Bach B minor mass with cabrillo symphonic chorus and four stellar guest vocalists!

Sublime, powerful, and all-embracing: J.S. Bach's magnificent Mass in B Minor this weekend!

Johann Sebastian Bach’s Mass in B minor is widely recognized as one of the supreme triumphs of Western classical music, described by one music historian as the “greatest musical masterpiece of all times and nations." Join us THIS WEEKEND on May 4 and 5 as Santa Cruz Symphony unites with Cabrillo Symphonic Chorus and four stellar vocalists to bring you the brilliance and theatricality of this magnum opus. This musical experience will be truly unforgettable!

Evening performance of Bach B Minor Mass:

Saturday May 4 at 7:30 PM at the Civic Auditorium in Santa Cruz

Pre-concert talk at 6:30 PM

 Matinee performance of Bach B Minor Mass:

Sunday May 5 at 2:00 PM at the Henry J. Mello Center in Watsonville

Pre-concert talk at 1:00 PM

STUDENTS OF ALL AGES: Take a break from studying and come to a Santa Cruz Symphony concert! Are you a student? Do you have a student ID? You can get a concert ticket for only $15! Just show up at the box office within 90 minutes of the start of the concert to receive this incredible deal. Seating is subject to section availability. Be prepared to show your student ID. We'd love to see you there!

Join us for open rehearsal of Bach B Minor Mass!

Want to peek behind the scenes as Maestro Daniel Stewart prepares the orchestra, chorus, and guest soloists for Bach B Minor Mass? Come to our open rehearsal this week! Due to a change in rehearsal schedules, our open rehearsal for this concert will take place on THURSDAY instead of FRIDAY. Join us on THURSDAY, May 2, at 7:30 PM at the Civic Auditorium in Santa Cruz. Doors will open at 7 PM.

The work that goes into these rehearsals will be on full view, as various sections collaborate. It's ideal for anyone interested in how a musical composition is painstakingly stitched together to create the perfect weekend performance. We always have plenty of available seats at open rehearsals, so there's no need to reserve a place. Bring your friends, too! Find out more about open rehearsals here.


BUY BACH B MINOR MASS CONCERT TICKETS

LEARN MORE ABOUT THE CONCERT PROGRAM


Free open rehearsal of Bach B Minor Mass:

Thursday May 2 at 7:30 PM at the Civic Auditorium in Santa Cruz

No reservations required

Learn more about open rehearsals here

 

Evening performance of Bach B Minor Mass:

Saturday May 4 at 7:30 PM at the Civic Auditorium in Santa Cruz

Pre-concert talk at 6:30 PM

 

Matinee performance of Bach B Minor Mass:

Sunday May 5 at 2:00 PM at the Henry J. Mello Center in Watsonville

Pre-concert talk at 1:00 PM

 

LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR 2023-24 SEASON

  

We're ending our season on a glorious note with Bach's Mass in B Minor!

Our 2023-24 classical series concludes on May 4 and 5 with Johann Sebastian Bach’s transcendent Mass in B Minor, now considered one of the major achievements of Western classical music. Santa Cruz Symphony and Maestro Daniel Stewart will be joined by Cabrillo Symphonic Chorus, under the direction of Cheryl Anderson, and four incredible guest vocalists: contralto Sara Couden, soprano Hera Hyesang Park, bass-baritone Christian Pursell, and tenor Andrew Stenson.

Expect to be enraptured by the brilliance and theatricality of Bach's magnum opus and the rich, sonorous voices of our stellar performers. We invite you to celebrate this profoundly beautiful music with us!

 

Saturday, May 4 at 7:30 PM

Civic Auditorium in Santa Cruz

Pre-concert talk at 6:30 PM

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Sunday, May 5 at 2:00 PM

Henry J. Mello Center in Watsonville

Pre-concert talk at 1:00 PM

BUY CONCERT TICKETS

LEARN MORE ABOUT THE CONCERT PROGRAM

Led by Director Cheryl Anderson, the Cabrillo Symphonic Chorus has earned a stellar reputation at home in the Monterey Bay as well as internationally by performing in the finest concert halls in the USA and Europe. The group consistently evokes a sense of beauty and wonder with the lushness and fluidity of their technique. Named Santa Cruz’s Artist of the Year in 2018, Ms. Anderson has spent her musical career conducting choirs and orchestras around the world, in addition to performing as a professional soloist and chorister. She sang for years with Robert Shaw and was a Conducting Fellow and singer with Helmuth Rilling and the Oregon Bach Festival. Her leadership of the chorus and collaboration with Maestro Daniel Stewart will seamlessly unite the singers, the orchestra, and the music itself.

Praised by Opera News for her “unusually rich and resonant” voice, contralto Sara Couden is a premiere interpreter of operatic, chamber, and song repertoire. Her latest triumphs include a role debut in Dukas’ rarely-performed masterwork Ariane et barbe-bleue with West Edge Opera, as well as company debuts with the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, and the Charleston Symphony. Ms. Couden also recorded her debut solo album on the Steinway & Sons label. She has performed at Carnegie Hall, the Metropolitan Opera, the Seattle Symphony, St. Petersburg Opera, and many more venues, including music festivals, chamber music events, and operas around the world. A graduate of the Lindemann Young Artist Program at the Metropolitan Opera and an alumna of the Marlboro Music Festival, Ms. Couden holds degrees from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music and the Yale School of Music.

While Hera Hyesang Park has won rave reviews for her fine singing and stagecraft, there is much more to her artistry. The South Korean soprano’s cosmopolitan mindset and determination to challenge racism, discrimination, and stereotypes of all kinds are also essential elements in her approach to making music. Performing and recording are, for her, both acts of self-discovery and heartfelt, emotionally honest ways to connect with others. With an immaculate technique and seemingly infinite variety of tone colors, her lyric coloratura voice reflects the fearless nature of the Park performance style — always daring, never dull. Her rising-star status is supported by a series of critically acclaimed performances everywhere from the Metropolitan Opera to the Glyndebourne Festival. A graduate of Seoul National University and New York’s renowned Juilliard School of Music, Ms. Park has won prestigious prizes and awards around the world.

In describing bass-baritone Christian Pursell, Opera News said, “Whatever he sings, Pursell’s diction is a model of clarity, and his intriguingly dark voice is beautifully projected.” Mr. Pursell was the 4th Prize Winner and “Best Baritone” at the 61st Tenor Viñas International Vocal Competition in Spain in January 2024, and the 2nd Prize Winner at the 1st International Tebaldo-Gigli-Corelli Lyric Competition in Italy in March 2024. He specializes in a wide range of music, from baroque to bel canto to 21st-century modern, with principal credits in major opera houses worldwide. His 2024-25 season adds new roles to his repertoire: Leporello in Don Giovanni with Cincinnati Opera, Don Basilio in Il barbiere di Siviglia with Virginia Opera, a Carnegie Hall debut as Noah in The Grapes of Wrath with Master Voices, and Taddeo in L’Italiana in Algeria with Hawaii Opera Theater. Mr. Pursell travels in his vintage Airstream trailer with his six-year-old son, and he brings classical music to new audiences through his fursona “Chester The Geroo."

Lauded by The Wall Street Journal for his "vivid tenor that is both beautiful and full of raw feeling," tenor Andrew Stenson is a graduate of the Metropolitan Opera's Lindemann Young Artists Program. In addition to singing many of the standard lyric tenor roles, Mr. Stenson has created leading characters in two important world premieres. He left an indelible impression in An American Soldier with Opera Theater of St. Louis and in Bel Canto with Lyric Opera of Chicago, where he later returned to sing in Cosi Fan Tutte. Mr. Stenson has sung roles in Candide, The Magic Flute, Don Pasquale, The Barber of Seville, and many other works. Much in demand as a soloist in concert and oratorio repertoires, he has appeared with major opera companies, symphonies, and festivals worldwide, and has won top prizes in major vocal competitions. 

Sublime, powerful, and all-embracing: We're presenting Bach's Mass in B Minor

Our 2023-24 classical series concludes IN MAY with a Magnificent choral masterpiece!

Johann Sebastian Bach’s Mass in B minor is widely recognized as one of the supreme triumphs of Western classical music. Heroic in its scope and articulation, this piece was crafted as an ideal representation of the Mass, rather than being designed for practical use. Described by one music historian as the “greatest musical masterpiece of all times and nations,” the Mass in B minor encapsulates Bach’s musicianship and his profound sense of the sacred. On May 4 and 5, Santa Cruz Symphony will join forces with Cabrillo Symphonic Chorus and four stellar vocalists to bring you the brilliance and theatricality of this magnum opus.

Bach’s masterwork offers a perfect showcase for the vocal power and harmonic expression of Cabrillo Symphonic Chorus, under the direction of Cheryl Anderson, and our four guest soloists. Prepare to be transported, both spiritually and emotionally, by the sublime voices of contralto Sara Couden, soprano Hera Hyesang Park, bass-baritone Christian Pursell, and tenor Andrew Stenson. Under the direction of Maestro Daniel Stewart, these singers will join forces to create a thrilling conclusion to our 2023-24 classical concert series.

We invite you to share this unforgettable performance with us!

Good Times Santa Cruz featured the Bach B Minor Mass concert in a recent article. You can read it here!

Saturday, May 4 at 7:30 PM
Civic Auditorium in Santa Cruz
Pre-concert talk at 6:30 PM

Sunday, May 5 at 2:00 PM
Henry J. Mello Center in Watsonville
Pre-concert talk at 1:00 PM

 

You asked for her, and she's back! Destiny Muhammad's inspired jazz will thrill you again. 

Award-winning jazz harpist Destiny Muhammad is back by popular demand, presenting a fabulous recital for Santa Cruz Symphony. Our 2023-24 Recital Series continues on Sunday, April 21 with Textures, Colors, Tones: Sketches in Jazz, performed by Destiny and her trio. Destiny created this program as a tonal tapestry in tribute to the legacy of the late African-American improvisational quiltmaker and fabric artist Rosie Lee Tompkins. The New York Times called her fabric creations “one of the century’s major accomplishments.” You can learn more about the recital program here.

Destiny Muhammad will rock the rafters with a trio of phenomenal musicians: Leon Joyce, Jr. on drums and percussion, Sundra Manning on piano, and Arthur "Chico" Lopez on upright bass. Destiny and her trio will be joined by two incredible poets and spoken word artists. Devorah Major, San Francisco Poet Laureate Emeritus, will speak the energy of Rosie Lee Tompkins. Enid Pickett, Healdsburg Jazz Festival Poet Laureate, will speak the energy of Effie Mae Howard.

We know you'll love this inspiring afternoon of storytelling through jazz!  


WHEN: Sunday, April 21 at 2PM
WHERE: Samper Recital Hall at Cabrillo College
TICKETS: 831-479-6154 or cabrillo.edu/vapa

Leon Joyce, Jr.’s drumming and percussion savvy are in international demand. A consummate professional, Leon has worked with a variety of top artists worldwide, including Ramsey Lewis, Nancy Wilson, Scott Hamilton, Smokey Robinson, Norman Connors, Billy Harper, James Carter, Clark Terry, Conti Condoli, and Ellis Marsalis, among others. As an instructor, Leon has led clinics around the United States with various educational institutions and music programs. His musical career began in high school and was shaped in the US Marine Corps, where he served, trained, and performed as a drummer and percussionist for over 20 years. Leon is a regular with the Leon Joyce Trio, Quartet, and Quintet, Jamie Davis, Nicolas Bearde, The Destiny Muhammad Trio, and guitarist Calvin Keys. He has appeared at many jazz festivals internationally, including Montreaux and Lugano Jazz Festivals, Villingen Swing/Jazz Festival, the Monterey Jazz and Blues Festival, the JVC Jazz Festivals, the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, and many more.

Sundra Manning is a Grammy-nominated pianist, keyboardist, Hammond B3 Organ player, and producer. Respected for her wide-ranging musical versatility, Sundra brings a funky, fresh, and gritty approach to her playing that is emotional, unique, and special. Sundra has recorded, written, and performed around the world with many artists such as Larry Graham with Prince, Sheila E., Lalah Hathaway, Raphael Saadiq, Peter Tork of The Monkees, Bobby Womack, Meshell Ndegeocello, Ledisi, Michael Franti and Spearhead, MC Hammer, Walter Hawkins’ Love Center Youth Ministry, Jody Watley, Jubu and Legally Blynd, The Braxton Brothers, Martin Luther, Peabo Bryson, Maysa Leaks, Pete Escovedo, Miguel Migs, EnVogue, Avery Sunshine, Anessa Strings, Nona Hendryx and Black Women Rock. She has written and produced music for several major films and television networks including Sony Pictures, Warner Pictures, HBO Films, and Bose Corp.

Bay Area native Arthur "Chico" Lopez is a sought-after jazz bassist. Proficient on both upright acoustic and electric bass, he brings his unique passionate precision to both instruments. Chico Lopez has enjoyed collaborating and performing with Clifford Brown aka ‘CB3’ (the grandson of jazz trumpet legend Clifford Brown, Jr.), Doug Ellington (the grandson of Duke Ellington), and jazz harpist Destiny Muhammad and The Destiny Muhammad Trio. His bevy of performance venues include SFJAZZ (the largest non-profit jazz presenter in the world), the Sundays in the Redwoods concert series in Oakland, the famed Yoshi’s Jazz Club, the Healdsburg Jazz Festival, and the San Jose Jazz Festival.

A California granddaughter of immigrants, both documented and undocumented, devorah major is San Francisco’s third Poet Laureate. A baker of pies and a lover of jazz, her poetry has carried her to many countries where she has performed with and without musicians. In 2022, she received Italy’s Regina Coppola International Literary Award. Published by Willow Press, her seventh book of poetry, Califia’s Daughter, was a Willow Press Editor’s Choice. Individual poems can be found in numerous magazines and anthologies including Callaloo, The New Black Fire, and Bum Rush the Page. She will put down her pen to march, act, and call for justice.

A northern California resident, Enid Pickett has been a Fulbright teacher in several countries, an advisor on issues of human rights, a jazz singer, and is now a celebrated poet. She has served on the Advisory Board of Learning for Justice, a Southern Poverty Law Center publication, as a Diversity Trainer for the NEA’s Human and Civil Rights Department, and as a Special Education and General Education teacher. She has appeared onstage with many poets and artists both as a singer and a poet and spoken word artist. The 2018 Poet Laureate for the Healdsburg Jazz Festival, Enid has published one volume of poetry, Through the Eyes of Enid, with a second volume expected to be published this year.

While certainly inspired by Alice Coltrane, Muhammad brings her own unique touch to the strings, as well as a contemporary melodic style that is exacting, whether she is working solo or accompanied. -Downbeat