Spacious Skies

GRAMMY Award-winning Chanticleer continues its 2018-2019 season with "Spacious Skies" in venues across the Bay Area. Following a highly successful 11-concert European tour across eight countries, the ensemble returns home for a program of works that showcases a vast panorama of American choral repertoire spanning three centuries. Music Director William Fred Scott's gift for weaving diverse elements into a single tapestry will be on display in a program that ranges from one of America's original composers, William Billings, to contemporary masters living and working today such as Ned Rorem, Steven Stucky and Steven Sametz. Richard Hageman and Matthew Brown both made a mark with Hollywood film scores while Mason Bates represents the modern American composer rooted in classical music yet continually expanding the borders. The vast and particularly American genres of pop, jazz and gospel, which Chanticleer has made its own, depend on skillful arrangers. A new gospel arrangement by Rosephanye Powell and a new pop arrangement by Evan Price will be premiered alongside legendary arrangers Gene Puerling, Joseph Jennings, Robert Shaw and Alice Parker, and Moses Hogan. Also included is Chanticleer's own countertenor/arranger Adam Ward with London-based Nico de Villiers. In 2018, Chanticleer celebrated the 40th Anniversary of its founding by Louis Botto in San Francisco with a series of celebratory events. Now in its 41st season, the ensemble continues to expand its footprint worldwide with l00 concerts around the U.S., and on two European tours with performances in legendary venues such as Prague's Rudolfinum, Budapest's Liszt Academy, Leipzig's Gewandhaus and St. Petersburg's Mariinsky. Chanticleer's award-winning education program currently serves over 5000 students and in June 2019, the ensemble will present "Chanticleer in Sonoma," a workshop for adults 18 and up held biannually at Sonoma State University. Presented by Chanticleer