Summer 2026 – Multiple singing opportunities
This season didn’t include formal collaborations but there were many events that members of BCCO participated in. A large component of BCCO singers joined the Summer Sing-In sponsored by the Oakland Symphony Chorus: five evening sessions of masterworks singing under five different directors including Oakland Symphony Music Director Kedrick Armstrong. Among the works included was the Poulenc Gloria, which BCCO will present in January 2027. In Berkeley, the SF Early Music Society, whose Executive and Artistic Director is former BCCO Assistant Conductor Derek Tam, held three, week-long evening workshops dedicated to Baroque music, Medieval-Renaissance music, and choral performance. This last workshop in particular drew participation from BCCO singers and featured French Baroque composer Andre Campra’s Requiem, which was performed on the final day. Schola Cantorum held six evening summer sings in Los Altos, including the Mozart Requiem, Haydn’s Mass in the Time of War (which BCCO sang in January 2025) and Carmina Burana
November 2025 – the Verdi Requiem with Oakland Symphony Chorus
Several BCCO members, especially basses, answered another call from OSC, this time to join in performing Verdi’s choral masterwork on November 14, which coincided well with BCCO’s own preparations to perform the Requiem in January 2026
June 2025 – Beethoven’s Ninth with Oakland Symphony Chorus
BCCO members who did not join the Paris tour were able to answer a call from the OSC for additional singers needed for a performance on June 13th in Oakland’s 3040 seat Art Deco masterpiece, the Paramount theatre.
June 2025 – Paris and the Loire Valley: Fauré Requiem and Saint-Saëns Requiem
We mounted a concert tour in France, our first such effort since the COVID pandemic, and performed to packed and enthusiastic houses at the Notre Dame de Versailles, Versailles; Halle aux Grains, Blois; and the historic La Madeleine (L’église Sainte-Marie-Madeleine) in Paris. Both Saint-Saëns and Fauré served as principal organists at La Madeleine, and Fauré’s Requiem was first performed there in 1888. We collaborated with a local choirs in all three concerts and were accompanied by the L’Orchestre Musici Europae. The Fauré Requiem is one of France’s most beloved works, but the Saint-Saëns is little known or performed. We got hearty thanks for introducing this outstanding choral work to our French musical collaborators — and delighted in performing it together!
January 2024 – Young People’s Symphony Orchestra: Poulenc’s Gloria!
In January 2024, BCCO collaborated with the Young People’s Symphony Orchestra (YPSO) in a stirring performance of the Francis Poulenc Gloria at Walnut Creek Presbyterian Church. The full house of almost 700 included many students from Berkeley High School. Vuyiswa Sigadi served as soprano soloist and the ensemble was conducted by YPSO Music Director David Ramadanoff.
The chorus comprised over 75 singers, largely from BCCO with 20 singers from other Bay Area choruses, including the Vallejo Chorale Society, Chora Nova, the Cal University Chorus, Walnut Creek Festival Opera, SF Bach Choir, Oakland Symphony Chorus. The chorus was prepared by BCCO Music Director Ming Luke and Julia Morris, the director of both the Berkeley Women’s Community Chorus and Vallejo Chorale Society.
YPSO is among the finest youth orchestras in the region. It counts among its ranks nearly 100 high school and college age musicians. Also on the program was the Saint-Saëns Violin Concerto No. 3 in B minor, with violin soloist Henry Stroud.
June 2019 – Baltic States with the Brahms Requiem
There were 63 singers who participated, and 25 non-singers, and we collaborated with a pickup choir in Stockholm. We visited the famous outdoor concert Song Festival grounds, which is the site of the famous “Singing Revolution” for the Estonian freedom from Soviet rule. We performed in Tallinn, Riga and Stockholm and had a fascinating tour of Helsinki, a favorite of everyone. The food was delicious, the singing divine, the scenery gorgeous, and the sightseeing great fun
May 2019 – Bach and Brew: A Musical Sing-In
A packed house joined the Berkeley Community Chorus & Orchestra and San Francisco Bach Choir May, 21, 2019 at Fields Works Brewery in Berkeley for an evening of Bach & Brew. SF Bach Choir has been sponsoring these truly fun community sings for a number of seasons and BCCO was delighted to join in. Led by SF Bach Choir Artistic Director Magen Solomon and BCCO Artistic Director Ming Luke we explored songs and rounds appropriate to the occasion as well as Movement 4 of Brahms’ German Requiem – a rousing community sing and terrific craft beers!
January 2019 – First Church Festival Chorus: An Evening of Vaughan Williams
BCCO members joined with choristers from around the Bay Area, under the direction of Derek Tam, for the 4th annual First Church Festival Chorus and Orchestra, which is part of First Church’s Resonance Series. On January 25, 2019, we performed a concert at First Congregational Church in Berkeley (First Church Berkeley) which featured several works by Ralph Vaughan Williams. The centerpiece of the evening was his eloquent plea for peace, the choral cantata Dona Nobis Pacem, written in 1936 amid growing fear that global war would soon break out again.
August 2018 – Street Requiem
Over 80 singers from BCCO, the Berkeley Women’s Community Chorus, First Church Berkeley Choir, and other Bay Area choruses, under the direction of Derek Tam, joined together at the First Congregational Church (First Church Berkeley) on August 25 for a sparkling performance of the Street Requiem. The requiem was composed in 2014 by Kathleen McGuire, Andy Payne, and Jonathon Welch and our performance was the East Bay premier of the work. Soloists Brian Thorsett, tenor, and Molly Mahoney, mezzo-soprano, performed beautifully, as did the chamber orchestra, which included our own Jason Sherbundy at piano. Over 500 people turned out to hear the modern 50-minute cantata, to remember those who have died homeless on the streets. Over $13,000 was raised to support the work of the Women’s Daytime Drop-in Center in Berkeley.
June 2018 – Alexander Nevsky: A cantata by Sergei Prokofiev
Under the direction of Urs Leonhardt Steiner, Music Director, a selection of singers from the Berkeley Community Chorus & Orchestra joined with the Golden Gate Symphony Orchestra & Chorus, for a June 3, 2018 performance of cantata by Sergei Prokofiev, Alexander Nevsky. BCCO performed this work at it’s January 2018 concerts and we were delighted to join forces with our sister chorus to do so again at Herbst Theater.
April 2018 – Berkeley Symphony: Beethoven’s Ninth (Choral) Symphony
On April 19, 2018, selected singers from the Berkeley Community Chorus & Orchestra joined the Berkeley Symphony and singers from the UC Chorus and UC Chamber Chorus (current and alumni) in a performance of this perhaps most-beloved of all orchestral works. The guest conductor was Ken-David Masur, Associate Conductor of the Boston Symphony; the Chorusmaster was Marika Kuzma,Professor Emerita, UC Berkeley Department of Music. The sold-out concert took place at Zellerbach Hall on the UC Berkeley campus.
February 2018 – Resonance: First Church Berkeley Performances: BRAHMS — A GERMAN REQUIEM
On February 2, 2018, nearly 30 singers from BCCO joined a performance of Johannes Brahms’ A German Requiem, staged by the First Church Festival Chorus, under the direction of Derek Tam (music director for First Church Berkeley, the Berkeley Community Chamber Singers and also BCCO’s first assistant conductor). The concert was part of the very lively Resonance Series that Derek had initiated. The festival chorus numbered almost 100, drawing singers from choirs across the SF Bay Area. Also performing under Derek’s direction were a fine professional orchestra and accomplished soprano and baritone soloists. The BCCO members got a fantastic head start for the spring 2019 season, programmed to include A German Requiem at Hertz Hall and then on a European tour in the Baltic region.
October 2017 – 2nd SF Russian Choral Music Festival
Singers from Berkeley Community Chorus & Orchestra joined with Slavyanka in the Russian Choral Music Festival in October 2017. The Festival Choir performed several pieces by Taneyev at the Mission Delores Basilica, including the West Coast premiere of Taneyev’s masterpiece, the choral cantata “Ioann Damaskin.” An astonishingly beautiful and powerful piece, it combines the great Russian spiritual traditions with counterpoint and fugues. This was BCCO’s third collaboration with Slavyanaka, and we worked with their choir leadership to recruit singers from throughout the Bay Area to join us.
January 2017 – First Church Festival Chorus: CARMINA BURANA
Berkeley Community Chorus & Orchestra members joined with singers from around the Bay Area in a festival chorus under the direction of Derek Tam, First Church music director, to perform Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana on January 20, 2017. Part of the ongoing series, Resonance: First Church Berkeley Performances, the concert was held at the 1st Presbyterian Church of Berkeley due to the devestating fire at First Church Berkeley (First Congregational Church) in 2016. Derek, who then also served as director of the Berkeley Community Chamber Singers, led a stirring performance of this popular choral work with a chorus of nearly 80 members, professional soloists, 2 pianos and a large percussion section.
June-July 2016 – BCCO European tour with Verdi’s Requiem
The chorus performed Verdi’s monumental Requiem during June and July, 2016 in Belgium and Germany. These performances were held in collaboration with the Contra Costa Children’s Chorus, which toured concurrently with BCCO, Koor Vagantes Morborum, a Bruges-based choral group (Belgium performances), and a number of other Bay Area singers who joined us for the concert tour. We performed at the Concertgebouw in Bruges, Belgium, the Cathedral of St. Martin in Ypres, Belgium, and the Hegel-Salle, a concert venue in the renowned Liederhalle in Stuttgart, Germany. There were 67 BCCO singers who participated, and 32 non-singers.
June 2016 – the Britten War Requiem with San Francisco Girls Chorus School
For this June concert series presenting the massive and challenging War Requiem, BCCO was joined by Level IV of the San Francisco Girls Chorus School, led by Anne Hege.
April 2016 – Carmina Burana with the Merced Symphony & Merced Festival Chorus
On April 23, 2016, nearly 60 singers from more than 12 different choruses and choirs joined together as a festival chorus, initiated by the Berkeley Community Chorus & Orchestra. We joined with the Merced Symphony to perform the Carmina Burana by Carl Orff under the direction of Ming Luke, music director for both BCCO and the Merced Symphony. We performed at the beautiful and historic Merced Theatre in downtown Merced. Singers were drawn from choral institutions in the East Bay, San Francisco, San Jose, and Merced, California. The chorus was prepared by Chorus Master Derek Tam (who also performed brilliantly on piano).
May 2016 – Fauré’s Requiem with the First Church Festival Chorus
Part of First Church Berkeley’s Resonance, a new concert series hosted by the First Congregational Church. Many members of BCCO joined with other singers in the festival chorus performance of Faure’s much-beloved Requiem, led by FCC Music Director Derek Tam, with Elizabeth Forsth accompanying on the church’s renowned 5,000-pipe organ.
April 2016 – A Cappella – Our Bodies Sing
A special collaboration between the Oakland Ballet and local choral groups, including the a cappella Berkeley Community Chamber Singers (an outreach arm of BCCO). The Oakland Ballet presented newly choreographed works set to songs of Stephen Foster.
February 2016 – Lift Every Voice and Sing
A celebration of Black History Month and African-American and African musical traditions hosted by the First Congregational Church and the City of Refuge United Church of Christ in Oakland. Members of BCCO joined singers from the two churches and other Bay Area singers in the festival chorus. A variety of other gospel and dance groups presented stirring performances. February 2016.
May 2016 – Pride and Joy
Berkeley Community Chamber Singers guest appearances at concerts of the Oakland East Bay Gay Men’s Chorus.
June 2014 – The Pacific Boychoir Academy
For its June performances of Felic Mendelssohn’s Elijah oratorio, BCCO was joined by two sopranos from the PBA, Cap Sharon and Thomas Mosley.
June 2013 – Central Europe: Dvorak Requiem and Mozart Mass in C
This was BCCO’s first tour under our new Music Director, Ming Luke, and only the second tour taken by BCCO. We toured to Central Europe – Budapest, Godollo, Bratislava, Vienna and Prague. There were 95 singers who participated, and 49 non-singers. We collaborated with a local choir in Godollo, and with the Prague Chamber Choir. There was a day trip to Vienna to enjoy a workshop with the director of the Vienna Boys Choir. The highlight of the tour was performing the Dvorak to a packed audience in Prague singing at the beautiful 1,104 seat Rudolphinum Concert Hall, with the Czechoslovak Academy of Sciences Chamber Orchestra. We were singing the music of one of their own “sons” and they were so appreciative! It was a glorious end to a wonderful “first” tour.