November 22 is St. Cecilia’s Day, the day we celebrate the patron saint of musicians. It’s also the birthday of the great British composer, Benjamin Britten! This season we’ll honor them both by performing Britten’s masterpiece Hymn to St. Cecilia on St. Cecilia’s Day (and also the day after).

In fact, the entire program celebrates Cecilia! We open and close with gems from the English Baroque by Henry Purcell and George Frederick Handel. Between those come yet more Englishmen: Herbert Howells, Malcolm Archer, John Gardner, and a new voice on the scene, Toby Young. We also perform the Missa Santa Cecilia by Dutch composer Jacob de Haan, and Ceciliada, a lively work with Latin rhythms by Polish composer Marcin Wawruk. We’re joined by organist Diane Keller for many of the pieces.

Palo Alto
Sun, November 23, 4:30pm
​First Congregational Church
1985 Louis Road