A MESSAGE FROM ARTISTIC DIRECTOR RUBEN VALENZUELA

Dear Friends,

The 24/25 season, BCSD Vol. 22: Dimensions and Extensions, kicks off in October with BACH 52 featuring Grammy-nominated tenor Nicholas Phan. We are thrilled to partner with Nicholas Phan's ongoing Bach 52 project which explores the vast output of tenor arias from J.S. Bach's cantatas combined with interactive interviews with noted scholars, musicians, and audience members. Phan's Bach 52 project centers around the question, 'Is Bach's music relevant for today's audiences, and is it for everyone?' Also included is the stunning cantata by Christoph Graupner, Reiner Geist lass doch mein Herz, alongside music of Dietrich Buxtehude. 

December brings A FRENCH TWIST • Á LA VIERGE • MUSIC FOR THE VIRGIN MARY AND THE NATIVITY under the guest direction of Dana Marsh (Director, Historical Performance Institute, Indiana University, and Artistic Director, Washington Bach Consort). This program combines the sumptuous music of the French Baroque with French choral music of the mid-twentieth century. Charpentier, Poulenc, and Villette all under one roof, maybe for the first time ever! At the core of the program is Charpentier's Litanies de la Vierge and selections from Missa Assumpta est Maria alongside Poulenc's celebrated 4 Motets pour le temps de Noël. 

March brings the full throttle TOTAL SOUND EXPLOSION 2! An unlikely pairing of two groundbreaking works from different centuries, Rebel's Les Élémens set against the backdrop of Beethoven's revolutionary Symphony No. 5. Rebel's Les Elemens begins like no other work in the eighteenth century, a tone cluster representing chaos leading to a set of colorful and diverse dances. Then, buckle in tight for what promises to be a thrilling and explosive ride with Beethoven Symphony No. 5.

The season closes with KNOCKOUT SOUNDS WITH REGINALD MOBLEY, the return of Bach to Bop with Countertenor d' amore Reginald Mobley backed by the swaggering and punchy BCSD band. This eclectic program, featuring works of Purcell, J.S. Bach, Sarah Vaughan, Ella Fitzgerald, and many others, showcase the thin lines between the worlds of baroque and jazz, all finding a commonality in ornamentation, improvisation, pulsating basslines, and much more. 

Don't miss SEASON 24/25 • DIMENSIONS AND EXTENSIONS put together from top to bottom with some of the finest musicians you've grown to love, delivering some of the most dynamic and virtuosic performances of this repertoire you'll ever encounter. Join us! 

Ruben Valenzuela