Program Notes

CHRISTMAS ON THE COAST

Christmas in my family --- and maybe in yours, too --- meant presents, snow, cookies, cranberry sauce, and a house festooned with greenery and glass ornaments, but most of all, Christmas meant music. My earliest choral education came from singing carols in four-part harmony with my parents and sister around the piano, and my mother blared Handel (the Messiah) and Bach (the Christmas Oratorio) from the record player.  Meringues and garlands were great, but music was always the soul of the holidays for our family.

California has its own Christmas soundtrack, one colored by the diversity and beauty of the Golden State and the richness of its musical culture, and we'll set out a feast of homegrown holiday fare for you this December! "Christmas on the Coast" highlights works by composers who lived and worked here in California --- some familiar, some brand-new. Take a peek:

• Kirk Mechem's "Seven Joys of Christmas" have been a holiday staple for nearly 50 years. Mechem, a friend of the OCWC and a favorite of our audiences, gives new life to seven traditional carols---including "Fum, Fum, Fum" and "Pat-a-Pan"---in settings that are by turns serene, sprightly, and humorous.
• Ruth Huber, from whom the OCWC commissioned the beautiful "To My Excellent Lucasia, on our Friendship" in 2007, has created a new treble arrangement of her award-winning "Winter." You'll hear the world premiere of this cheeky setting of a Shakespeare text.
• From Bay Area composer Frank La Rocca comes an especially beautiful discovery: "O Eve!," a simply stunning work with words taken from a Christmas card sent by Sister Columbia Guare of the Sisters of the Mississippi Abbey in Iowa. This one has quickly become a favorite of the chorus, and we suspect it'll be one of yours, too.

There's much more where those came from, including a variety of solos and a set of carols by Emma Lou Diemer conducted by our talented interns, Sarah Hughes and Megan Schuller-Donoff. As always, we'll follow each concert with a sumptuous reception, and we're excited to debut in a new venue, St. George's Episcopal Church, for our Saturday-evening show. Make plans now, and invite a friend who could use some Christmas cheer! We'll see you in December.