The
Youth Choir of Greater Paris came to the Bay Area in July 2005 with
concerts at First Presbyterian Church in Oakland and Grace Cathedral
in San Francisco. Directed by the legendary French choral conductor
Francis Bardot, the choir's repertoire features masterpieces by
French composers such as Faure, Duruflé, Franck, and Langlais.
In June and July, the Troubadors and changed voice ensemble headed
to Minnesota to be part of the World Festival of Singing, then headed
to France. Find out about the tour on the tour
page.
On
May 28, 2005, Troubadors, Changed Voices and Cantori sang their
last public concert before heading on the 2005 tours. The Tour Send-Off
Concert featured music the three groups are taking on tour in three
US states and abroad.
Reel Kids Films is a
nonprofit educational film organization whose dual purpose is to
mentor and inspire young adults while creating and producing professional
stage and film productions that help make the wold a better place.
On April 30, 2005, Troubadors performed for the Reel Kids Films
gala in Oakland in advance of providing music for the soundtrack
fro RKF film Times Like These, Again. Find out more at
the Reel Kids Films, including gala ticket info at the RKF website.
Project Sunshine is a non-denominational, not-for-profit organization,
which provides numerous free programs and services to children with
cancer, AIDS, and other life-threatening illnesses. They also have
programs that help families cope with the illness of a child. Troubadors
sang for their Project Zen: East Meets West fundraiser,
held in San Francisco on May 11, 2005. For more information on the
Sunshine Project, visit the Project Sunshine website.
The
Boychoir's Troubadors and Changed Voices presented the first PBA
performance of Pergolesi's landmark Stabat Mater. Also
on the program: Mozart's Te Deum, Stanford's Beati
Quorum Via, Tavener's Song for Athene, Poulenc's Quatre
Petites Prieres, and others. First Presbyterian Church Oakland,
recently renovated and PBA home base, hosted the concert. Hear the
radio promo here!
Julian
Abelskamp, Jacob Wilson, and "Polish" Adam Kutny traveled
to Louisville, Kentucky to record Brahms' Psalm 13 for
the From the Top radio program. The program, including the trio
singing Mozart for the encore, aired starting March 21.
The show is also available in its entirety on the From
the Top website.
The
Boychoir's Troubadors and Changed Voices performed
in a benefit concert to restore the First Church of Christ, Scientist
in Berkeley. This church is a National Historic Landmark, designed
by Bernard Maybeck and built in 1911. You can find out more about
the church and the restoration efforts by visiting the Friends
of First Church website.
The Troubadors
headed to Zellerbach Hall in Berkeley to perform for the Fourth
Annual Berkeley
Choral Festival. The boys sang Michael Haydn's Anima Nostra
with the orchestra, featuring soloists and the full choir. This
rare SSA piece may have gotten its first performance by an American
boys choir (or any American choir?) on March 2.
The Boychoir's
Troubadors performed the National Anthem as the Golden
State Warriors take on the NBA Champion Detroit Pistons in Baron
Davis' first game as a Warrior.
A
group of Troubadors sang for the Oakland
City Council inauguration on January 3, 2005. The city council
members, as well as Mayor Jerry Brown, were in attendance. The ensemble
sang the National Anthem and an inspirational gospel song to kick
off the new city council session.
Oakland's
Pacific Collegium performed the rarely-heard A Boy Was Born
by Benjamin Britten. The Boychoir's school choristers provided the
boys parts for the Britten. Also on the program was selections of
the Geistliche Chormusik of Heinrich Schutz, also using
PBA soloists. You can find a clip of Britten's Hymn to the Virgin
from these concerts on our audio page.
Celebrated
PBA soprano Julian Abelskamp performed on the Hour of Power from
the Crystal Cathedral in Garden Grove, CA, taped on November 28,
2004. Check the Hour
of Power website to find broadcast dates in your area or to
watch the video online.
In
December 2004, the Cantori, Troubadors, and Changed Voices presented
two Harmonies of the Season concerts, one in Marin and one in Oakland,
bringing the spirit of harmony and goodwill. The concerts featured
Benjamin Britten's masterpiece for boys' voices, Ceremony of
Carols, accompanied by harpist Karen Gottlieb, and a special
appearance by the Exeter
String Quartet.
Troubadors
sang the 11am service on the Fourth Sunday of Advent at Grace
Cathedral. The boys sang Britten's Ceremony of Carols and joined
the men of the Cathedral Choir for Johann Ritter von Herbeck's Pueri
Concinite. You can find a clip of the Ceremony of Carols from
this morning on our audio page.
The Boychoir's Troubador ensemble sang for the Christmas Tree lighting
at Oakland's
Children's Hospital on Wednesday, December 1
On
Thursday, December 2 the PBA's Troubador ensemble performed for
the third year at the Montclair
Village Holiday Stroll. The boys sang singing outdoors, in front
of the PS Home store, where they sang last year.
The
Pacific Boychoir joined the Marin Children's Chorus for the first
time in a concert with the Children's Choir Ceska Lipa from the
Czech Republic. All three choirs performed separately and joined
together in John Rutter's For the Beauty of the Earth.
Forty boys from
the PBA joined forty girls from the San
Francisco Girls Chorus in four performances of Benjamin Britten's
Spring Symphony in October with the San Francisco Symphony
under the direction of Robert Spano. The last time the PBA performed
this was with the UC Davis orchestra in 2000. Do you know what phlebotomy
is? Find out what it has to do with the Spring Symphony!
In
the difficult days following September 11, 2001,the clergy and music
staff of Grace Cathedral sought an expression of unity and hope
for the future of young people. A concert bringing together local
youth choirs, “Voices
of America’s Future,” was a direct result.
The
Troubadors and changed voices kicked off the entertainment for Labor
Day on the Plaza Stage in front of City Hall as part of Oakland's
Fourth Art & Soul Festival. You can find out more about the
festival at the
official website.
The
Troubadors and Changed Voices sang the American and Canadian National
Anthems as the Giants took on the Montreal Expos on Monday, August
16, 2004.
Anthem arrangements by Christopher Kula.
The
PBA's Troubadors joined choirs from across North America and the
world in the World
Festival of Singing for Men and Boys in Prague in July, 2004.
Jim Litton, David Hill, and Bob Chilcott were the guest clinicians
for this summit of internationally-known boys choirs. The host choir
was the Boni Pueri of the Czech Republic. Visit
the tour page for information on this and other PBA tours.
The
Boychoir's Cantori and Troubadors sang the National Anthem as the
Oakland A's took on the Detroit Tigers in a Tuesday evening game.
SSA arrangement by Christopher Kula.
Bach wrote his choral music for his Thomanerchor, which remains
one of the finest boys choirs in the world. On June 5, the Pacific
Boychoir will break ground in early music by presenting Bach Cantata
150 as Bach did: with boys singing soprano and alto, and men singing
tenor and bass. A period-instrument orchestra headed by Concertmaster
Katherine Kyme joined the Boychoir for the performance. This first
half of the June 5 program will also feature two motets by Mendelssohn,
Isaac Posch's Cantate Domino, and Mozart's Quaere Superna
performed by the Boychoir's acclaimed soloists.
The Pacific Boychoir is at its best on tour, but the hometown audience
doesn't typically have a chance to hear the Boychoir on tour. The
PBA is known in Europe for its powerful spirituals singing. In the
second half of the June 5 concert, the audience got a sneak preview
of the tour program with the Cantori, Troubadors, and Changed Voices,
featuring folk songs and spirituals ready to be taken to Arizona
and the Czech Republic.
The
Boychoir hosted the Harvard Glee Club for a Berkeley concert on
April 3, 2004. The choirs sang separately and also together, forming
a 100-voice men and boys choir. For more information on the oldest
college chorus in America, visit the Harvard
Glee Club website.
In Italy in
2003, the PBA met the Boni
Pueri boys choir from the Czech Republic. The PBA hosted the
Boni Pueri in March 2004, with a joint concert at Grace Cathedral.
The Boni Pueri will host the PBA's Troubadors when they travel to
Prague for the World Festival of SInging for Men and Boys in July
2004.
The
Boychoir could be seen on Christmas Morning on Fox KTVU Channel
2 The Boychoir's Troubadors sang Sleigh Ride on the Mornings
on Two show.
For
the second year, the Boychoir's Cantori and Troubadors performed
holiday music at the 2003 Montclair
Holiday Stroll in Oakland in front of PS Home.
The
PBA's held its enchanting Harmonies of the Season Concert
First Presbyterian Church in Oakland on December 6, 2003. This holiday
tradition featured the PBA's first ever performance of Benjamin
Britten's famous Ceremony of Carols, written for boys'
voices and harp. Karen Gottlieb, harpist.
On October 15, 2003, the PBA hosted the American Boychoir in a concert
at Grace Cathedral in San Francisco. The two choirs performed together
for the first time in three years.
Some
having returned from Italy just two days previous, members of the
PBA joined Maestro Vance George (at left) and the San Francisco
Symphony and SF Symphony Chorus in Orff's Carmina
Burana. The performances received standing ovations and cheers
from the crowd!
One
June 14, 2003, members of the PBA's Troubador ensemble joined Michael
Tilson Thomas and the San Francisco Symphony in their festival Innocence
Undone: Wagner, Weill, and the Weimar years.The Troubadors
sang the Kinder-Katechismus zu Kosel's Geburtstag, a piece
by Wagner written for his children to sing to his wife on her birthday.
On
June 8, 2003, the PBA's Troubadors joined the men of the Grace Cathedral
choir to sing evensong every year. The Troubadors sing evensong
once a year, providing the boys' voices for what is usually a men's
voices-only evensong. The Troubadors get to see what it is like
to be a chorister in an English Cathedral once a year!
The
PBA celebrated its fifth Spring Concert on May 17, 2003. Joining
the PBA for this concert was the Town Choir of the Phoenix
Boys Choir.
The
Warriors had a great season! The PBA sang an exclusive SSAA version
of the US National Anthem as the Warriors
took on the Portland Trailblazers the evening of April 4.
On
April 29, 2003, the PBA and University of Michigan alumni sponsored
a concert with the University of Michigan Men's Glee Club, the second
oldest collegiate chorus in the USA. Long acclaimed as one of the
finest male choruses in the world, the Glee Club is renowned for
its wide repertoire.
The
Boychoir Troubadors joined the Berkeley Symphony in March 2003 for
the second year in a row for the Berkeley Choral Festival, Vance
George conducting. The Troubadors werespecial guests for Faure's
"Pie Jesu" from the Requiem. The
Boychoir's Troubadors was honored to be part of the first Berkeley
Choral Festival in 2002, hosted by the Berkeley
Symphony Orchestra. The event was conducted by Vance George,
director of the San Francisco Symphony Chorus, and hosted by Kent
Nagano and Robert Commanday.
Members of the PBA sang for the memorial service
for the shuttle Columbia and her crew at Chabot Space and Science
Center on February 9, 2003
The
PBA was pleased to provide the boys' voices for the San Francisco
Symphony in the fall of 2002. WIth the San Francisco Girls Chorus,
the boys performed Mahler's Third Symphony on September 25-28 under
the direction of Michael Tilson Thomas, and Britten's War Requiem
on October 24-27, under the direction of Kurt Masur (seen at the
right).
The
boys hang out with the girls of the San Francisco Girls Chorus backstage
at the San Francisco Symphony.
The
Boychoir sang the National Anthem for the San Francisco Giants at
Pacific Bell Park on June 23, 2003, when Barry Bonds stole his 500th
base in the Giants' victory over the Dodgers. The PBA also sang
on September 4, 2002 (Colorado Rockies) The PBA sings the National
Anthem for the Giants every year.
The
Boychoir sang the National Anthem for the Oakland A's at Network
Association Coliseum on Saturday, April 27, 2002 The Boychoir sings
for the A's annually, and sometimes twice a year.On Friday May 18,
2001, the Boychoir's Cantori sang the National Anthem at Network
Associates Coliseum as the American Leauge West Champion Oakland
A's took on the Chicago White Sox. The Boychoir was honored to have
been asked to sing the National Anthem for the second time in 2001
for the Oakland A's on Tuesday, September 25. Thousands cheered
for the Stars and Stripes at Network Associates Coliseum as the
American League West Champion Oakland A's took on the Anaheim Angels.
On
August 2, 2000, the PBA, the only Oakland-based boychoir, sang two
national anthems as the Oakland A's took on the Toronto Blue Jays.
The
Boychoir sang the National Anthem for their first NFL game on Friday,
August 31, 2001 at Network Associates Coliseum. The Raiders defeated
the Packers in their last preseason game.
In
July 2000 in Belvedere, soloists from the Pacific Boychoir sang
with the American Bach Soloists as part of their Summerfest Series.Two boys
sang the sailors' parts in staged version of Purcell's Dido and
Aeneas, conducted by Jeffrey Thomas (photo at left). Visit the
American Bach Soloists online for more information on their
concerts. In December and January 2001, the same soloists sang with
San Francisco Opera's production of Mozart's Magic Flute.
The Boychoir is happy to have Amoeba
Records in Berkeley as a sponsor! For new and new-to-you CD's
and LP's, visit Amoeba Records online or on Telegraph Avenue in
Berkeley. Tell them the Pacific Boychoir sent you!
On January
29, 2000, after shooting around with the players (left), the Pacific
Boychoir sang the National Anthem live for the Stanford Cardinal,
the number three-ranked college basketball team in the country,
the 1998-1999 Pac-10 basketball champs.
In
September 1999, the Boychoir hosted the Victorian Boys Choir from
Melbourne, Australia, our brother choir from across the Pacific
Ocean. The Pacific Boychoir returned the visit in July, 2001. You
can visit the VBC website via our links page.
The
Youth Choir of Greater Paris came to the Bay Area in July 2005 with
concerts at First Presbyterian Church in Oakland and Grace Cathedral
in San Francisco. Directed by the legendary French choral conductor
Francis Bardot, the choir's repertoire features masterpieces by
French composers such as Faure, Duruflé, Franck, and Langlais. 
In June and July, the Troubadors and changed voice ensemble headed
to Minnesota to be part of the World Festival of Singing, then headed
to France. Find out about the tour on the 
On
May 28, 2005, Troubadors, Changed Voices and Cantori sang their
last public concert before heading on the 2005 tours. The Tour Send-Off
Concert featured music the three groups are taking on tour in three
US states and abroad.
The
Boychoir's Troubadors and Changed Voices presented the first PBA
performance of Pergolesi's landmark Stabat Mater. Also
on the program: Mozart's Te Deum, Stanford's Beati
Quorum Via, Tavener's Song for Athene, Poulenc's Quatre
Petites Prieres, and others. First Presbyterian Church Oakland,
recently renovated and PBA home base, hosted the concert. Hear the
Julian
Abelskamp, Jacob Wilson, and "Polish" Adam Kutny traveled
to Louisville, Kentucky to record Brahms' Psalm 13 for
the From the Top radio program. The program, including the trio
singing Mozart for the encore, aired starting March 21. 
The
Boychoir's Troubadors and Changed Voices performed
in a benefit concert to restore the First Church of Christ, Scientist
in Berkeley. This church is a National Historic Landmark, designed
by Bernard Maybeck and built in 1911. You can find out more about
the church and the restoration efforts by visiting the 
The Troubadors
headed to Zellerbach Hall in Berkeley to perform for the Fourth
Annual 
The Boychoir's
Troubadors performed the National Anthem as the 
A
group of Troubadors sang for the 
Oakland's
Pacific Collegium performed the rarely-heard A Boy Was Born
by Benjamin Britten. The Boychoir's school choristers provided the
boys parts for the Britten. Also on the program was selections of
the Geistliche Chormusik of Heinrich Schutz, also using
PBA soloists. You can find a clip of Britten's Hymn to the Virgin
from these concerts on our 
Celebrated
PBA soprano Julian Abelskamp performed on the Hour of Power from
the Crystal Cathedral in Garden Grove, CA, taped on November 28,
2004. Check the 
In
December 2004, the Cantori, Troubadors, and Changed Voices presented
two Harmonies of the Season concerts, one in Marin and one in Oakland,
bringing the spirit of harmony and goodwill. The concerts featured
Benjamin Britten's masterpiece for boys' voices, Ceremony of
Carols, accompanied by harpist Karen Gottlieb, and a special
appearance by the 
On
Thursday, December 2 the PBA's Troubador ensemble performed for
the third year at the 
The
Pacific Boychoir joined the Marin Children's Chorus for the first
time in a concert with the Children's Choir Ceska Lipa from the
Czech Republic. All three choirs performed separately and joined
together in John Rutter's For the Beauty of the Earth.
Forty boys from
the PBA joined forty girls from the 
The
Troubadors and changed voices kicked off the entertainment for Labor
Day on the Plaza Stage in front of City Hall as part of Oakland's
Fourth Art & Soul Festival. You can find out more about the
festival at 
The
Troubadors and Changed Voices sang the American and Canadian National
Anthems as the Giants took on the Montreal Expos on Monday, August
16, 2004. 
The
Boychoir's Cantori and Troubadors sang the National Anthem as the
Oakland A's took on the Detroit Tigers in a Tuesday evening game.
SSA arrangement by Christopher Kula.
Bach wrote his choral music for his Thomanerchor, which remains
one of the finest boys choirs in the world. On June 5, the Pacific
Boychoir will break ground in early music by presenting Bach Cantata
150 as Bach did: with boys singing soprano and alto, and men singing
tenor and bass. A period-instrument orchestra headed by Concertmaster
Katherine Kyme joined the Boychoir for the performance. This first
half of the June 5 program will also feature two motets by Mendelssohn,
Isaac Posch's Cantate Domino, and Mozart's Quaere Superna
performed by the Boychoir's acclaimed soloists.
The
Boychoir could be seen on Christmas Morning on Fox KTVU Channel
2 The Boychoir's Troubadors sang Sleigh Ride on the Mornings
on Two show.
For
the second year, the Boychoir's Cantori and Troubadors performed
holiday music at the 2003 
The
PBA's held its enchanting Harmonies of the Season Concert
First Presbyterian Church in Oakland on December 6, 2003. This holiday
tradition featured the PBA's first ever performance of Benjamin
Britten's famous Ceremony of Carols, written for boys'
voices and harp. Karen Gottlieb, harpist.
On October 15, 2003, the PBA hosted the American Boychoir in a concert
at Grace Cathedral in San Francisco. The two choirs performed together
for the first time in three years.
Some
having returned from Italy just two days previous, members of the
PBA joined Maestro Vance George (at left) and the San Francisco
Symphony and SF Symphony Chorus in Orff's 
One
June 14, 2003, members of the PBA's Troubador ensemble joined Michael
Tilson Thomas and the San Francisco Symphony in their festival 
The
PBA celebrated its fifth Spring Concert on May 17, 2003. Joining
the PBA for this concert was the Town Choir of the 
On
April 29, 2003, the PBA and University of Michigan alumni sponsored
a concert with the University of Michigan Men's Glee Club, the second
oldest collegiate chorus in the USA. Long acclaimed as one of the
finest male choruses in the world, the Glee Club is renowned for
its wide repertoire. 
The
Boychoir Troubadors joined the Berkeley Symphony in March 2003 for
the second year in a row for the Berkeley Choral Festival, Vance
George conducting. The Troubadors werespecial guests for Faure's
"Pie Jesu" from the Requiem. The
Boychoir's Troubadors was honored to be part of the first Berkeley
Choral Festival in 2002, hosted by the 
The
PBA was pleased to provide the boys' voices for the San Francisco
Symphony in the fall of 2002. WIth the San Francisco Girls Chorus,
the boys performed Mahler's Third Symphony on September 25-28 under
the direction of Michael Tilson Thomas, and Britten's War Requiem
on October 24-27, under the direction of Kurt Masur (seen at the
right). 
The
Boychoir sang the National Anthem for the San Francisco Giants at
Pacific Bell Park on June 23, 2003, when Barry Bonds stole his 500th
base in the Giants' victory over the Dodgers. The PBA also sang
on September 4, 2002 (Colorado Rockies) The PBA sings the National
Anthem for the Giants every year.
The
Boychoir sang the National Anthem for their first NFL game on Friday,
August 31, 2001 at Network Associates Coliseum. The Raiders defeated
the Packers in their last preseason game.
In
July 2000 in Belvedere, soloists from the Pacific Boychoir sang
with the American Bach Soloists as part of their Summerfest Series.Two boys
sang the sailors' parts in staged version of Purcell's Dido and
Aeneas, conducted by Jeffrey Thomas (photo at left). Visit the
In
September 1999, the Boychoir hosted the Victorian Boys Choir from
Melbourne, Australia, our brother choir from across the Pacific
Ocean. The Pacific Boychoir returned the visit in July, 2001. You
can visit the VBC website via 
