PREVIEWS, REVIEWS, AND OTHER PRESS
Review on Facebook by Jeraldine Johnson, retired music teacher, of our Divine Liturgy concert of March, 2019.
Bay Choral Guild celebrates the Bard — Preview by Sophie Pollock, Palo Alto Weekly, May 25, 2017, of our 400 Years of Shakespeare concert.
Review by local composer Henry Mollicone of our March, 2017 Songs of Isaiah concert.
Two previews of the chamber setting of Ein Deutsches Requiem from November, 2014:
- Brahms’ German Requiem on Tour — by Janos Gereben, San Francisco Classical Voice.
- A choristers’ piece — by Janet Silver Ghent, Palo Alto Weekly.
Bay Choral Guild’s America — Review by blogger Guerrilla Scholar, June, 2013, of Our American Heritage.
Rachmaninoff Done Right — Review by blogger Guerrilla Scholar, June, 2012, of our All-Night Vigil concert.
Sanford Dole ... has a firm command of the repertoire of sacred music; and his collaboration with Jubilate, a period instrument ensemble, made for an effective historically informed performance. However, respect for musicology was secondary to the rich and secure sounds of Dole’s BCG voices, particularly in this context of engaging with a full orchestra.“ — Stephen Smoliar, writing in the now-defunct SF Classical Music Examiner, of our 2011 Christmas concert
Bay Choral Guild: A Festival of Masses — Review by blogger Guerrilla Scholar of our June, 2011 concert.
Bay Choral Guild’s Pacific Passions — Review by blogger Guerrilla Scholar of our March 2011 concert of west-coast composers. Also, Rebecca Wallace previewed that concert in the Palo Alto Weekly.
Most important, however, was the clarity of the text and the clear commitment to that text that was so obvious in the execution by the performers. This is an ensemble that clearly takes both its music and its texts very seriously and is therefore well equipped to take on major themes like peace and love without either sentimentalizing or trivializing them, and we can all benefit from more performances with this level of attention.” — Stephen Smoliar, writing in the now-defunct SF Classical Music Examiner, of our June, 2010 Peace and Love concert
Bay Choral Guild has new name, global viewpoint — Article by Rebecca Wallace, Arts and Entertainment Editor, Palo Alto Weekly, November 2008, written after interviewing artistic director Sanford Dole during preparations for the December 2008 concert, “An Orthodox Christmas.”
Comments from our audience members
December 2008 Concert, “An Orthodox Christmas”—deeply moving music from Russia and Eastern Europe:
Pro-level singing ensemble. Was like listening to KDFC-FM, but with the people actually in the same room. I kept waiting to hear Hoyt Smith intone, “That was the Bay Choral Guild… performing…”
Just wanted to let all you know that all of my friends, family and others came away with nothing but praise for our performance yesterday. The favorite was “Otche Nash”, hands down. Got many compliments on the diction and pronunciation….people were impressed!”
Julie and I both enjoyed it quite a bit. Despite not comprising traditional ‘Christmas carols’ the concert had a feeling of joyousness and celebration just right for the season. You clearly were having fun, too.”
