Choral Car Pile-Up Time!

It's that time of year, when every chorus in the world puts on their fall concerts. I hope to get to many of these, but there are only so many hours in a day:

• Chora Nova's Evening of Beethoven, featuring the Mass in C and "Calm Sea and Prosperous Voyage," First Presbyterian Church of Berkeley (not First Congo), 8 p.m., Saturday, November 21. $10-$20.
  
• California Bach Society, Advent in Dresden, Music for Vespers during Advent by Schein, Scheidt, Schütz, and Praetorius. December 4-6 in San Francisco (St. Mark's Lutheran, 8 p.m.), Palo Alto (All Saints' Episcopal, 8 p.m.), and Berkeley (St. Mark's Episcopal, 4 p.m.). $10-$25. You bet I will be at this one.
  
• Soli Deo Gloria, Songs of Nativity, featuring Respighi's Laud to the Nativity. Unfortunately opposite Cal Bach, because I'd love to hear the piece. Dec. 5, 5 p.m., First Lutheran in Palo Alto; Dec. 6, 3:30 p.m., Christ Episcopal, Alameda. $20-$25 at the door, discount with advance purchase (see web site).
  
• Sacred and Profane, Spain and the New World: A Holiday Concert. Dec. 4, 8 p.m., St. Mark's Episcopal, Berkeley; Dec. 6, 4 p.m., First Presbyterian, Alameda; Dec. 12, 8 p.m., St. Francis Lutheran, S.F. $15-18.
  
• San Francisco Choral Artists, Old Chestnuts, New Fire Dec. 5, 8 p.m., St. Mark's Episcopal, Palo Alto; Dec. 12, 8 p.m., St. Mark's Lutheran, S.F.; Dec. 13, 4 p.m. St. Paul's Episcopal, Oakland.
  
• International Orange Chorale, Dinner, as a Concert. (No food is involved, sadly. Don't go hungry.) Dec. 4, 5 p.m. Solarium Public Space, S.F.; Dec. 5, 7:30 p.m., Most Holy Redeemer, S.F.
• Magnificat, Christmas Mass by Chiara Maria Cozzolani. Dec. 4, 8 p.m., St. Patrick's Seminary, Menlo Park; Dec. 5, 8 p.m., St. Mark's Episcopal, Berkeley; Dec. 6. 4 p.m., St. Mark's Lutheran, S.F.

You do all realize that you're splitting up your audience? Spread those concerts over more weekends and attendance will go up. I mean, how many concerts can I attend the first weekend in December? Three max, or four if I am insane, but I'm booked elsewhere Friday night, so very likely I will make life easy for myself and see Cal Bach and Magnificat despite the tasty S&P Spanish concert and the chance to hear the rare Respighi.