Handel Dixit Dominus & Gjeilo Sunrise Mass

Masterworks Chorale's 56th Season begins with performances on Saturday, October 26th and Sunday, October 27th, at Grace Lutheran Church in Palo Alto. This venue provides a near-perfect space for a surprisingly intimate experience of major works, balancing a small string ensemble with both the power and subtlety of which the chorale is capable under the leadership of Dr. Bryan Baker. First up is the extraordinary Dixit Dominus by George Frideric Handel. Full of youthful energy, exuberant virtuosity, and riveting drama, the piece is a true tour de force, and widely considered to be the Baroque composer's first masterwork.

The hauntingly ethereal Sunrise Mass by Norwegian-American composer Ola Gjeilo traces the delicate transition from night to day, with subtle harmonic shifts that evoke a hushed dusk, then a kaleidoscope of shimmering textures that carry us into the emerging daylight.

Three works by Mozart round out the program: the graceful "Laudate dominum" sung by mezzo-soprano Kindra Scharich, the sparkling "Alleluia" from Exsultate Jubilate sung by soprano Shawnette Sulker, and the crystalline compactness of his very last choral work, "Ave verum corpus."

Acclaimed for her "heart-breaking poignancy" and "enchanting vocal splendor," soprano Shawnette Sulker has soloed in Handel's Messiah, Bach's Jauchzet Gott in allen Landen, and Mozart's Exsultate, Jubilate; toured the Netherlands and Belgium as Adele in Die Fledermaus; and performed in Leipzig's Gewandhaus and Prague's Smetana Hall, to name a few highlights. Closer to home, she has sung with San Francisco Opera, American Bach Soloists, Mark Morris Dance Group, Opera San Jose, and the Symphonies of Eugene, Oakland, and Santa Rosa. Shawnette last soloed with Masterworks in our 50th anniversary performance of Carmina Burana, and she will sing Mozart's "Alleluia" and "Tecum principium" and other solos in Dixit Dominus.

Mezzo-soprano Kindra Scharich has performed more than 200 art songs in 11 languages, and 30 operatic roles. In 2019, she sang in the world premiere of Laura Kaminsky's Today It Rains, based on the life of Georgia O'Keeffe, and in the role of Dodo in the West Coast premiere of Missy Mazzoli's Breaking the Waves. The San Francisco Chronicle has praised Scharich for her "exuberant vitality," "fearless technical precision," and "deep-rooted pathos." Kindra last sang with Masterworks in Duruflé's Requiem, and she will sing Mozart's "Laudate Dominum" and "Virgam virtutis" and other solos in Dixit Dominus.

Come join us for this concert of intricacy, warmth, drama and brilliance!

Pre-concert talk on Sunday at 3:20pm; reception following each performance.

For tickets and more information, visit http://masterworks.org/season.html#handel