University of California Alumni Chorus presents "Music of the Spheres" at Berkeley's First Congregational Church November 16, 4 pm

The University of California Alumni Chorus presents “Music of the Spheres” at Berkeley’s First Congregational Church on Sunday, November 16 at 4 pm. Conducted by Dr. Mark Sumner, Director of the UC Choral Ensembles, the concert also features pianist William García Ganz, the debut of the new chamber ensemble from within the Alumni Chorus, and guest artists Perfect Fifth, the select Cal student ensemble specializing in art music.

“Music of the Spheres” is a program inspired by the mysteries of the universe and the immensity of what, says Sumner, “must somehow be—in some fantastic way—a shared, interconnected web of existence.” Centerpieces of the concert are Benjamin Britten’s Hymn to St. Cecilia and Ross Lee Finney’s Spherical Madrigals. Other works include three pieces by the young Norwegian composer Ola Gjeilo,* and choral gems by Leonard Bernstein, Randall Thompson, and Lloyd Pfautsch. The music will be presented in 3D, featuring the three different-sized ensembles, separate and combined, to showcase the dynamic variety of the program. The culmination of the afternoon’s event will feature visual effects accompanying the music as the sun sets on this special matinee presentation.”

*Ola Gjeilo (pronounced Yay-lo) was born in Norway in 1978, and studied composition at the Juilliard School in New York City. His concert works are performed all over the world, and his debut recording as a pianist-composer, the lyrical crossover album Stone Rose, was followed by its 2012 sequel, Piano Improvisations. Many of Gjeilo’s choral works are featured on Phoenix Chorale’s bestselling Northern Lights album.

Tickets are $20 for general admission and $15 for students, seniors, and disabled. UC Berkeley students pay $6. Tickets may be purchased at the door or in advance at (510) 642-3880 (phone sales end at 12:30 pm Friday for weekend performances.) or online at tickets.berkeley.edu and at UCACNov2014.eventbrite.com. For more information go to the U.C. Alumni Chorus website, www.ucac.net.

Founded in 1985, The U.C. Alumni Chorus is a thriving 120 member ensemble composed of Cal alumni, alumni of other U.C. campuses, and U.C. Berkeley faculty, staff and graduate students. The chorus performs a wide variety of music, ranging from 16th century chamber choral works to traditional folk music and 20th-century musical theater.

Touring has become part of the Alumni Chorus tradition, giving members the chance to sing for and meet other music lovers around the globe. This past summer a group from the Chorus toured colonial Mexico with a program of music from the California Missions, and in the spring of 2012 the group toured Cuba, enjoying a cultural exchange with choirs from Havana, Matanzas, Cienfuegos, and Santiago de Cuba. Previous tours were to Australia, England, the Czech Republic and Hungary, China, the Baltics (Finland, Estonia, Latvia), Russia, and South America (Uruguay and Argentina). In the summer of 2009, the Chorus was invited to participate in the International Choral Festival in Missoula, Montana and the ensemble has twice performed together with the Claremont Chorale, both in Claremont, California and in the Bay Area, and with the Santa Barbara Choral Society, which will join the Alumni Chorus for its spring performance.

Dr. Mark Sumner, conductor
William García Ganz, piano

Sunday, November 16, 2014, 4 pm

First Congregational Church, 2345 Channing Way, Berkeley

Tickets: $20 – $15 – $6, call (510) 642-3880. (Phone sales end at 12:30 pm Friday for weekend performances.) Buy online at tickets.berkeley.edu, or UCACNov2014.eventbrite.com, or at the door.

Information: www.ucac.net