Slavyanka Russian Chorus Festival Preview
October 10, 2017
Slavyanka Russian Chorus, an a cappella chorus based in the San Francisco Bay Area, is presenting a festival of Russian choral music starting next Sunday in Berkeley. The festival highlights Russian music from the late 19th and early 20th centuries and includes works by Tchaikovsky, Sergei Taneyev, Rachmaninov, and Pavel Chesnokov.
Most notably there will be two West Coast premieres by Taneyev (who studied with Tchaikovsky): a choral cantata with full orchestra, Ioann Damaskin, and the choral work Sunrise. Seven different ensembles are joining Slavyanka Russian Chorus in the three performances, each with a different program.
The Sunday, October 15 performance at St. Mark's in Berkeley features the folk traditions of the Moscow region and includes including Oakland-based female vocal group Kitka, Kostroma (San Jose), Silicon Valley's Iskra Etno Vocal Group, Pava from Seattle. The Friday, October 20 concert at Star of the Sea Church in San Francisco includes Slavyanka Russian Chorus with church choirs from Burlingame, San Francisco, and Santa Cruz. The Sunday, October 22 at Mission Dolores Basilica in San Francisco is devoted to Taneyev and features countertenor Andrej Nemzer. Tickets are available here.