A Special Night at the California Theatre with ‘Mass in Blue', an Unusual Choral Jazz Composition

If you are up for something a little different, join Symphony Silicon Valley Chorale on March 19 for Will Todd's Mass in Blue, an upbeat setting of the Latin mass composed in the jazz and blues idioms. Written in 2003 for choir, soprano solo and jazz instrumentation, the work is a brilliant blend of driving rhythms, rich tonal colors, bluesy harmonies and soaring vocal lines. Critics have described the piece as "inventive" and "electrifying."

 
Dynamic soprano Renee Calvo from San Diego and Bay Area instrumentalists will star alongside Symphony Silicon Valley Chorale in this performance of Mass in Blue. For a taste of the composition that is gaining international popularity very fast, point your browser to Will Todd.

The second half of the concert, celebrating the African-American traditions of spiritual and gospel music rooted in slave folk songs, will feature East Bay singer Michelle Jordan as a soloist.

Elena Sharkova, artistic director of Symphony Silicon Valley Chorale and Cantabile Youth Singers, will conduct the concert. Born and musically trained in Russia, spirited maestra Sharkova is widely in demand as guest conductor, clinician and adjudicator.

For a chance to win two tickets to the concert, click SSV Chorale Audience Survey and answer eight short questions. The deadline is Sat. March 6th. Previous attendance of a SSV Chorale concert is not required. 

Symphony Silicon Valley Chorale, Festival of Choirs: American Roots
Where: California Theatre, San Jose
Where: March 19, 2010 8:00 PM
Tickets: All tickets $25 (reserved seating); call 408-286-2600, Ext 23 or go here