Belvedere) includes some seats with partially obstructed views.

We respect your privacy. ABS will never share or sell your email or telephone information to any third party.

For information about our Free Tickets for K-12 Music Educators Program, please visit americanbach.org/education.

First Congregational Church

Photo credits: Gilles Brunet, Filip Celander, Kevin Day, Eddie Frank, Ken Howard, Alexander Kagan, Gene Kosoy, Brandon Labadie, Robbie Lawson, Kristen Loken, Orpheus, Gregory Silver, JWWhite/Phocasso, Mark Wilson.

American Bach Soloists 44 Page Street Suite 403 San Francisco CA 94102-5975 phone (415) 621-7900 | fax (415) 621-7920 americanbach.org | info@americanbach.org

Davis Community Church

SINGLE TICKETS FORM ON REVERSE Order online to select your seats: americanbach.org/subscribe Order by phone: (415) 621-7900 Mail this form to: American Bach Soloists 44 Page Street Suite 403 San Francisco CA 94102-5975

Name Address City

State

Phone (Day)

(Eve)

Zip

Email Section AA Qty. / Price

Section A Qty./Price

Section B Qty./Price

Section C Qty./Price

4 Concerts (with MESSIAH)

x $272

x $254

x $177

x $105

=

3 Concerts (no MESSIAH)

n/a

x $183

x $129

x $78

=

Section A

Section B

SUBSCRIPTION SERIES 15% discount

ADD-ON SINGLE TICKETS Section AA only with subscriptions

Total

Section C

Total

Christmas Oratorio

x $89

x $71

x $48

x $26

=

Messiah

x $89

x $71

x $48

x $26

=

x $25

=

x $26

=

Bach’s Birthday Concert All Others

General Admission Seating n/a

x $61

 Check here to request balcony seating.

x $43

SUBTOTAL FOR TICKETS

=

SELECT PERFORMANCE DATES & VENUES Indicate # of seats next to each applicable date Messiah

_____12/16 SF

_____12/17 SF

_____12/18 SF

Bach Favorites

_____1/22 Belvedere

_____1/23 Berkeley

_____1/24 SF

_____1/25 Davis

Alexander’s Feast

_____2/26 Belvedere

_____2/27 Berkeley

_____2/28 SF

_____2/29 Davis

Oratorios

_____4/22 Belvedere

_____4/23 Berkeley

_____4/24 SF

_____4/25 Davis

TICKETS from above

=

Tax-Deductible Contribution

+

NO Handling Charge for Subscribers TOTAL PAYMENT

+ $0.00 =

 Check enclosed and made payable to American Bach Soloists Charge my  Visa  MasterCard  American Express  Discover



Card #

Exp.

month

/

year

Subscriptions

SUBSCRIBERS receive these benefits: ··Great Seats at Excellent Performances ··Financial Savings ··Additional Tickets at Subscriber Discount ··Exclusive Perks ··More information at americanbach.org/subscribe

Single Tickets

SAVE BY ORDERING ONLINE at least 24 hours in advance. ··No service charges or per ticket fees ··Choose your seats from online maps. ··Visit americanbach.org/tickets Phone and mail orders are subject to a $4 handling fee.

Order by phone: (415) 621-7900 Mail this form to: American Bach Soloists 44 Page Street Suite 403 San Francisco CA 94102-5975

Name Address City

State

Phone (Day)

(Eve)

Zip

Email SPECIAL EVENTS

Section AA

Section A

Section B

Section C

CHRISTMAS ORATORIO

x $105

x $84

x $57

x $30

=

MESSIAH  Wed DEC 16  Thu DEC 17  Fri DEC 18

x $105

x $84

x $57

x $30

=

x $25

=

BACH’S BIRTHDAY JANUARY through APRIL Indicate dates

General Admission Seating

Balcony?*



Section A

Section B

Section C

Total

Total



x $72

x $51

x $30

=



x $72

x $51

x $30

=



x $72

x $51

x $30

=

* Balcony not available at St. Stephen’s for sections B and C. Students (30 and under with Valid ID) please call the box office.

SUBTOTAL FOR TICKETS

=

Tax-Deductible Contribution

+

(order ONLINE for no handling charge: americanbach.org/tickets) Handling Charge

TOTAL PAYMENT

+ $4.00 =

 Check enclosed and made payable to American Bach Soloists Charge my  Visa  MasterCard  American Express  Discover Exp.

month

/

year



Card #

LD O H E TH E AT D S

AUGUST 5–14 2016 AT THE SAN FRANCISCO CONSERVATORY OF MUSIC The 2016 ABS Festival & Academy will feature music from Baroque Italy.

The flourishing cities of Florence, Venice, and Rome—the primary destinations of the Grand Tour excursions taken by British nobility and wealthy landed gentry, and the meeting places for the most celebrated composers and performers of the era—offered some of the most glorious art, architecture, and music to be found anywhere during the Baroque era.

AN ITALIAN JOURNEY

• Festival concerts will present music from Handel’s early years in Rome, when he composed music for the “Carmelite Vespers” services, including the tour-de-force “Dixit Dominus” for chorus and orchestra. ABS’s performances of that work are consistently highly acclaimed.

• Works by Italian composers including Scarlatti, Tartini, Torelli, and Vivaldi will be performed by members of the ABS Academy Faculty; and the Academy Festival Orchestra will present Corelli’s 1714 Concerti Grossi using the enormous and rarely heard forces he used in his day.

• ABS’s annual performances of Bach’s great Mass in B Minor, featuring the American Bach Choir and the Academy Orchestra, will be presented at the end of each Festival weekend.

Save the dates now. Tickets go on sale early in 2016.

NONPROFIT ORG. U.S. POSTAGE PAID SAN FRANCISCO, CA PERMIT NO. 1568

americanbach.org

27th Season 2015–16

AMERICAN BACH SOLOISTS 44 PAGE STREET SUITE 403 SAN FRANCISCO CA 94102-5975