The end of Thanksgiving means only one thing for fans of Chanticleer: the beginning of their A Chanticleer Christmas tour, which this year has already taken them to performances at Spivey Hall outside of Atlanta, and at Durham, NC over the weekend. William Fred Scott, the ensemble’s Music Director, says their return to the Bay Area will be from December 10th to the 23rd.
You can find out more about the area performances at the Chanticleer website.
Scott says the structure of the concerts will continue to carry on their tradition. “There’s a kind of joyous beginning, and then we take ourselves to the manger, and we look around and see who’s there. This is kind of the standard, you look around and you see the shepherds, and you see the blessed virgin Mary, and you see loving Joseph, and then you see the little baby, which is the reason for us being there.” There follows folkloric music from a variety of European countries, including a new carol written for them by Finnish composer Jaakko Mäntyjärvi, and then an American set, with works by William Billings from the 18th Century, through to contemporary composers like Steven Sametz. The concerts end with traditional carols, and their signature piece, Biebl’s ‘Ave Maria’. Scott says the tour is always “a lot of singing, a lot of staying in shape, and a lot of joy.”
