Reaching for Light: Choral Music of Inspiration & Resilience

Saturday, February 17, 2024 at 5:00 pm
Montclair Presbyterian Church
5701 Thornhill Drive, Oakland
Register for the event here

Sunday, February 18, 2024 at 4:00 pm
Christ Episcopal Church (live & streaming online)
1040 Border Road, Los Altos
Register for the event here

Join the chamber choir Convivium, under the direction of Eric Tuan, for "Reaching for Light." This diverse program tells the stories of survivors who fought for the greater good during their lifetimes. The concert program emphasizes the dire need for collective action against violent oppression, ranging from modern works protesting police brutality against Black women to Renaissance polyphony that artfully decries religious persecution. Many selections bring pivotal historic figures to life in a moving appeal for peace, including abolitionist Harriet Tubman, suffragist Mabel Lee, and even a survivor of the atomic bombing of Nagasaki. Overall, Convivium’s upcoming performance reminds us that our collective faith in a brighter future is a unifying sign of hope for humanity.

Ecstatic Earth: Convivium in Concert

Saturday, April 1, 2023 at 7:30 pm
Montclair Presbyterian Church
5701 Thornhill Drive, Oakland
Free Admission (suggested donation: $20)

Sunday, April 2, 2023 at 5:00 pm
Christ Episcopal Church
1040 Border Road, Los Altos
Free Admission (suggested donation: $20)

The chamber choir Convivium honors our sacred connection to the earth through song and poetry. Journey with us from the brilliance of sunrise to the peace of a gentle summer night with music from throughout the Americas. The program features works by Jerod Impichchaachaaha’ Tate, Adolphus Hailstork, Shruthi Rajasekar, Gabriela Lena Frank, Meredith Monk, and others.

Suggested donation: $20. The Sunday concert will be livestreamed.

Note: In person attendance will require face masks for entry.

This Child Is Our Spark: A Convivium Christmas

Friday, December 3, 2021 at 7:30 pm
Trinity + St. Peter's Episcopal Church
1620 Gough Street, San Francisco
Free Admission (suggested donation: $25)
Register for the event here

Sunday, December 5, 2021 at 4:00 pm
Christ Episcopal Church
1040 Border Road, Los Altos
Free Admission (suggested donation: $25)
Register for the event here (livestream available with registration)

Join the chamber choir Convivium, under the direction of Eric Tuan, for "This Child Is Our Spark: A Convivium Christmas." This luminous program offers carols that are by turns gorgeous and gritty, festive and contemplative. Featuring music by Melissa Dunphy, Herbert Howells, Errollyn Wallen, John Tavener, and others.

Note: In person attendance will require face masks, photo ID, and COVID-19 vaccination card for event entry. In addition, we will ask family groups to distance as much as possible.

Lost Innocence: Choral Music for Passiontide

Friday, April 10, 2020 at 7:00 pm
Christ Episcopal Church
1040 Border Road, Los Altos
Free admission

Under the direction of founding director Eric Tuan, the Silicon Valley chamber choir Convivium has become known for its innovative programming, vibrant sound, and expansive approach to the concert experience. This recital of choral music for Passiontide interweaves the impassioned Tenebrae Responsories of Spanish Renaissance composer Tomás Luis de Victoria with excerpts from Craig Hella Johnson's powerful oratorio Considering Matthew Shepherd, which depicts the life and murder of the Wyoming college student who became an icon for LGBTQ+ rights.

This concert was canceled due to COVID-19.

From Earth to Sky: Choral Landscapes

Sunday, November 17th, 2019 at 4:00 pm
Christ Episcopal Church
1040 Border Road, Los Altos
Free admission

Under the direction of founding director Eric Tuan, the Silicon Valley chamber choir Convivium has become known for its innovative programming, vibrant sound, and expansive approach to the concert experience. The ensemble's fall program explores choral depictions of the natural world from Estonia, Iceland, Germany, Ireland, and India. Revel in Veljo Tormis's haunting Autumn Landscapes, which portray the beauty of the Estonian countryside in fall. We will also explore the mystery of the German forest in partsongs by Fanny Hensel; meditate on the beauty of water in Eleanor Daley's The Lake Isle of Innisfree; and journey far and near in the music of Melissa Dunphy, Anna Thorvaldsdottir, Gustav Holst, Meredith Monk, and A.R. Rahman.

Viva Handel!

Thursday, May 23, 2019 at 7:30 pm
Stanford Memorial Church
450 Serra Mall, Stanford
Free admission

The chamber choir Convivium, under the direction of Eric Tuan, joins forces with the Stanford Baroque Soloists, directed by Anthony Martin, in a performance of G.F. Handel's Foundling Hospital Anthem. This moving late work - Handel's final piece of English church music - closes with a rousing reprise of the ever-popular "Hallelujah Chorus" from Messiah.

#MeToo: Exploring the Movement in Story and Song

Saturday, May 11, 2019 at 7:30 pm
Grace Cathedral
1100 California Street, San Francisco
Free admission

First presented in Los Altos in May 2018 to critical acclaim, #MeToo: Exploring the Movement in Story and Song will be offered in the glorious space of San Francisco’s Grace Cathedral. This powerful multidisciplinary program honors the diverse experiences of those affected by sexual violence through poetry, storytelling, and song.

The evening will be guided by the vocal artists of the chamber choir Convivium, under the direction of conductor Eric Tuan, and curated by the Rev. Claire Dietrich Ranna, co-producer and co-writer of the award-winning documentary film Miss Representation. Powerful music by Meredith Monk, Melissa Dunphy, Eliza Gilkyson, Olli Kortekangas and others will be interwoven with stories from the #MeToo movement.

Hear a preview of Convivium rehearsing for last year’s #MeToo program here.

Still I Rise: A Program for International Women’s Day

Saturday, March 9, 2019 at 4:00 pm
Christ Episcopal Church
1040 Border Road, Los Altos
Free admission

Convivium explores a millennium of thrilling music by female composers, ranging from cloistered nuns to queer suffragettes. Featured will be Melissa Dunphy’s powerful work American DREAMers, exploring the voices of undocumented immigrants in contemporary America.

Hear a preview of American DREAMers at its premiere by PhilHarmonia.

From Desolation to Consolation: A Requiem

Sunday, October 28, 2018 at 4:00 pm
Christ Episcopal Church
1040 Border Road, Los Altos
Free admission

“Every lament is a love song.”

As the leaves fall and the shadows lengthen, join the singers of Convivium for a moving musical meditation on mortality. This candlelit program guides us on a journey through grief, weaving together powerful choral music with the raw poetry of the Hebrew psalms and the ecstatic verses of Bengali writer Rabindranath Tagore. Featured composers include John Tavener, Benjamin Britten, Meredith Monk, Melissa Dunphy, John Sheppard, and others.

Hear Convivium sing John Tavener’s Funeral Ikos here.

Fairest Isle: Purcell's King Arthur with the Stanford Baroque Soloists

Thursday, June 7, 2018 at 7:30 pm
Stanford Memorial Church
450 Serra Mall, Stanford
Free admission

Convivium joins forces with the Stanford Baroque Soloists, under the direction of Anthony Martin, to present excerpts from Henry Purcell's sparkling masque King Arthur. Famed for his exquisite melodies and masterful sensitivity to the English language, Purcell was widely considered the greatest English composer of the Restoration period.  King Arthur contains some of his most memorable music, including the chilling chromaticism of the "Frost Scene" and the dance air "Fairest Isle."

#MeToo

Sunday, May 13, 2018 at 4:00 pm
Christ Episcopal Church
1040 Border Road, Los Altos
Free admission

The #MeToo movement is shining a light on the pervasiveness of sexual violence within our culture. Join us for a special program which honors the diverse experiences of those affected through poetry, storytelling, and song. The afternoon will be guided by the vocal artists of the chamber choir Convivium, under the direction of conductor Eric Tuan, and curated by the Rev. Claire Dietrich Ranna, co-producer and co-writer of the award-winning documentary film Miss Representation.

Powerful choral music by Olli Kortekangas, Eliza Gilkyson, Carly Simon, and David Lang will be interwoven with stories from the #MeToo movement. This promises to be a provocative, evocative, and, hopefully, consoling tapestry of voices and experiences, the difficult content at its heart notwithstanding. We hope you will join us for a time of speaking, listening, and sharing in this moment that is ours.

Living Buddha, Living Christ

Sunday, March 4, 2018 at 4:00 pm
Christ Episcopal Church
1040 Border Road, Los Altos
Free admission

Join the 26 singers of Convivium for Living Buddha, Living Christ, a choral tapestry exploring the rich connections between Buddhism and Christianity. The program features Arvo Pärt's haunting setting of the Beatitudes, Reed Criddle's breathtaking arrangement of a traditional Chan Buddhist melody, and meditative works by Stölzel, Albright, Tillen, and Cage. The Rev. Claire Dietrich Ranna will also lead us in a short introduction to mindfulness meditation. All are welcome!

In Remembrance: From Darkness into Light

Sunday, October 29, 2017 at 10:15 am
Christ Episcopal Church
1040 Border Road, Los Altos
Free admission

As the leaves fall and the shadows lengthen, join the adventurous vocal ensemble Convivium for a musical meditation on mortality. This evocative sequence of poetry and music interweaves the timeless liturgy of the Anglican burial service with choral music from the 17th through the 21st centuries. Artistic director Eric Tuan leads the choir in William Croft’s solemn Burial Sentences, sung at the funeral of every British monarch since the 18th century; John Tavener's mesmerizing Funeral Ikos; and a diverse array of luminous works by Einojuhani Rautavaara, John Ireland, Thomas Tomkins, and Craig Hella Johnson.

Whether you are atheist or agnostic, a regular churchgoer, or a spiritual seeker, we hope you will join us for this moving reflection on our shared humanity.

J.S. Bach – Sweet and Low

Thursday, June 8 at 7:30 pm
J.S. Bach – Sweet and Low
Stanford Memorial Church
Free admission

Convivium joins forces with the Stanford Baroque Soloists, under the direction of Anthony Martin, to present J.S. Bach’s virtuosic Easter cantata Christ lag in Todesbanden, BWV 4. Other works on the program include Bach’s third orchestral suite and contemporary re-imaginings of Bach’s legacy. 

Welcoming the Stranger: An Evensong with Convivium

Sunday, May 7 at 4:00 pm
Christ Episcopal Church
1040 Border Road, Los Altos
Free admission

The numbers are staggering: over 65 million people are currently refugees from war and persecution, with 24 people being displaced every minute. Join the chamber choir Convivium and the Christ Church Los Altos community for a special service of Evensong that explores the human face behind the refugee crisis in scripture, liturgy, and song. We will hear music by refugee composers Peter Philips and Arvo Pärt, including Pärt's haunting setting of the Beatitudes, alongside reflections on the immigrant experience by Ysaye Barnwell, Shawn Crouch, and Kurt Bestor. 

A collection will be taken for Episcopal Migration Ministries, a refugee resettlement program that has helped welcome over 50,000 refugees to the United States since its inception in 1939.

Queer Voices: Music from the LGBT Community

Sunday, March 19 at 4:00 pm
Christ Episcopal Church
1040 Border Road, Los Altos
Free admission

How does the queer community express itself in song? Convivium’s upcoming program explores the extraordinary diversity of choral music written by members of the LGBT community. We hear ethereal sacred music by Mikko Sidoroff and Francis Poulenc; LJ White’s moving reflection on queer identity and adolescence, I/We; recent works by Pacific Rim composers Saunder Choi and Eric Tuan; and the rousing March of the Women by the remarkable suffragette Ethel Smyth. Join us for a program that will transport you, surprise you, and challenge your perceptions of the queer community. 

The first part of this program is a meditative service of sung Compline, featuring sacred music by queer composers. Please know that this is a safe space for all, sponsored by a progressive and welcoming church, and no religious participation is required.