An Exceptional Weekend
by Christina Waters
Jörg Reddin’s final concert with this season’s SC Baroque Festivals was a sensory tour through the vocal glories of the 16th century. Give fresh voice by the superb UCSC Chamber Singers directed by Michael McGushin, the program offered a steady stream of enchanting solos, duets, trios and quartets, each underscored by the bass work of Roy Whelden and lively harpsichord of virtuoso Jonathan Salzedo.
Most of us lucky enough to be in the audience for this program began our own love of great music by singing and performing with choirs and choral groups in our youth. So it was a pleasure to see the young singers in the Chamber Singers well into the intricacies of vocal technique under McGushin’s remarkable leadership. A rare level of technique and mastery permeated this skilled ensemble, especially in the opening piece Unser Leben ist ein Schatten, composed by the father of JS Bach. And in a crisp and delightful interpretation of Le Chant des Oiseaux, filled (as the title implies) with deliciously silly bird songs amidst the tongue-twisting French lyrics.
Exceptional trios and quartets were interspersed with crystalline soundscapes, dances, love songs, and deeply spiritual Bach offerings by the UCSC Chamber Singers. The guest soloists were outstanding. Three songs by Elizabethan composer John Dowland were delivered with heartbreaking tenderness by tenor Michael Jankosky, including the famous Come Again, Sweet Love, and Flow, My Tears. A transfiguring delivery of two love songs by Telemann showed off the opera background and burnished contralto of guest artist Britta Schwarz, who came to perform from her native Berlin. Jennifer Paulino’s gossamer soprano was in top form, especially in her seemingly effortless arpeggios and melismas with Henry Purcell’s definitive lovesong, Sweeter than Roses. And Artistic Director Jörg Reddin was not to be outdone, blending his resonant baritone with other soloists with the opening pieces by JS Bach, Buxtehude and Heinrich Schütz. Outstanding programming in this penultimate concert of the Baroque Festival’s 2026 season had the audience cheering its approval.
Ensemble Monterey Delivers
Lori Schulman’s adroit vocal abilities and the edgy spirituality of Caroline Shaw’s compositions are a perfect match. Shaw, the youngest Pulitzer Prize-winner for Music, moves through musical genres like smoke on the water. She writes outside predictable musical tropes, using the voice as an ecstatic cry, or moan, or gospel prayer. In her compositions—and in Schulman’s effortless vocals—the human voice becomes renewed as both animal and angel, reaching into new sonic territories. Shaw, a founder of Roomful of Teeth, likes to lean the voice against percussion punctuation, and in the two pieces Schulman interpreted the strings played as syncopated percussion. Her voice seems especially suited for contemporary sound architecture, and Schulman’s interpretation of the Shaw songs was pure enchantment. The audience could barely breathe! Great programming on the part of Director Erica Horn’s musical team. As was the pairing of Peter Lemberg’s satiny oboe and Schulman’s coloratura on Bach’s Wedding Cantata. Supported and interlaced with the Ensemble’s impeccable instrumentalists—David Dally and Shannon D’Antonio on violin, Miriam Oddie on viola, Kristin Garbeff cello and Christine Craddock on bass.
The final piece of the evening, a lengthy five-movement Schubert Piano Quintet in A Major, amounted to a concerto spotlighting the fiery piano work of Lucy Faridany. This romantic piece showed off the ensemble dynamics, each instrument organically in sync with each other. However, so spellbinding were the previous two Shaw songs that the Schubert felt a bit anti-climactic. EM’s next concert in Santa Cruz is Sunday, April 12, 7 pm at Messiah Lutheran Church. http://ensemblemonterey.org/
Celebrate Equinox with SC ChoraleA early evening of surprising songs, romantic and profound, with the Santa Cruz Chorale will fill Seymour Center this coming Saturday, March 21. An eclectic potpourri—including haunting pieces by JS Bach, John Dowland and Ralph Vaughan Williams performed by the region’s top chorale ensemble. Come and be charmed by fine music, wine and hand-crafted appetizers. SC Chorale Fundraiser, Saturday March 21, 5-7 pm, Seymour Center, 100 McAllister Way SC $25 Tickets.santacruzchorale.org
