New Artisitic Director at Cal Bach

Less than a year after Paul Flight's departure from Cal Bach, the venerable chorus has appointed a new Artistic Director, Nate Widelitz. Here's the press release:

We are thrilled to announce that Nate Widelitz has been appointed as the new Artistic Director of the California Bach Society.

After a nationwide search, we were delighted to identify Nate from a field of highly qualified candidates. His infectious energy, genuine warmth, and musician’s heart made us smile—and made us think, “Yep, he’s our guy.”

Nate brings to CBS a deep passion for early music, a collaborative spirit, and an artistic sensibility grounded in both scholarship and performance. His values resonate fully with CBS’s long-standing identity—where our core focus on Baroque repertoire blends with adventures in Renaissance, Romantic, and modern works, brought to life with care and curiosity.

Before joining CBS, Nate served as the Associate Director of Choral Activities and Visiting Instructor of Choral Music Education at Millikin University in Decatur, Illinois, where he directed both the Collegiate Chorale and Treble Choir. He is also the Founding Director of the Five Cities Baroque Foundation & Festival, which he launched to create immersive early music experiences that unite musicians and audiences in regional communities.

His previous appointments include Assistant Conductor of both the Yale Glee Club and the Pacific Chorale, along with extensive performing and educational work with the Los Angeles Master Chorale, where he sang as both a soloist and core ensemble member in partnership with the Los Angeles Philharmonic.

Nate holds degrees in Choral Conducting from Yale University (MM) and the University of Southern California (BM, Vocal Arts, summa cum laude), and he was a Fulbright Scholar at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences. He is currently completing his Doctor of Musical Arts in Choral Conducting at Yale and is expected to receive the degree in October of this year.

We are proud to welcome Nate to the CBS family. His appointment affirms our commitment to artistic excellence and thoughtful programming—and opens a new chapter in our shared musical journey.

We look forward to introducing you to Nate’s leadership in the 2025–2026 season and beyond.

The Cal Bach web site also has the dates and general themes of their four 2025-26 concerts. 

Upcoming Choral Concerts of Note

Two choral programs of note in the next few weeks:

Kitka

The women's chorus, now in its 45th year, presents its annual Wintersongs concert. This year, it's focused on the Republic of Georgia and the supra, a ritual banquet. From their announcement:

This year’s Wintersongs series starts at St. Stephen's Episcopal Church in Belvedere, December 7 at 8 p.m. followed by stops at St. Bede's Episcopal Church in Menlo Park, December 8 at 4 p.m.; Davis Community Church in Davis, December 14 at 7:30 p.m.; Peace United Church in Santa Cruz, December 15 at 7 p.m.; St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Oakland, December 20 and 21 at 8 p.m.; and Old First Concerts at Old First Presbyterian Church in San Francisco, December 22 at 4 p.m. Advance tickets are priced between $22.50 and $55 and may be purchased online via direct links at kitka.org/events.

California Bach Society

CBS, which is being led by guest conductors Magen Solomon and Derek Tam this season following the departure of its longtime music director, presents an attractive holiday program:

A Bay Area tradition, the California Bach Society annual holiday concerts are a wonderful way to celebrate this season of contemplation and joy. Under the direction of guest conductor Derek Tam, CBS pairs Renaissance and Baroque settings of nativity texts with 20th- and 21st-century composers’ renderings of the same texts, including works by Praetorius, Victoria, Schütz, Britten, and Poulenc. The program is framed by two Ave Marias—one a medieval chant, the other a ravishing setting by the 20th-century German choral master Franz Biebl. 

Derek Tam, Guest Conductor 

Friday, December 13, 2024, 7:30 p.m.

St. Gregory of Nyssa Episcopal Church, 500 De Haro, San Francisco

Saturday, December 14, 2024, 7:30 p.m.

First Presbyterian Church, 1140 Cowper St, Palo Alto

Sunday, December 15, 2024, 4:00 p.m.

First Congregational Church, 2330 Durant, Berkeley

Tickets: $40 (discounts for advance purchase, seniors, students, and under 30). For the greatest

discounts, please purchase tickets in advance at www.calbach.org. For COVID-19 protocols, consult

www.calbach.org/covid. Doors open 30 minutes prior to each performance.

Please note new 7:30 start time for evening performances this season!

650-485-1097 | http://www.calbach.org | info@calbach.org 

 

California Bach Society, 2019-20

Cal Bach has a great season coming up; I have already purchased a subscription. Here's the first program of the season, with dates and locations:

October 4-6, 2019

J.S. Bach Magnificat

Zelenka Missa Divi Xaverii

  

Friday, October 4, 8pm, at St. Mark’s Lutheran Church

1111 O’Farrell at Franklin, San Francisco 

Saturday, October 5, 8pm, at All Saints’ Episcopal Church

555 Waverley at Hamilton, Palo Alto 

Sunday, October 6, 4pm, at First Congregational Church

2345 Channing at Dana, Berkeley 

Doors open 30 minutes prior to each performance.

Tickets: $35 (discounts for advance purchase, seniors, students, and under 30)

650-485-1097  |  http://www.calbach.org  |  info@calbach.org

Coming Up: Cal Bach's Christmas Program

From the press release for a great-looking program:

November 30 – December 2, 2018

BUON NATALE

500 years of Italian Christmas music

Friday, November 30, 8pm, at St. Mark’s Lutheran Church

1111 O’Farrell at Franklin, San Francisco 94109

Saturday, December 1, 8pm, at All Saints’ Episcopal Church

555 Waverley at Hamilton, Palo Alto 94301

Sunday, December 2, 4pm, at St. Mark’s Lutheran Church

2300 Bancroft at Ellsworth, Berkeley 94704

Doors open 30 minutes prior to each performance.

Tickets: $35 (discounts for advance purchase, seniors, students, and under 30)

650-485-1097  |  http://www.calbach.org  |  info@calbach.org

Artistic Director Paul Flight leads the award-winning California Bach Society in Italian music for Advent and Christmas: traditional holiday carols and glorious double choir motets by Giovanni Croce and Alessandro Scarlatti, plus Verdi’s chromatic Laudi alla Vergine Maria and Respighi’s beautiful pastoral Lauda per la Nativitá del Signore.  The 25-voice chorus is joined by soloists soprano Caroline Jou Armitage, mezzo Mindy Ella Chu, and tenor Mark Bonney.  We wish you Buon Natale!

Program:

Hodie Christus natus est                                                   Giovanni Palestrina (ca. 1525-1594)

Lux fulgebit hodie                                                                  Claudio Merulo (1533-1604)

Quaeramus cum pastoribus                                           Giovanni Croce (c. 1558-1609)

Magnificat primo tono                                                        Alessandro Scarlatti (1660-1725)

Laudi alla Vergine Maria                                                   Giuseppe Verdi (1813-1901)

Lauda per la Nativitá del Signore                                Ottorino Respighi (1879-1936)

Further Changes of Venue: First Congregational Church Fire Edition

As anyone who attends or performs in classical music concerts in the East Bay must know by now, First Congregational Church of Berkeley, a much-loved performance venue with a thriving worship community, suffered a serious fire last week. One of the buildings on the campus has been condemned. The sanctuary and its musical instruments, including a most impressive organ, survived, but the extent of the damage to the building is not yet known.

Many performing organizations and presenters are affected by this, because they had concerts planned for this season.

• New Century Chamber Orchestra
• Volti / Left Coast Chamber Ensemble
• Philharmonia Baroque
• California Bach Society
• Chora Nova
• American Bach Soloists
• Cal Performances
• Chanticleer
• San Francisco Chamber Orchestra

The San Francisco Early Music Society uses First Congo during the Berkeley Festival & Exhibition [of Early Music], which is held in alternate years. They will not be affected until 2018, but we do not yet know how long it will be until the church will be available for concerts and the Festival's ancillary events, some of which are also put on there.

UPDATED: Wednesday, January 4, 2017

American Bach Soloists is moving all of their winter and spring 2017 programs to First Presbyterian, which is diagonally across the street from First Congregational, at the corner of Channing and Dana in Berkeley. Here's their very gracious announcement:

As you may know, our Berkeley home, First Congregational Church, suffered extensive fire damage last fall and the groups who use the facility to perform concerts have been looking for temporary homes for the 2017 season. Many people, including the staff of First Congregational, had hoped to be back in the facilities by now, but that is not the case. So, for the 2017 winter and spring season, American Bach Soloists have moved their performances across the street to First Presbyterian Church (2407 Dana Street, Berkeley, CA). We have every hope that we will return to First Congregational in 2018!

We are grateful to First Presbyterian Church for opening their doors to us, we are especially supportive of the congregation and staff of First Congregational Church during this difficult period, and we are grateful to you for your understanding in this endeavor.

UPDATED: Monday, October 17, 2016

More changes of venue:

• Chora Nova will perform their Sunday, November 20 program, including Haydn's Mass in Time of War, at First Presbyterian Church of Berkeley, Channing & Dana, diagonally across the street from FCCB. The concert is at 4 p.m. and also includes music by Mozart.
• Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra will perform on Saturday, Nov. 5, at Hertz Hall, UC Berkeley. Other Saturday concerts during the season will take place at First Presbyterian Church (see above). Sunday concerts originally scheduled for FCCB will take place at Lafayette-Orinda Presbyterian Church in Lafayette.

I have the first two venue changes in hand.

• Volti / Left Coast will perform their Winges, Janáček, Lang, Türkmen program at 7:30, October 15, at First Presbyterian Church of Berkeley. This is diagonally across the street from First Congo.
• Cal Bach will perform Bach's St. Matthew Passion at UC Berkeley’s Hertz Hall at 3:30 pm on October 9.

UPDATED: Thursday, Oct. 6, 2016, twice. Thanks to Joshua Kosman for an addition and correction; thanks to Tod Brody for an addition.

California Bach Society Scandinavian Christmas

Cal Bach has a great-looking program coming up next weekend.

December 2-4, 2016

Jul, Jul—A Scandinavian Christmas

Music old and new, and traditional carols

Program:

Himlen mørkner stor og stum                                       Carl Nielsen (1865–1931)

Hjemlige jul

                  

Ave maris stella                                                                       Edvard Grieg (1843–1907)

Hvad est du dog skjøn

 

Ave maris stella                                                                       Trond Kverno (b. 1945) 

Corpus Christi Carol

 

There is no rose of such vertu                                       Fredrik Sixten (b. 1962)

Se, julens stjärne strålar klar                                          Hugo Alfvén (1872–1960)

 

Gläns över sjö och strand                                                 Ivar Widéen (1871–1951)

På krubbans strå

 

Guds Son är född                                                                     Otto Olsson (1879–1964)

 

Jul, jul, strålande jul                                                               Gustaf Nordqvist (1886–1949)

 

Jordens oro viker                                                                   Ludvig Norman (1831–1885)

 

Bereden väg för Herran                                                      arr. Anders Bond (1888–1980)

 

Kimer, I klokker                                                                      tune by Henrik Rung (1807–1871)

 

Staffan var en stalledräng                                                  traditional Swedish

 

Himmelriket liknas vid tio jungfrur                           traditional Swedish

 

Friday, December 2, 8pm, at St. Mark’s Lutheran Church 

1111 O’Farrell at Franklin, San Francisco 94109

 

Saturday, December 3, 8pm, at All Saints’ Episcopal Church 

555 Waverley at Hamilton, Palo Alto 94301

 

Sunday, December 4, 4pm, at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church 

2300 Bancroft at Ellsworth, Berkeley 94704

 

Doors open 30 minutes prior to each performance. 

Tickets: $35 (discounts for advance purchase, seniors, students, and under 30)

650-485-1097  |  http://www.calbach.org  |  info@calbach.org