Vox Humana SF
The 3rd Season
2025-2026
Ethereal Love, Earthly Longing In Praise and Protest
DON SCOTT CARPENTER
Founder & General Director
Robert Ripps, president
Margaret Elam, secretary
Steven J. Spector, treasurer
Theodore Ueki
Cheryl Cain, artist representative
Sam Faustine, assistant music director
Welcome to Vox Humana SF’s Third Season
We are delighted to welcome you to Vox Humana SF’s third season — a celebration of the profound beauty and emotional depth of choral music. This season, we explore a dynamic range of works that span centuries and styles, showcasing the expressive power of the human voice.
We begin with Schumann’s Vier doppelchorige Gesänge, Op. 141, a masterful exploration of rich harmonies and romantic textures, followed by Brahms’ enchanting Liebeslieder-Walzer, Op. 52, where love and longing swirl through lilting waltzes. We then present part one of Rossini’s Petite Messe Solennelle, a remarkable blend of operatic flair and sacred devotion.
The season continues with Britten’s luminous Hymn to St. Cecilia, a tribute to the patron saint of music, and Mendelssohn’s Sechs Sprüche, Op. 79, a collection of sacred motets filled with reverence and grace. Nystedt’s ethereal Ave Maria, enhanced by the expressive voice of the violin, offers a meditative moment of d. Finally, Woolf’s haunting Après Moi, le Déluge reflects on resilience and renewal in the face of chaos.
Join us as we embark on this extraordinary musical journey — from the warmth of romanticism to the clarity of sacred expression and the modern search for meaning. We are honored to share this season with you and look forward to creating unforgettable musical moments together.
Ethereal Love, Earthly Longing
October 12, 2025
BRAHMS | Liebeslieder-Walzer, Op. 52
ROSSINI | Petite Messe Sollennelle (part 1)
DD & krd, piano
Michael Hendron, harmonium
SCHUMANN | Vier doppelchörige Gesänge, Op. 141
Brahms composed the “Liebeslieder-Walzer” (Love Song Waltzes) in 1869 for four-part chorus and piano four hands. Inspired by folk dance rhythms and the poetry of Georg Friedrich Daumer, these charming waltzes blend playful and tender expressions of love with Brahms’s signature warmth and sophistication.
Rossini’s “Petite Messe Solennelle” is a sacred work filled with operatic drama and lyrical elegance. The opening movements display Rossini’s gift for melodic beauty and dramatic contrasts, combining reverence with theatrical flair.
Schumann’s “Vier doppelchörige Gesänge” (Four Double Choir Songs) reflects his deep love for choral music. Scored for two choirs, these pieces showcase Schumann’s mastery of counterpoint and rich harmonic textures. The texts explore themes of nature, longing, and human emotion, with interwoven melodies creating a profound and intimate musical dialogue.
Green Room in the War Memorial • San Francisco, October 12, 2025 4:00 pm
In Praise and Protest
March 20-22, 2026
BRITTEN | Hymn to St. Cecilia
CHOI | The New Colossum
MENDELSSOHN | Sechs Sprüche, Op. 79
NYSTEDT | Ave Maria
Gail Hernández Rosa, violin
PÁRT | Magnificat
WOOLF | Après Moi, le Déluge
Michael Kaufman, violoncello
This evocative program spans centuries and styles, offering a rich tapestry of sacred and poetic expression. Benjamin Britten’s “Hymn to St. Cecilia”, with text by W. H. Auden, is a radiant tribute to the patron saint of music—celebrating creativity while reflecting the turbulence of its wartime context.
Saunders Choir’s “The New Colossus” sets Emma Lazarus’ iconic sonnet in bold, urgent tones, transforming the Statue of Liberty’s message into a choral call for justice, dignity, and welcome.
Felix Mendelssohn’s “Sechs Sprüche”, Op. 79 presents six miniature motets, each tailored to a moment in the church year. These compact works blend Romantic warmth with reverent clarity, evoking the spirit of Renaissance polyphony.
Knut Nystedt’s “Ave Maria”, featuring violinist Gail Hernández Rosa, expands the traditional prayer into a soundscape of luminous tension and release, while Arvo Pärt’s Magnificat distills sacred text into stillness and sublime simplicity, exemplifying his signature tintinnabuli technique.
The program closes with Luna Pearl Woolf’s “Après Moi, le Déluge”, featuring cellist Michael Kaufman. Written in response to Hurricane Katrina, it fuses historical and contemporary texts into a haunting lament—an artistic outcry against environmental and human neglect.
St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church, Belvedere • March 20, 2026, 7:30 pm
First United Methodist Church, Palo Alto • March 21, 2026, 7:30 pm
St. Mark’s Lutheran Church, San Francisco • March 22, 2026, 4:00 pm
The appearance of Michael Kaufman is sponsored by Don Scott Carpenter & Dr. Erick Palafox
3rd Season
