Sorelle San Diego presents 'Songs of Winter' Nov. 16

Sorelle San Diego, a women’s chamber chorus, will perform Songs of Winter on Sunday, November 16, at 3 p.m. in the beautiful St. Mary’s Star of the Sea Church in Oceanside.

The sixteen-voice chamber choir will be joined by harpist Donna Vaughan for Benjamin Britten’s (1913-76) A Ceremony of Carols, Op. 28 (1942), one of the world’s most beloved Christmas choral pieces. Artistic Director Sally Husch Dean will pair Britten’s work with Gustav Holst’s (1874-1934) landmark Choral Hymns from the Rig Veda, No. 3, for harp and women’s voices (1912).

Also featured in the program will be Johannes Brahms’s (1833-97) beautiful Ave Maria (Op. 12); Blow Blow Thou Winter Wind by California composer Emma Lou Diemer, with text from William Shakespeare’s pastoral comedy As You Like It; and Winter Solstice by Paul Carey, with words by the celebrated Victorian poetess Christina Rossetti (1830-94).

Britten’s A Ceremony of Carols is a setting for treble voices and harp of various medieval texts and is one of the composer’s most popular choral works, heard every Christmas in churches and concert halls throughout the world. Holst’s landmark Choral Hymns from the Rig Veda is a haunting series of Hindu verse settings with harp accompaniment, while Brahms’s familiar Ave Maria is a charming supplement to the program, with piano accompaniment by Ching-Ming Cheng.

ABOUT SORELLE SAN DIEGO:

Sorelle (Italian for sisters) is a sixteen-voice select chamber ensemble formed in 2013 by Sally Husch Dean, the renowned artistic director of the San Diego North Coast Singers. The group produces a unique and powerful sound, rich in heart and integrity. The members’ experiences are diverse. Some are choral directors teaching at the elementary, high school, and college level. Some members sing in their church ensembles, others sing with professional choruses. Some are professional soloists. Their common thread is a love and dedication to the choral art.

CONCERT INFORMATION:

Sorelle San Diego: Songs of Winter
Date: Sunday, November 16, 2014, 3:00 pm
Location: St. Mary’s Star of the Sea Church
609 Pier View Way, Oceanside, CA 92054
Tickets at the door: $15 general /$8 student

ARTISTIC STAFF:

Sally Husch Dean, artistic director, founded Sorelle San Diego in 2013. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Voice Performance from the University of California San Diego, and a Master of Music in Choral Conducting from CSU Los Angeles. She has studied conducting with David Chase in San Diego and Donald Brinegar in Los Angeles. She is the founding Artistic Director of the San Diego North Coast Singers Youth Chorus and has led this prestigious ensemble on national and international tours. Ms. Dean is an adjunct faculty member of Palomar College, directing both the Palomar Chamber Singers and the Palomar Chorale. She is a long-standing member of the soprano section of the La Jolla Symphony Chorus.

Ching-Ming Cheng, pianist, is an Assistant Professor of Music at CSU San Marcos, teaching piano, music theory, and introductory music classes. She concertizes extensively as a solo pianist, both nationally and internationally, and has won many distinguished competitions. Holding a minor degree in double bass, her orchestral performance experience is substantial and has earned her a unique background as a keen and sensitive collaborative artist.

Donna Vaughan is a well-known harpist in the greater San Diego area. She has performed with San Diego Opera, the San Diego Symphony, the La Jolla Symphony and Chorus, and the Old Globe Theater. Mrs. Vaughan holds a Master of Arts in Harp Performance as well as a Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance from San Diego State University. Sharing her instrument with others is a great joy to Ms. Vaughan, who finds that audiences respond to the ethereal sounds of the harp as well as its meditative nature. She is presently recording a Christmas CD with her daughter and fellow harpist, Laura Vaughan.