The Peninsula Women's Chorus

The Peninsula Women's Chorus (PWC) is a Palo Alto-based, 60-voice women's choir performing high-quality classical and contemporary music in the Bay Area and many parts of the world. Committed to excellence in the performance of diverse and challenging choral literature for women's voices, the PWC has come to national and international attention through live performance and recordings and has added significantly to the choral literature by commissioning new music. The chorus inspires and enriches its audiences in the Bay Area through its concert series, its ongoing program of premiering new works, and its numerous collaborations with other Bay Area performing groups.

Founded in 1966 under the auspices of the Association of American University Women, the Peninsula Women's Chorus is now affiliated with Foothill College in Los Altos, California, and is the premier vocal ensemble for women in the San Francisco Bay Area. Under the direction of Dr. Patricia Hennings from 1975 until her untimely death in 2001, the PWC was led by Karen Robinson until the fall of 2003 when current artistic director, Martín Benvenuto, assumed the musical leadership of the chorus.The PWC's commitment to performing new and interesting music has produced many works that have expanded women's choral literature and has also prompted the chorus's involvement in projects beyond the scope of the normal concert season.

From 1982 to 1987, the PWC was involved in performing unique "vocal orchestra" music from a World War II women's internment camp in Sumatra, resulting in a beautiful documentary film, Song of Survival. In 1995, the PWC and music director Patricia Hennings performed Puccini's opera, Suor Angelica, with Palo Alto's West Bay Opera company. And in 2000, a Poetry and Music Project brought together local elementary schoolchildren with the California Poets in the Schools and three composers to produce nine new pieces based on poems written by the children. Collaborations For more than 30 years, the PWC has not only brought outstanding performances to local audiences through its own concerts, but it has also drawn visiting choirs (women's, men's, and mixed) from around the world for joint events. Tours to the British Isles, Eastern and Western Europe, British Columbia, and Newfoundland have extended the PWC's impact beyond the U.S. and enlarged the chorus members' appreciation and knowledge of the music of other cultures.

Discography

Winter Patterns

The 60-voice Palo Alto, CA-based PWC is known for adventurous programming, seeking out music written especially for women, and frequently commissioning new works. "Winter Patterns" is a Christmas collection of sacred works such as Chesnokov's "Dostoyno yest" (It is truly fitting) and "Svete tihiy" (Gladsome Light), Daniel Pinkham's 3-part "Christmas Cantata," Rebecca Clarke's "Ave Maria," Charles Griffin's "Agnus Dei," Poulenc's "Litanies a la Vierge Noire" and Veljo Tormis' 4-part "Talvemustrid" (Winter Patterns). There are also carols, Franz Gruber's "Silent Night," and the lesser-known "Salvator Mundi, A Carol Sequence" by William Mathias, which includes "Make we Merry," "Mirabile Mysterium," "Susanni," "Lullay" and "Welcome, Yule." "Patterns" is a rare and beautiful collection of sacred music from one of the world's best women's choral ensembles. Some accompaniment.

Earth Tones

The sound of wind and water, the Sierra Nevada mountain range‹late PWC artistic director Patricia Farris Hennings had a love for these things, and envisioned producing a CD of 20th century music that would transport the listener and inspire the soul. That CD is Earthtones, a musical journey through both nature and spirituality. Opening with Libby Larsen's soaring "Psalm 121," commissioned by the Palo Alto, CA-based PWC, Gwyneth Walker's "I Thank You God," Hildegar von Bingen's beautiful "O viridissima virga," Ramona Luengen's joyous "Celebremus," H. Garrett Phillips' dramatic "Odysseus and the Sirens," Lojze Lebic's rhythmic "Urok," the fast-moving "Mouth Music," the traditional South African song "Nginani Na," and the lovely folk song "Shenandoah." 13 songs, some with light accompaniment and percussion. The PWC is one of our favorite women's choruses, and the perfectly recorded "Earthtones" is a wonderful tribute to their beloved director from 1975 to her passing in 2001.

Treasures

Established in 1966, the 73-strong PWC has been ably led since 1975 by renowned Director Patricia Hennings, Director of Choral Activities at Skyline College. The group has performed at numerous ACDA conventions, toured internationally and appeared on NPR and television both here and abroad. Josephine Gandolfi supplies gentle accompaniment, placing the focus on the angelic voices of the group. The group's repertoire includes contemporary sacred music like Agneta Skold's "Gloria," Hakan Olsson's "Da Pacem," David Conte's "Hosanna," Libby Larsen's "Who Cannot Weep, Come Learn of Me," Michael Cleveland's "Pie Jesu," Brian Holmes' Christmas carol "Good Cheer, and Nancy Telfer's lovely "The Blue Eye of God." Also included are de Victoria's 16th century sacred song, "Domaine, Non Sum Dignus," Gustav Holst's 19th century masterpiece, "Hymn to the Waters," Knut Nystedt's "Shells" and "Suoni," and finally, "In Praise of Music," written by David Conte to celebrate the PWC's 25th anniversary. "Treasures" is exactly that, soaring, beautiful and uplifting!

6841 CD $15.98

Carols and Lullabies

The first 10 songs are a marvelous group called "Carols and Lullabies, Christmas in the Southwest" by Conrad Susa. A friend of Susa's showed him a collection of traditional Spanish carols he had sung as a boy in Arizona, and Susa put them together to form a narrative. combining homey, artful simplicity with Renaissance music, Songs like "Alegria" and the Andalusian song "Chiquirriquitin," with their lilting, dancing marimbas, and the lovely "A La Nanita Nana," are the gems of the CD. The second half of the CD takes us more in the direction of the sacred (Karai's "Hodie Christus natus est" and Missa Brevis' "Kyrie," "Sanctus" and "Agnus Dei"). Throw in "The Carol of the Rose," "Alleluia" and others, and you have a surprising, delightful Christmas CD!

6842 CD $15.98

Alleluia Psallat

Highlights include the Pastoral Symphony by Handel, Caritas abundat by Hildegard von Bingen, selections from Ceremony of Carols by Benjamin Britten, Bach's In dulci jubilo arranged for piano and performed by Josephine Gandolfi, and several pieces from Seven Joys of Christmas by Kirke Mechem.

Song of the Spirit

Music strengthens your inner-self, whether in times of joy or sorrow. Songs of Spirit features music from the documentary Song of Survival. This music is from the collection of vocal orchestral pieces which were sung by Dutch, English and American women in a Japanese prison camp during World War II. Among the pieces sung were, "Largo" from the New World Symphony by Dvorak, the "Pastoral Symphony" from Handel's Messiah and the steadfast "Captive's Hymn" written in 1942 by one of the music's arrangers Margaret Dryburgh. These pieces were first performed by the Peninsula Women's Chorus for the documentary "Song of Survival" and featured in the movie Paradise Road. Also featured is the song cycle "Indian Singing," based on poetry by Gail Tremblay, composed by Ron Jeffers. This piece was written specifically for the Peninsula Women's Chorus. This CD contains some very powerful music

6577 CD $15.98

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