Welcome to Diablo Choral Artists’ 2023-24 season!

As the organization’s new Artistic Director and Conductor, I am deeply honored to work with this passionate and dedicated community of choral musicians. We are excited to embark on a new artistic chapter with you as we work to uphold DCA’s 30-year legacy of bringing the very best choral music to the greater Diablo Valley.

Thank you for joining us on this musical journey — with all the holiday choices available to you, we are truly thrilled you elected to attend our performance in-person!

This year’s holiday concert, “Season of Light,” borrows its name from Jacob Narverud’s eponymous choral work featured during the first half. The entire program was originally inspired by the juxtaposition of bright lights and dark nights so common during this time of year. Whether it’s the twinkling of tiny bulbs or the flickering of candle flames, once the dark half of the year finally arrives, we strive to surround ourselves with as much light and warmth as humanly possible.

As the autumn days grow shorter and winter nights grow longer, we gather together in friendship, love and to celebrate the promise of a new year. But these days, the proverbial joys of a new spring and summer seem easily overwhelmed by mind-numbing wars, unspeakable violence, persistent global health and climate crises, continuous political and religious polarization, widening social inequality and the acceleration of ethical conflicts created by rampant technological advancements.

In short, it feels easier and easier to believe all is lost and to simply focus on our own problems.

But hidden in the seemingly innocuous text of Narverud’s “Season of Light” lies a powerful message of profound hope, fierce joy and shared strength acquired through honest, meaningful connection with one another:

“For a moment on earth, all that’s wrong turns to right.”

While we cannot escape or quickly solve this planet’s overwhelming issues, we do have the collective power to commit to helping each other and ourselves. To light up the darkness from within by the spiritual fire and flame that burns deep inside us all.

(Please excuse the ads; as a nonprofit community organization trying to keep our costs down, utilizing free software is how we keep the lights on!)

A community chorus founded in 1993, Diablo Choral Artists (DCA) performs significant works of sacred and secular choral music throughout the Diablo Valley. We are currently welcoming experienced singers in all voice parts. Regular music rehearsals take place weekly on Monday evenings and will resume on January 22, 2024 at Mount Diablo Unitarian Universalist Church, 55 Eckley Lane, Walnut Creek. If you would like to learn more about DCA or are interested in joining the chorus, please send us an email at info@dcachorus.org to schedule your informal audition with the Artistic Director.

Diablo Choral Artists (DCA) relies on the generous support of its patrons to continue providing choral concerts of artistic excellence. You can help support Diablo Choral Artists in a variety of ways: 

Become a sustaining donor or make a one-time contribution. You can easily make a donation to DCA at our website, dcachorus.org, or mail a donation (payable to “DCA”) to DCA, c/o 2095 Stratton Rd, Walnut Creek, CA 94598.

Donate a car – working or not! We work with a Rotary Club to participate in Cars2ndChance.org. Call 925-326-5868 to start the process; your car can be towed if it is not working, and forms will be filled out for you. 

Become a business or corporate sponsor.  We would love to talk with you about ways we can help promote your business! 

Join our Board of Directors  We welcome non-choir members to bring new ideas and perspectives to our Board, and we currently have vacancies. 

Volunteer your time in any of a variety of tasks. 

Diablo Choral Artists is a tax-exempt, 501(c) (3) California non-profit corporation. 
2095 Stratton Rd, Walnut Creek, CA 94598, dcachorus.org.
Tax ID 68-0414813

INTERMISSION

I. In dulci jubilio, BWV 729 (ca. 1730)

Music by J. S. Bach (1685–1750)

The original medieval melody of “In dulci jubilo” dates back at least to the 14th century. Frequently set by Bach in multiple works, this familiar tune exists in chorale, double canon and chorale prelude forms. While traditionally offered as a postlude for Christmas services, BWV 729 for organ solo packs a mighty punch and serves as the overture to our concert this afternoon.

II. Christmas Day (1910)

Music by Gustav Holst (1874–1934)

Subtitled a “Choral Fantasy on Old Carols,” Holst seamlessly weaves together four well-known Christmas tunes in this beloved English classic. The organ boldly announces the introduction of each carol, distinct with its own melody, rhythm and character. As the piece unfolds, Holst develops the tunes through competing voicings, exquisite harmonizations and unexpected combinations as we travel along winding musical roads towards an almost overwhelming, celebratory climax. Afterwards, he masterfully guides us out of the musical woods back to where we first began.

In order of appearance, the four carols are:

1. Good Christian Men, Rejoice (English translation of “In dulci jubilo”)
2. God rest you merry, gentlemen
3. Come ye lofty, come ye lowly
4. The First Nowell

(First Carol)

Good Christian men, rejoice with heart, and soul, and voice;

Give ye heed to what we say:
News! News! Jesus Christ is born today:
Ox and ass before him bow,
And he is in the manger now.
Christ is born today!

(Second Carol)

God rest you merry, gentlemen,
Let nothing you dismay,
Remember Christ our Saviour was born on Christmas day,
To save us all from woe and sin,
When we were gone astray.
O tidings of comfort and joy.

In Bethlehem, in Jewry,
This blessed babe was born,
And laid within a manger,
Upon that holy morn;
The which His Mother, Mary,
Did nothing take in scorn.
O tidings of comfort and joy.

(First Carol)

Good Christian men, rejoice, with heart, and soul, and voice;
Now ye hear of endless bliss:
Joy! Joy! Jesus Christ was born for this.
He hath oped the heav’nly door,
And man is blessed evermore.
Christ was born for this.

(Third Carol)

Come ye lofty, come ye lowly,
Let your songs of gladness ring;
In a stable lies the Holy,
In a manger rests the King:
See in Mary’s arms reposing,
Christ by highest heav’n adored:

Come, your circle round him closing,
Pious hearts that love the Lord.

(Fourth Carol; sung simultaneously with the Third)

The first Nowell, the angels did say,
Was to certain poor shepherds in fields as they lay;
In fields where they lay, Keeping their sheep,
On a cold winter’s night that was so deep.
Nowell, Nowell, Born is the King of Israel.

Come, ye poor, no pomp of station
Robes the Child your hearts adore.
He, the Lord of all salvation,
Shares your want, is weak and poor.
Oxen, round about behold them;
Rafters naked, cold and bare,
See the shepherds, God has told them
That the Prince of Life lies there.

Come ye children, blithe and merry,
This one Child your model make;
Christmas holly, leaf, and berry,
All be prized for His dear sake;
Come, ye gentle hearts, and tender,
come, ye spirits, keen and bold;
All in all your homage render,
Weak and mighty, young and old.

High above a star is shining,
And the wisemen haste from far:
Come glad hearts and spirits pining:
For you all has ris’n the star.
Let us bring our poor oblations,
Thanks and love and faith and praise:
Come, ye people, come ye nations,
all in all draw nigh to gaze.

(First Carol)

Good Christian men, rejoice with heart, and soul, and voice;
give ye heed to what we say:
News! News! Jesus Christ is born today:
Ox and ass before him bow,
and he is in the manger now.
Christ is born today!

Good Christian men, rejoice, with heart, and soul, and voice;
Now ye hear of endless bliss:
Joy! Joy! Jesus Christ was born for this.
He hath oped the heav’nly door,
And man is blessed evermore.
Christ was born for this.

(Second Carol; sung simultaneously with the Fourth)

Now to the Lord sing praises,
All Israel, Now to the Lord sing praises,
All you within this place,
And with true love and brotherhood
Each other now embrace;
This holy tide of Christmas
All others doth deface.
O tidings of comfort and joy.

(First Carol)

Good Christian men rejoice,
With heart, and soul, and voice;
Now ye need not fear the grave:
Peace! Peace! Jesus Christ was born to save!
Calls you one and calls you all,
To gain his everlasting hall.
Christ was born to save.

III. A Simple Gloria (2007)

Notes from the Composer:

“I composed A Simple Gloria for the 30th Anniversary of the University of St. Thomas Liturgical Choir, Saint Paul, Minnesota, to be sung at their annual Christmas concert.  Celebrating is a joyous affair, and I often think we celebrate with outbursts of music teeming with fanfare, heraldry, brilliance and boisterousness. There’s another kind of celebration, a quiet, assured and peaceful one; a kind of intimate celebration – an in-burst if you will.  It’s found in quiet Christmas carols like ‘Silent Night’ and ‘Lo How a Rose E’er Blooming.’ A Simple Gloria is a quiet Gloria. It should be sung with a hushed, serene and reverent quality, allowing a moment of silence at the end of the music for its peaceful effect to settle.”

And it was in a simple Gloria that quiet morn,
And it was in a simple Gloria the Child was born.

The angels sang a simple Gloria
That echoed gently through the stars.

The shepherds heard the simple Gloria
Gloria, Gloria, Gloria…

Gloria, Gloria, Gloria…

IV. Ave Maria, ICS 18 (ca. 1860)

Music by Camille Saint-Saëns (1835–1921)

Widely known for his Romantic symphonies and orchestral works, Saint-Saëns’ illustrious career began as a child prodigy at the piano and organ. The celebrated composer’s Organ Symphony reveals a great debt to Bach, as does this exquisite vocal duet, reminiscent of the preludes found in The Well-Tempered Klavier. Saint-Saëns seamlessly fuses an elegant Baroque sensibility with much more dramatic operatic vocal writing throughout.

V. Evergreen (1974)

This gentle Christmas carol for unison voices features text by Pulitzer prize-winning poet Robert Hillyer. As the organ gently plays a soft sequence of four chords in repetition, Pinkham’s soothing and haunting melody dances above, below and all around the organ notes, creating unexpected harmonies in chant-like fashion while echoing the text’s prayerful spirit and reverence.

VI. Season of Light (2017)

Music and Text by Jacob Narverud (b. 1986)

Notes from the Composer:

“I wrote Season of Light for my friend and mentor, Judith Clurman (conductor of Essential Voices USA), to invoke the feeling of a simple, old fashioned holiday carol or hymn. This brief, two-verse tune invites all people to bring to mind thoughts and remembrances of the season and to reflect on this meaningful time of year.”

VII. Christmas Cantata (1957)

Praised for his vibrant and dynamic musical language, American composer Daniel Pinkham studied composition with Walter Piston, Aaron Copland, Arthur Honegger, Samuel Barber and Nadia Boulanger. He was a major fixture on the Boston music scene and regularly performed throughout the region as an in-demand pianist, organist and harpsichordist. His music reflects an idiomatic mastery of 20th-century compositional techniques while paying homage to medieval plainchant, modal harmony and 17th-century forms. Many of his works also employ 12-tone/serial, electronics and other sacred musical forms.

Subtitled “Sinfonia Sacra,” the Christmas Cantata is one of Pinkham’s best known works, employing lush harmonies, persistent rhythmic vitality, and inventive settings of traditional Christmas and sacred texts. The resulting combination of both traditional and modern musical elements creates a celebratory and engaging experience for audiences and performers alike.

VIII. Out of the Orient Crystal Skies (1975)

During his varied career as solo pianist, organist and choirmaster, American composer Richard Zgodava wrote numerous choral works for the Christmas season. Many were presented in concerts and on recordings by the Bach Society, the Dale Warland Singers, Exultate Ensemble and the National Lutheran Choir. “Out of the Orient Crystal Skies” is his most popular holiday setting, featuring an English Renaissance text describing the birth of Jesus in soaring arpeggiated figures above irresistible choral punctuations.

IX. The Wellspring (2015)

English composer Bob Chilcott has enjoyed a lifelong association with choral music. He was a chorister and choral scholar in the choir of King’s College, Cambridge and is a former member of the King’s Singers. He became a full-time composer and conductor in 1997 and has composed a large catalogue of choral music  which continues to be widely performed and recorded. “The Wellspring” presents a litany of new names for the Christ child with noticeably aquatic themes. As the chorus sings each title in softly flowing harmonies, the rolling piano gradually propels the ensemble towards a wave-like climax.

X. Lunar Lullaby (2017)

Originally composed for soaring soprano and alto voices, Jacob Narverud has since rearranged his most popular piece numerous times. This version adds supporting tenor and bass voices whose presence creates deeper, darker and richer harmonies throughout.

XI. In the Bleak Midwinter (Cranham, 1906)

XII. What Child is This? (Greensleeves, ca. 1580)

XIII. Deck the Halls (Nos Galan, 16th century)

XIV. Angels We Have Heard on High (ca. 1842)

Trad. French

XV. Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas (1943)

“Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” was first performed by Judy Garland in the 1943 film Meet Me in St. Louis. Mark Hayes’ expert choral arrangement of this modern classic deftly showcases his penchant for lush, expansive jazz harmonies, exquisite vocal writing and rich piano accompaniments.

Diablo Choral Artists (DCA) is a community chorus now in its 31st year.  The mission of DCA is to present significant works of secular and sacred choral music, inspire and uplift audiences through live performances of artistic excellence, and nurture the appreciation and enjoyment of choral music in people of all ages and cultures. Established in 1993 as Voices of Music Sacra, and now under the direction of Luis González, DCA has become known for performing innovative programs of significant choral works in Contra Costa County.

In 2017 DCA joined the Diablo Symphony Orchestra and three other choirs in performing a holiday concert under the direction of well-known conductor David Drummond of London. Earlier this year, DCA had the pleasure of working directly with Oakland-based composer, Brett Carson, and premiering an innovative new work combining choir and electronic sound, Et conversus sum ut viderem vocem.

Members Emeriti: Joanne Brady, Anne Burcell, Sue Cevasco†, Pat Cooper, Bob Dixon, Stell Eriksen†, Lynn Finegan†, Ann Kenfield Graf†, Dottie Hoorneart, Susan Lipscomb†, Laurie & Dave Neuenschwander, Genia Pauplis, Ellen Schloenvogt, Pat Rezak, Mary Rinehart†, Mary Wallace

Honorary Members: Chuck Brady†, Steven Mattingly, Bob Rezak†, Claire Schloenvogt† 

A SPECIAL THANK YOU

We thank the generous donors and collaborators who have supported Diablo Choral Artists in 

2022-2023

Businesses

Individuals