San Francisco Girls Chorus Kicks Off Summer with International Performances
Summer with the San Francisco Girls Chorus
• Premiere Performances of Thierry Pécou’s O Future at Théâtre de Caen
• In Concert at the 50th Anniversary Kronos Festival in SF
• Tour of South Africa July 10-21
Information: www.sfgirlschorus.org
San Francisco, CA –The San Francisco Girls Chorus (SFGC), under the direction of Artistic Director Valérie Sainte-Agathe, is in the midst of a busy summer season which has included the world premiere performances of composer Thierry Pécou’s multidisciplinary opera O Future at Théâtre de Caen in France with Ensemble Variances, as well as an appearance at the 50th Anniversary Kronos Festival at SF Jazz in San Francisco. Up next, SFGC tours South Africa from July 10-21, 2024, including premiere performances of a new work by South African composer Mokale Koapeng.
SFGC joined forces with La Maîtrise de Caen (Caen Boys Chorus) in the world premiere production of Thierry Pecou’s O Future at Théâtre de Caen, directed by Bernard Kudlak, in June. Librettist and scenographer Alice Kudlak created the text for the opera using interviews with SFGC choristers as well as choristers from La Maîtrise de Caen. O Future follows the path of a group of children, concerned about the future of the Earth and in search of meaning. The work draws on the cultures and wisdom of ancient and forgotten peoples: the Aztecs, the Cree of North America, the Bushmen of South Africa and the Moai of Easter Island. The entire opera was broadcast on France 3 TV, and the replay is currently available online.
Also this month, SFGC performed as part of the Kronos Festival, marking the quartet’s 50th anniversary and the farewell performances of longtime Kronos members John Sherba and Hank Dutt. During this “who’s who of new music stars” (Mercury News) SFGC took the stage at SF Jazz with Kronos to perform works by Vladimir Martynov, Yoko Ono, Hawa Kassé Mady Diabaté, and Pete Seeger.
From July 10-21, SFGC heads to South Africa for a tour consisting of several cities and collaborations with local musical organizations. Their touring program will include Toro Ya Alkebulan (He Had A Dream, An African Dream), by South African composer Mokale Koapeng, with lyrics adapted from a poem by Njeri Wangari, commissioned by Classical Movements 2024. SFGC gave the world premiere of this piece in San Francisco this spring, during their May 19 concert.
Since 1978, SFGC has provided girls and young women the unique opportunity not only to perform at the highest artistic caliber, but also to develop self-confidence, leadership skills, and an awareness of the role of the arts in civic engagement. A leader in the Bay Area and national music scenes, SFGC produces award-winning concerts, recordings and tours; empowers young women in music and other fields; and sets the international standard for the highest level of performance and education. SFGC has been recognized through numerous honors including five GRAMMY Awards, four ASCAP/Chorus America Awards for Adventurous Programming, and in 2002, becoming the first youth chorus to receive Chorus America's prestigious Margaret Hillis Achievement Award for Choral Excellence. Each year, hundreds of singers of diverse backgrounds from 45 Bay Area cities ranging in age from age four to eighteen participate in SFGC’s programs. The organization consists of a six-level choral training program, which includes the Premier Ensemble, a professional-level chorus of treble voices.
Under the direction of Artistic Director Valérie Sainte-Agathe, SFGC has achieved an incomparable sound that underscores the unique clarity and force of impeccably trained treble voices fused with expressiveness and drama. As a result, the SFGC vibrantly performs 1,000 years of choral masterworks from plainchant to the most challenging and nuanced contemporary works, many created expressly for them, in programs that are as intelligently designed as they are enjoyable and revelatory to experience.
More about the San Francisco Girls Chorus: www.sfgirlschorus.org/about
More about Valérie Sainte-Agathe: www.sfgirlschorus.org/valerie-sainte-agathe
The San Francisco Girls Chorus receives support from Grants for the Arts, The Kimball Foundation, National Endowment for the Arts, Sequoia Trust, The Aaron Copland Fund for Music, Inc., The Sam Mazza Foundation, The Bernard Osher Foundation, and the Joseph and Vera Long Foundation.