2023-2024 Season
When I Close My Eyes
Sacred & Profane’s 46th Season
SEASON TICKETS: SAVE 20% ON 3 CONCERTS
Season tickets allow for flexible attendance with big savings on General Admission tickets! Purchase once and enjoy either date and venue of one of each concert set in December, March, and May. Simply purchase a season pass and we'll hold your tickets for you at will-call for whichever date you prefer.
AUTUMN 2023:
Reflections of Peace
Free Open Rehearsal
First Unitarian Church
Oakland • 4 PM
December 1
St. Mark’s Episcopal Church
Berkeley • 7:30 PM
December 2
St. John the Evangelist Episcopal Church
San Francisco • 7 PM
December 3
Church of the Incarnation
Santa Rosa • 4 PM
“When you find peace within yourself, you become the kind of person who can live at peace with others.” — Mildred Lisette Norman, Peace Pilgrim
The holiday season brings the opportunity to explore both a sense of inner peace and calm and to imagine a world that is respectful and safe for all. Be uplifted by music from the Renaissance to the recent, with works by masters Josquin des Prez and Arvo Pärt. Let the sounds of secular and sacred music from multiple traditions wash over you, including Adinu, a Sufi call for love; Trevor Weston’s Tao Te Ching setting, The Gentlest Thing; and settings of the New Testament text Peace I Leave with You by Amy Beach, Knut Nystedt, Fredrik Sixten, and Martin Åsander. Experience the reverence of A Prayer by Ken Burton and When I close my eyes, I dream of peace, Karin Rehnqvist’s weaving of multiple international music traditions. Explore local talent with San Francisco composer Nick Weininger’s Jewish song for peace Oseh Shalom, Peace on Earth by Oakland’s Sanford Dole, and Islands in Space by San Francisco’s Kirke Mechem.
WINTER 2024:
Escape: Music to be transported by
March 2
St. Mark’s Episcopal Church
Berkeley • 7 PM
March 3
St. Mark’s Lutheran Church
San Francisco • 4 PM
“Whereas the beautiful is limited, the sublime is limitless.” – Immanuel Kant
Be transported by sublime works for a cappella choir with music that spans eras, places, and style. Marvel at poignant masterpieces, including selections from William Byrd’s sixteenth century Mass for Four Voices and Frank Martin’s Mass for Double Choir. Dance to Benjamin Britten’s setting of W.H. Auden’s sensuous text, Hymn to St Cecilia. Revel in the luscious work of two Pulitzer Prize winning composers, with Samuel Barber’s love song The Coolin and Caroline Shaw’s and the swallow. Escape to the mountains with Karin Rehnqvist’s I himmelen, a joyous setting of a Swedish folk hymn that includes kulning, a powerful women’s traditional call.
“Don't turn away. Keep your gaze on the bandaged place. That's where the light enters you.” – Rumi
Experience the healing power of music, featuring works that explore both the depth of grief and the relief that follows. Join the choir to sing Wanting Memories by Sweet Honey in the Rock’s Ysäye Barnwell. Allow yourself to dig deep with selections from Eric Whitacre’s work about the loss of a loved one, The Sacred Veil; Shawn Kirchner’s setting of Sylvia Plath’s poetic masterpiece, Tulips; and Zanaida Robles’ work about personal struggle, She Lingers On. Experience release with Morten Lauridsen’s beloved Sure On This Shining Night, Robles’ exuberant Veni sancte spiritus, and Dale Trumbore’s reflective You Find Yourself Here. Find fun and restoration in the forest with selections from Tony Award winner Dave Malloy’s brilliant choral musical, Octet.
SPRING 2024:
Songs for Solace and Restoration
May 11
St. Mark’s Episcopal Church
Berkeley • 7 PM
May 12
St. Mark’s Lutheran Church
San Francisco • 4 PM