So the Hakol Hevel premiere went very well indeed. Performance venues were full, audiences were moved; the choir, soloists, and orchestra all did a fantastic job. Just one wrinkle for me: I couldn't attend because I came down with COVID the day of the premiere. Argh. The writers were really lazy that day, as they say.

But I have good news about the future of the piece. First of all, we should have an album release of the recording later this year… stay tuned for details on that one, but I'm super excited about both the quality of the recording and the quality of the record label involved. And second, the final movement of the cantata, Oseh Shalom, is tentatively set to receive a Bay Area premiere in SATB a cappella form in December, sung by the excellent East Bay chorus Sacred and Profane. Save the dates-- December 1 and 2-- and again watch this space for more details.

Meanwhile, in the shorter term, I am singing up a storm. Today and tomorrow I am joining the San Francisco Symphony Chorus, singing the men's chorus part in the last movement of the Busoni Piano Concerto. We gave our first performance Thursday night and it got a splendid review: https://datebook.sfchronicle.com/classical/sf-symphony-busoni-concerto-review-18126671

And on July 18 I will be singing with a festival chorus organized by Volti for a program of contemporary music in Napa Valley, centered on the Yiddish-language oratorio “Vessels of Light” by Lera Auerbach: https://festivalnapavalley.org/calendar/seasons-of-hope/

Looking forward to the singing and to seeing folks there.