SANTA CRUZ— The Santa Cruz Chorale will open its 2018-2019 season with a traditional December holiday concert, “Christmas With the Chorale” on Dec. 8 and 9.
The centerpiece of the concert will be Monteverdi’s well-known “Magnificat,” from his 1640 collection entitled “Selva Morale e Spirituale.” Conductor Christian Grube has also selected a variety of pieces that aim to express the many meanings of Christmas, from composers such as Byrd, Gibbons, Bach, Herzogenberg, Rheinberger, Lauridsen, Biebl and more.
The Christmas program will close with carols from around the world. As in previous years, the chorale will be joined by the Monterey Bay Sinfonietta.
The Santa Cruz Chorale was founded more than 30 years ago by Mary Lynn Place Badarak, lecturer for the Department of Music at UC Santa Cruz, as a volunteer adult chorus. Following Badarak’s leadership, Murray Walker directed, followed by the late Gene Lewis, Paul Vorwerk and Eduardo Mendelievich. Under the leadership of Vorwerk, the Chorale went on two international tours: the first to Northern Italy and Croatia, and the second to Spain.
Since 2006, the Chorale has been directed by Christian Grube. An emeritus professor of choral conducting at the Berlin University of Arts, Grube’s choirs are known for their exquisite sound, impeccable intonation, broad range of dynamic expression and ability to interpret the most diverse styles.
The Santa Cruz Chorale has consistently been performing three concerts per year at Holy Cross Church, attracting three of Santa Cruz’s most well-known accompanists, Vlada Moran, Yalenda Listmann and Maria Ezerova, to perform alongside them.
Both “Christmas with the Chorale” performances will be held at Holy Cross Church, 126 High St. in Santa Cruz. An evening show will occur on Saturday, Dec. 8 at 8 p.m. and a matinee on Sunday, Dec. 9 at 4 p.m.
Tickets are $25, with discounted prices of $20 for seniors and $5 for students (anyone under 18 or adults with a valid student ID). Season tickets are also available.
To pre-order tickets and for information on upcoming concerts and events, visit santacruzchorale.org.
