SFGC Presents A Highlands Holiday @ Davies Hall - December 19

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE SF GIRLS CHORUS PRESENTS A HIGHLANDS HOLIDAY AT DAVIES HALL DECEMBER 19

FEATURING NEW MUSIC FOR VOICES AND BAGPIPES BY MATTHEW WELCH PLUS SEASONAL FAVORITES, SING-ALONGS AND HUNDREDS OF COMBINED VOICES OF THE GRAMMY-WINNING CHORUS...AND CELLIST JOSHUA ROMAN!

San Francisco, CA, November 7, 2016—More than 350 voices of the Grammy Award-winning San Francisco Girls Chorus and acclaimed Chorus School will take the stage of Davies Symphony Hall Monday, December 19, at 7:30 pm for A Highlands Holiday. Curated by SF Girls Chorus Artistic Director Lisa Bielawa and conducted by Music Director and Principal Conductor Valérie Sainte-Agathe, the evening will feature the world premiere of Salute on the Birth of Rory Mor for large chorus and bagpipes by Matthew Welch, James MacMillan’s New-Made for A King and Nova! Nova! Ave fix et Eva, Britten’s Missa Brevis, Kurt Erickson’s “We Three Kings” (world premiere), John Tavener’s “The Child Lived from Carnival of the Animals, and a host of holiday music by Holst, Purcell, Rutter and traditional English carols and sing-alongs bringing the community together with a joyful program that looks ahead to the 2017 summer tour to the British Isles. Tickets are priced $30-$60 and may be purchased at www.sfgirlschorus.org .

The UK has brought us some of the most beloved Christmas music of all eras, but it also boasts some of the most innovative choral composers in the present day. This is a chance for our audiences to hear the elegant heraldry of the English Baroque master Henry Purcell alongside the masterful Benjamin Britten, born a century ago, and the pioneering contemporary composer James MacMillan, whose Scottish-Irish influenced music for voices is captivating a whole new musical generation. Matthew Welch leads a rousing team of local pipers for a truly unique festive sound, and both Welch and Bay Area composer Kurt Erickson receive world premiere performances.

About Matthew Welch The music of Matthew Tobin Welch (b.1976), Composer/Multi-instrumentalist, stems from a multi-faceted foundation. As a virtuoso of the Highland Bagpipe, he studied traditional music with Gold Medalist masters such as Colin MacLellan, Jack Lee, Angus MacLellan and Andrew Wright. Matthew also was a member of the four - time World Champion Simon Fraser University Pipe Band, winning with them in 1999 and 2001.

Mr. Welch holds two degrees in Music Composition, a BFA from Simon Fraser University (1999), and an MA from Wesleyan University (2001), having studied with noted composers such as Barry Truax, Rodney Sharman, Alvin Lucier and Anthony Braxton. After locating to New York City in 2001, he has worked with a host of other artists such as John Zorn, Julia Wolfe, Zeena Parkins, and Ikue Mori. The eclectic breadth of his interests in Scottish bagpipe music, Balinese gamelan, minimalism, improvisation and rock converge in compositional amalgams ranging from traditional-like bagpipe tunes to electronic pieces, improvisation strategies and fully notated works for solo instruments, chamber ensembles, orchestra and non-western instruments. Since 2002, Mr. Welch has been running and composing for his own eclectic ensemble, Blarvuster, and he has recorded for the Tzadik, Mode, Cantaloupe, Leo, Porter, Muud, Avian, Newsonic and Parallactic record labels. TICKETS AND INFO: $30-$60  www.sfgirlschorus.org .

MEDIA CONTACT: Scott Horton Communications 510-735-9200 Bluescott260@hotmail.com