San Francisco Girls Chorus 2023 Gala to Honor Artistic Director Valérie Sainte-Agathe for Ten Years of Artistic Leadership

SAN FRANCISCO GIRLS CHORUS 2023 GALA TO HONOR ARTISTIC DIRECTOR VALERIE SAINTE-AGATHE FOR TEN YEARS OF ARTISTIC LEADERSHIP

San Francisco, CA – Wednesday, March 23, 2023 – The San Francisco Girls Chorus (SFGC) will hold its 44th annual gala on Friday, April 14, 2023, at 7:30 p.m. at the Julia Morgan Ballroom in San Francisco. The event will honor Artistic Director Valérie Sainte-Agathe and her ten years of artistic leadership. Serving as Artistic Honorary Committee is an esteemed group of Bay Area and nationally acclaimed musicians, composers, vocalists and collaborators that will join SFGC in recognition of Valérie’s accomplishments over the last decade, including such luminaries as Philip Glass, Esa-Pekka Salonen, The Knights, Pamela Z and more. The event will also include performances from the SFGC Premier Ensemble and Chorus School, a multi-course dinner, and a live auction. Gala proceeds will directly benefit the Elizabeth Avakian Need-Based Scholarship Fund and SFGC’s education programs.
 
Through transformative choral music training, education and performance, Valérie Sainte-Agathe has impacted the lives of countless young singers and helped shape the San Francisco Girls Chorus into a “model in the country for training girls’ voices” (California Arts Council). Ms. Sainte-Agathe joined the organization in 2013 as Music Director before being appointed as Artistic Director in 2018. Over the last decade, she has prepared and conducted the five-time GRAMMY Award-winning ensemble across a wealth of high-profile appearances and collaborations including a Carnegie Hall debut with the Philip Glass Ensemble performing Music for Changing Hands (2018); performing alongside The Knights and Brooklyn Youth Chorus for the New York Philharmonic Biennial Festival at Lincoln Center (2016); and SFGC Artist Residencies featuring The Kings Singers and Roomful of Teeth (2021). Her dedication to championing the music of today and building upon SFGC’s legacy of creating new works for treble chorus is demonstrated by an array of commissions and premieres including recent works by Theresa Wong, Angélica Negrón, Pamela Z, Susie Ibarra, Cava Menzies, and Matthew Welch.
 
Board President Ann Miller says, “Valerie's commitment to excellence, developing and empowering young people both as musicians and self-confident team players and leaders is astounding. Repeatedly giving credit to others, Valérie deserves huge credit for what she has brought to SFGC, as well as the singers, and the faculty and staff with whom she works. SFGC has a wonderful future both in music and in uplifting young people, engendering in them the importance of commitment as they grow and live their lives, and allowing them to feel pride in what they accomplish. The entire SFGC community is excited to honor Valerie and give back to her what she gives to all of us every single day.”
 
As one of the country’s most respected youth choruses, SFGC’s success as a five-time GRAMMY Award-winning ensemble, four-time recipient of the Chorus America/ASCAP Award for Adventurous Programming, and “model in the country for training girls’ voices” (California Arts Council) is the result of the tireless support and advocacy of countless individuals. Few individuals have done more to support SFGC’s empowerment of young women through music, continued success on the concert stage, and growth as an organization over the last four decades than Speaker Pelosi. Speaker Pelosi has also been a tireless champion of the broader Bay Area performing arts community and a powerful voice for women’s rights all across the country. It is for these reasons that SFGC is honored to present the inaugural Elizabeth Appling Arts Champion Award to Speaker Pelosi.
 
Attendees of the Friday, April 14 gala will enjoy a lively cocktail hour, a gourmet three-course dinner with organic wines from Eco Terrano Vineyards in the regal Julia Morgan Ballroom, and live auction with a Fund-a-Need in support of the Scholarship Fund. SFGC’s Premier Ensemble, under the direction of Artistic Director Valérie Sainte-Agathe, will perform a selection of choral works showcasing the ensemble’s power, virtuosity, and beauty.
 
Each year, SFGC’s education programs train, inspire, and empower girls and young women of all cultural and socio-economic backgrounds from across the Bay Area. Programs include SFGC’s GRAMMY Award-winning Premier Ensemble, six-level Chorus School training program; summer music camps; and community outreach activities, which bring choral music and general music education into schools, community centers, and other accessible venues around the Bay Area. Collectively, these programs benefit more than a thousand girls and young women annually. Complementing this portfolio of programs is the Elizabeth Avakian Need-Based Scholarship Fund, which awards more than $100,000 each year in full- and partial-tuition scholarships to nearly one-third of enrolled choristers, ensuring equitable access to SFGC’s life-changing programs. Scholarships, which support participation in summer camps, programs spanning the full school year, and the organization’s touring activities, are awarded solely on the basis of financial need.

The 2023 Gala Artistic Honorary Committee includes Sahba Aminikia, Lisa Bielawa, Sarah Cahill, Danny Clay, Janet Cowperthwaite, Richard Danielpour, DJ Spooky, Fred Frith, Philip Glass, David Harrington, Aaron Kernis, Bridget Kibbey, Carla Kihlstedt, The Knights, Taylor Mac, Angélica Negrón, Edwin Outwater, Vanessa Reed, Céline Ricci, Sean San José, Esa-Pekka Salonen, Mahsa Vahdat, Theresa Wong, Joseph Young and Pamela Z.

The 2023 Gala is made possible, in part, by support from the Julia Morgan Ballroom, Eco Terreno Wines & Vineyards and Mind Therapy Clinic.

A limited number of individual tickets are available for $350, with tables sponsorships starting at $3,000. For more information on the gala, tickets or table sponsorships, please visit sfgirlschorus.org or call (415) 863-1752 x306.