AWARD-WINNING PENINSULA WOMEN’S CHORUS 

Sends spirits soaring with holiday Magnificat concert

In Palo Alto and Menlo Park, December 4-11, 2010

Program highlights include: 

a triptych of Magnificat settings by Javier Busto, Paul Chihara, and Ralph Vaughan Williams; “The Jumblies” (world premiere) by Judith Shatin; and arrangements of festive holiday fare.

Palo Alto, California - This December, the Bay Area’s award-winning Peninsula Women’s Chorus (PWC) presents a dynamic, exuberant holiday choral program.  The PWC will perform in its most popular venues: St. Patrick’s Seminary in Menlo Park on Saturday, December 4, at 4:00 pm, and at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church in Palo Alto on Sunday, December 5 at 4:00 p.m. and Saturday, December 11, at 2:30 p.m.

The Peninsula Women’s Chorus blazes new paths with contemporary choral repertoire while remaining in close touch with classic works. This season’s holiday concerts, titled Magnificat, celebrate a rich cross-cultural tapestry of sacred songs and poetic settings.  Dedicated to the performance of high-caliber music under the guidance of artistic director Dr. Martín Benvenuto, the PWC skillfully interprets a wide range of repertoire. In these concerts, a North-American Eclectic Mass leads to a glowing triptych of Magnificat settings, featuring the lush harmonies of the Busto, the ethereal intertwining of flute and piano in the Vaughan Williams and a crossroads of Japanese color, Gregorian chant, and early modern Western influences in Paul Chihara’s landmark setting.  Also featured is the world premiere of “The Jumblies,” a PWC-commissioned piece by local composer Judith Shatin.  The haunting “Lauliku lapespõli” by Estonian composer Veljo Tormis, inspired by the composer’s childhood memories of learning to sing, heralds the release of PWC's new CD, Nature Pictures. A striking array of poetic settings and holiday favorites round out the program. 

Conductor Elena Sharkova has written about the PWC, “…such a beautiful, flexible, and intelligent ensemble...!”  Experience the power and moving musicality of this group.  The dynamic Peninsula Women’s Chorus offers music to feed your soul, touch your heart, and usher in the season – an experience not to be missed!

Tickets are $20/general admission; $10/student.  Tickets are available online at www.pwchorus.org, through 

Brown Paper Tickets at 800-838-3006 (surcharge and handling fees will be applied), or at the door.  For more 

information, call 650-327-3095.

WHEN: Saturday, December 4, 2010 at 4:00 p.m.

WHERE: St. Patrick’s Seminary, Menlo Park

WHEN:  Sunday, December 5, 2010 at 4:00 p.m.

Saturday, December 11, 2010 at 2:30 p.m.

WHERE: St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, Palo Alto