In Monday’s (12/21) San Jose Mercury News, Richard Scheinin writes about the San Jose Chamber Orchestra’s holiday program. “For six years now, the San Jose Chamber Orchestra and the Choral Project have collaborated on a holiday program known as ‘Winter’s Gifts.’ A uniquely creative and comforting event, it’s already taking hold as an annual activity—even threatening to become a tradition—and it really is a gift to the community. The brainchild of Barbara Day Turner, music director and conductor of the string orchestra, and Daniel Hughes, artistic director and conductor of the 40-plus-voice chorus based in San Jose, ‘Winter’s Gifts’ happened again over the weekend. I attended Sunday’s concert at Mission Santa Clara, where the audience was warmed by a seamless, intermission-free holiday suite crisscrossing musical and religious traditions and lasting about 75 minutes.” Among the choral and orchestral offerings at the program, entitled “Hope” and also performed in San Francisco, were Christmas carols from Spain and Latin America; an excerpt from Trinitas for string orchestra by Anica Galindo, a local 20-year-old composer; and Flory Jagoda’s Ocho Kandelikas, which mixed Spanish, Hebrew, Greek, and Turkish words and rhythms.
Posted December 23, 2009
