Sat., March 4, 2023
9:30am – 2:30pm
Join us for this beloved FREE festival of community choral workshops – in person for the first time since 2019!
Calvary Presbyterian Church
2515 Fillmore Street (@Jackson)
San Francisco
| Time | Event | Presenter |
|---|---|---|
| 9:30 – 9:50 | Welcome/Warmup | Magen Solomon |
| 10:00 – 11:00 | The Joy of Singing Renaissance Music | Robert Worth |
| Sacred Harp (Shape Note) Singing | Bay Area Sacred Harp | |
| Brazilian Music | Daniel Afonso | |
| 11:15 – 12:15 | Body Music | Keith Terry |
| Old Time Harmony Singing | Evie Ladin | |
| Medieval Music: A Most Excellent Adventure from Chant to Polyphony | Shira Kammen | |
| 12:15 – 1:00 | Lunch | |
| 1:00 – 2:00 | Vocal Health at Every Age | Julia Nielsen |
| Joyful Noise Gospel Workshop | Rita Lackey | |
| Exploring Haydn’s Creation | Magen Solomon | |
| 2:00 – 2:30 | Closing Sing | Daniel Afonso |
10-11am
The Joy of Singing Renaissance Music
We’ll cut directly to the chase and commence by reading some wonderful pieces of (mostly) 16th-century music. Along the way, we’ll explore techniques and practices and how to make singing this music a rewarding part of our musical lives.
Robert Worth is the founding music director of Sonoma Bach. In 2010, he retired as Professor of Music at Sonoma State University, and has since focused his musical life around Sonoma Bach’s many activities. Bob received his BA in music at SSU in 1980, and his MA in historical musicology at UC Berkeley in 1982. He and his wife Margaret live on Sonoma Mountain with two Labrador Retrievers.
10-11am
Sacred Harp (Shape Note) Singing
Sacred Harp is full-voice, a cappella, 4-part harmony singing using shape note musical notation. This singing tradition is all about participation, so come ready to sing!
Bay Area Sacred Harp is a local nonprofit that promotes Sacred Harp and shape note singing in the San Francisco Bay Area. We sing somewhere in the Bay at least twice a week! Learn more at BayAreaSacredHarp.org
10-11am
Brazil: At the Intersection of Music and Culture
Exploring the enormous variety of Brazilian music, dance, and food now and in the past
Widely recognized for his research and performance of Brazilian choral music, Daniel R. Afonso, Jr. is professor of music and Coordinator of Vocal and Choral Studies at California State University, Stanislaus. He received a degree in Educação Artística from the Universidade do Rio de Janeiro (UNI-Rio), a Master of Music degree in Choral Conducting from the University of Missouri-Kansas City, and a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Choral Conducting and Pedagogy from the University of Iowa.
Dr. Afonso has performed with choral groups in Brazil, U.S., and Europe, and has previously taught music at the Conservatório Brasileiro de Música, Universidade do Rio de Janeiro (UNI-Rio), and Doane College (Nebraska). He is the founding director of the Modesto Symphony Orchestra Chorus and, since 2001, and often serves as a guest conductor with the Modesto Symphony.
11:15 – 12:15
Body Music
Using the oldest instrument on the planet – the human body – we clap, slap, snap, step and vocalize our way through some very fun and funky, original and traditional rhythmic music. BODY MUSIC is an effective way of internalizing rhythmic work, which enhances the development of time, timing, phrasing, listening skills, independence, coordination and ensemble awareness. It is a useful tool for musicians, dancers and movers of all kinds, actors, DJs and film editors – anyone interested in deepening their rhythmic skills.
Inspired by that generation of great US jazz tap dancers he was accompanying in the 1970’s, drummer Keith Terry stood up from behind his drums and dove head-on into Body Music (a term he coined) in 1978. He regularly travels the world, performing and teaching in a wide range of settings from villages in Bali to New York City’s Lincoln Center. Keith is a Guggenheim Fellow and the founding artistic director of both the Oakland, California based arts organization, Crosspulse, since 1979; and the International Body Music Festival (IBMF) – launched by Crosspulse in 2008 to explore the language of Body Music from culture to culture. The IBMF’s full festivals and MiniFests have been produced in the US, Brazil, Turkey, Indonesia, France, Canada, Italy, Greece and Ghana. Keith has produced more than a dozen recordings, dvds, and books for Crosspulse Media. His latest record, Free Dive, featuring Keith, Jeff Cressman, Bryan Dyer, Cecilia Engelhart and Steve Hogan, will be released on November 22, in concert at Berkeley’s Freight & Salvage. More info at www.crosspulse.com
11:15 – 12:15
Old Time Harmony Singing
Using Carter Family-style harmonies as a jumping off place, we will enjoy three part harmonies from the Appalachian tradition. Finding harmony lines that sometimes weave around the melody, sometimes cross or create unisons, students will develop a better ability to hear and find parts, as well as learn what gives these harmonies their particular old-time country sound, and power.
Banjo player, singer, songwriter, percussive-dancer, choreographer and square-dance caller, Evie Ladin grew up steeped in traditional folk music/dance. Her performances, recordings and teaching have been heard from A Prairie Home Companion to Lincoln Center, Hardly Strictly Bluegrass to Celtic Connections, from Brazil to Bali.
11:15 – 12:15
Medieval Music: A Most Excellent Adventure from Chant to Polyphony
We’ll explore how chant developed into polyphony via gorgeous compositions in the Montpellier and Las Huelgas manuscripts, and look at a Landini piece as well.
Multi-instrumentalist and occasional singer Shira Kammen has spent most of her life exploring the diverse worlds of early, traditional, classical, new music, and more. Over the years she has worked with countless ensembles of all kinds worldwide, and has played on movie and television soundtracks, when weird medieval instruments are needed.
1:00 – 2:00
Vocal Health at Every Age
Learn about how to keep your voice healthy and fit at every age, using six different types of vocal exercise that are crucial for singers who want to either prevent or address so-called “age-related” changes to the voice.
Dr. Julia Nielsen has been one of the Bay Area’s most sought-after vocal pedagogues since founding her private voice studio in 1999. Her students are currently performing leading roles with major opera companies, soloing with symphonies, and raising their voices in elite professional choruses, including the Metropolitan Opera, the San Francisco Opera, and the San Francisco Symphony Chorus. Dr. Nielsen also leads hundreds of singers around the world each week in online vocal workouts through her organization, Community Vocalizing (Co-Vo): www.co-vo.com
1:00 – 2:00
Joyful Noise Gospel Workshop
Come and learn why Gospel music is so uplifting! Sing a long, clap along and rejoice in this revitalizing musical experience. See you there!!!
Rita Lackey is a musician, vocalist and teacher. She began her musical career as pianist and director of a church choir. Her Degree is in Music and she has headlined at Yoshi’s in Oakland. Currently, Rita teaches at Community Music Center, and performs in the San Francisco Bay Area.
1:00 – 2:00
Exploring Haydn’s Creation
Come learn and sing sections of Haydn’s beloved masterwork, led by SFBC’s own charismatic Artistic Director.
Artistic Director of the SF Bach Choir since 2014, Magen Solomon is active across the US and abroad as a clinician, teacher, and guest conductor of university and civic choral ensembles. In her 28th season directing the SF Choral Artists, she also maintains a private voice and conducting studio.