Choral music has a proud history in the greater San Francisco Bay Area, which has been home to choirs for nearly 170 years. “The Gold Rush brought immigrants from all over the world, and they in turn brought their musical traditions, both sacred and secular,” notes the fourth edition of the San Francisco Bay Area Chorus Directory, which was published in August 1999. “By 1860 in San Francisco, there were thirteen Protestant churches, seven Catholic, two Jewish, three African-American, and individual Unitarian, Swedenborgian, and Chinese congregations. Most churches had choirs. The quartet choir was particularly popular, and public concerts by these choirs were an important fund-raising activity for the churches. San Francisco heard its first oratorio, Rossini’s Stabat Mater, in December 1852, at Grace Episcopal Church, with solos sung by Signora Elisa Biscaccianti. Among secular groups, the German athletic clubs and singing societies were most prominent. Their primary activities were physical culture and choral singing. In 1854, they had approximately 6,000 members.”

The City of Pleasanton had at least one singing society by 1897, according to the San Francisco Call newspaper, which reported in September of that year that “Pleasanton society has received a severe shock.” Under a subhead reading, “Pleasanton Society Only Mentions the Incident Now in Whispers,” the article details how “a large number of guests, including all the members of the local singing society and several visiting delegations from neighboring societies, were present at the beautifully decorated home of Mr. and Mrs. C. A. Bruce. Among the talent on the programme was Miss Fannie Hay, the handsome young school teacher, of Pleasanton. In choosing a song she was led to adopt the suggestion of some of the young fellows who were present and had decided to sing  ‘Isabella’ with a violin accompaniment by Alfred Ahrendt.”

The article claims that the Chairman of the Entertainment Committee of the local Christian Endeavor Union “turned visibly pale” at the mention of the song, which he considered a cheap, inappropriate “street song.” He implored the young woman to choose a different song. As the newspaper notes,  “Miss Hay did not sing it; Chairman Silver's reputation was saved, but it is a matter of doubt if the tabooed song has not received far more attention because of it being removed from the programme than if Miss Fannie Hay had sung it at the social.”

Tri-Valley Embraces Choirs

Since that brief and long-forgotten scandal, Tri-Valley choirs have blossomed. Active, nonprofit singing groups in the region include the Blackhawk Chorus, the Cantabella Children’s Chorus, Chorus Eclectic, the Danville Girls Chorus, the San Ramon Valley Chorale, and the Valley Concert Chorale. Each group is thriving; all have upcoming public concerts.

In 1991, the Blackhawk Chorus in Danville grew out of voice lessons given to 12 women by acclaimed former soprano coloratura and now business leader Diane Gilfether. Over time the group developed into a mixed choir of more than 120 members who perform two concerts locally each year. In May 2020, Ken Abrams took over as Director. The Blackhawk Chorus has represented the Tri-Valley at New York’s Lincoln Center, throughout Europe, and at the Vatican in Italy, according to officials. The choir will be performing its Home for the Holidays concert at the Walnut Creek Presbyterian Church on December 10 at 8 pm.  On December 11, the concert will also be held at 2 pm at Monte Vista High School in Danville and at 6 pm at the Blackhawk Country Club.

The mission of Livermore-based Cantabella Children’s Chorus “is to develop music literacy, healthy vocal technique, choral artistry through excellence in music education, exceptional choral productions, and collaborative cultural arts experiences to enrich our diverse community,” according to officials. The group offers classes in Livermore and Pleasanton. Cantabella Training Choirs use the methods of Hungarian music educator Zoltan Kodály in three training levels for Kindergarten through fifth-grade students. The  Children’s Performing Choir is made up of fifth- through eighth-grade students who have completed a training choir or who have demonstrated the appropriate skill level through  an audition. Audiences are invited to enjoy the performances at the Cantabella 2022 Winter Concert, which will be held twice on December 10 at Valley Community Church in Pleasanton. The concert at 1 pm features elementary school-age members, while the concert at 4 pm features members in middle and high school.

Based in the San Ramon-Dublin area, Chorus Eclectic began in 2010 under a different name. Today, under the direction of Alex Taite, the group performs “a wide range of music from past and present; and from classical, folk, and modern styles,” according to officials. Unlike many other choirs, no audition is required to join Chorus Eclectic. New members who cannot read music can learn as part of the group. “Every rehearsal is like a voice lesson,” according to officials, who note that the youngest member is a teenager and the oldests is a septuagenarian. Chorus Eclectic presents its Fall 2022 Concert at Pleasanton’s Firehouse Arts Center on December 20 at 5 pm.

Girls entering third to eighth grades in 2022-2023 can audition to join the Danville Girls Chorus (DGC), led by Artistic Director Ken Abrams. Abrams was the choral director at San Ramon Valley High School from 1984 to 2020 and received the 2022 Choral Director of the Year award from the California Choral Directors Association. DGC will sing at the annual Danville Holiday Tree Lighting ceremony in downtown Danville on November 25 at 5 pm. The Chorus will perform its Winter Concert at 11 am on December 3 at the Walnut Creek Presbyterian Church

The San Ramon Valley Chorale (SRVC) is an adult choir that “strives to create memorable experiences for its members and audience through quality, determination, and most importantly, passion,” according to its founders. SRVC was created in 2016 by award-winning Director Bruce Koliha and Hayden Padgett, one of his former students. In addition to community singers, the group includes a number of semi-professional and professional musicians from the Tri-Valley. SRVC is performing its Fall Concert at 4 pm on December 4 and the same time on December 10 at the San Ramon Valley Methodist Church in Alamo.

Celebrating 60 Years of Song

The Valley Concert Chorale is celebrating 60 years of song as its new season begins next month under the direction of John Emory Bush. “Valley Concert Chorale’s mission is to engage audiences in the transforming power of music by sharing their passion and joy in live performance,” according to officials. “Valley Concert Chorale is dedicated to excellence in singing choral music of all genres, nurturing the next generation of singers, and supporting musical endeavors in the Tri Valley community. The Chorale’s educational outreach program, Music in the Schools, presents original musical performances at Tri Valley primary school assemblies to celebrate the joy of music and singing with area students.” The Chorale’s 2022-2023 season opens with its annual Sing-it-Yourself Messiah at 7:30 pm on December 2 at Livermore’s Asbury United Methodist Church. The group’s Christmas Joy holiday concerts will be held at 7:30 pm on December 10 at the First Presbyterian Church in Livermore and at 4 pm on December 11 at the Trinity Lutheran Church in Pleasanton.

Clearly, there are many opportunities to participate in a Tri-Valley choir. Research has long shown health benefits for those, such as singers and musicians, who are involved with music. As it turns out, health benefits are not limited to performers–audience members also benefit. “If you want to firm up your body, head to the gym. If you want to exercise your brain, listen to music,” say researchers at Johns Hopkins Medicine. More importantly, if you want to listen to Tri-Valley choral music for the holidays, buy tickets before they sell out. After all, “research has shown that listening to music can reduce anxiety, blood pressure, and pain as well as improve sleep quality, mood, mental alertness, and memory.”

For more information about the Blackhawk Chorus, please visit www.blackhawkchorus.com.

For more information about the Cantabella Children’s Chorus, please visit www.cantabella.org.

For more information about Chorus Eclectic, please visit www.choruseclectic.org.

For more information about the Danville Girls Chorus, please visit www.danvillegirlschorus.org.

For more information about the San Ramon Valley Chorale, please visit www.srvchorale.com.

For more information about the Valley Concert Chorale, please visit www.valleyconcertchorale.org

Photo by David Beale on Unsplash