Plan A Perfect Holiday Concert Experience

Hover over the images for some wonderful ideas that will make your visit even more memorable.

California Street Cable Car

Ride the California Street Cable Car to the top of San Francisco's Nob Hill.

Huntington Park

Take in the holiday lights as you stroll through delightful Huntington Park

Fairmont Hotel Gingerbread House

Visit the world-famous Gingerbread House in Nob Hill's historic Fairmont Hotel

Grace Cathedral Christmas Tree

Enter the inspiring space of Grace Cathedral for an unparalleled musical experience.

Grace Cathedral by permission of David Yu

A Baroque Christmas

Wednesday December 14 2022

A Baroque Christmas

HANDEL  Messiah (Christmas portion – Part I)
VALENTINI  Sinfonia per Il Santissimo Natale
PEZ  Concerto Pastorale
CHARPENTIER  “La Nuit”
HANDEL  “Hallelujah Chorus”

Maya Kherani, soprano
Aryeh Nussbaum Cohen, countertenor
Mark Bonney, tenor
Christian Pursell, bass-baritone
Jeffrey Thomas, conductor

When & Where

Wednesday December 14 2022 7:30 p.m.
Grace Cathedral, San Francisco


The program will last approximately 2 hours with one intermission.

“The singers and instrumentalists of the ABS Choir and Orchestra were, as always, magnificent. There are simply not enough superlatives to adequately describe their mastery and musicianship and do justice to their dedication and artistry.” - Niels Swinkels SFCV 

About the Music

In this special abridged evening performance, you’ll hear the Christmas portion (Part I) of Handel’s Messiah along with music of the season by Baroque composers Giovanni Valentini, Johann Christoph Pez, and Marc-Antoine Charpentier.

Together with the best highlights of Handel's peerless composition, ABS will perform a sweetly captivating concerto for two "pastorale" recorders, an Italian sinfonia composed especially for Christmas, and an evocative musical painting of Christmas night by one of the most treasured composers of the Parisian Baroque.


Handel's Messiah in Grace Cathedral 

Thursday & Friday December 15 – 16 2022

Handel's Messiah

HANDEL  Messiah (Foundling Hospital Version)

Maya Kherani, soprano
Aryeh Nussbaum Cohen, countertenor
Mark Bonney, tenor
Christian Pursell, bass-baritone
Jeffrey Thomas, conductor

Sponsored in part by Marie Hogan

When & Where

Thursday December 15 2022 7:30 p.m.
Friday December 16 2022 7:30 p.m.
Grace Cathedral, San Francisco


The program will last approximately 2 ¾ hours with one intermission.

“What stood out above all, in this annual rite that drew a huge crowd, was the sense of being addressed directly, personally, confidingly. Conductor Jeffrey Thomas brought it all together, melding his ABS forces with precision and intuitive responsiveness” - Steven Winn, SFCV 

About the Music

No other Bay Area performances come close to offering the visual, aural, and emotional qualities that have made ABS’s Messiah in Grace Cathedral so superlative.

The finely tuned voices of the American Bach Choir and the polished sheen of sonorities brought by ABS’s period-instrument orchestra soar within the majestic interior of San Francisco’s Nob Hill landmark.

Our annual tradition of performing Handel’s Messiah in San Francisco’s historic Grace Cathedral perennially provides a treasured December holiday event to capacity audiences. A Bay Area holiday tradition now in its 24th year, ABS’s performances of Handel’s timeless work have become an essential part of the musical year for many music lovers and have attracted audiences of more than 50,000 from around the world. 

Maya Kherani

Maya
Kherani

Aryeh Nussbaum Cohen

Aryeh
Nussbaum Cohen

Mark Bonney

Mark
Bonney

Christian Pursell

Christian
Pursell


Celebrate!

A Baroque New Year's Eve at the Opera

Saturday December 31 2022 4:00 p.m.

A Baroque New Year's Eve

Arias & Duets from:
HANDEL  Giulio Cesare, Radamisto, Semele, Apollo & Dafne
PURCELL  King Arthur
RAMEAU  Hippolyte et Aricie
VIVALDI  La fida ninfa

Liv Redpath, soprano
Alex Rosen, bass
Jeffrey Thomas, conductor

When & Where

Saturday December 31 2022 4:00 p.m.
Herbst Theatre, San Francisco


The program will last approximately 2 hours with one intermission.

"A Gift for the New Year from American Bach Soloists" - Steven Winn SFCV

Liv Redpath, soprano
"unforgettable delicacy" - Opera West
"soaring upper range highlighted with polished crystal notes" - Opera Chaser

Alex Rosen, bass
"richly resonant" - The New York Times
"pure-toned grace" - The Independent
"potent and virile" - Parterre

About the Music

Back by popular demand, “A Baroque New Year’s Eve at the Opera” will usher in the new year within San Francisco’s beautiful Herbst Theatre. Start an early night on the town with a delightful program of arias, duets, and instrumental music from Baroque opera and concert, with plenty of time left for more celebrations in the evening or an early return home for a peaceful night. Bring your family and friends to celebrate a New Year full of wonderful music.

Liv Redpath is one of the most promising young sopranos on the opera and concert stage today, and Alex Rosen has quickly risen to international prominence in concert, operatic, and song repertoire. Together these dynamic and vocally gifted singers will perform beautiful and thrilling excerpts from theatrical works by Handel, Purcell, Rameau, and Vivaldi, along with orchestral works performed by American Bach Soloists conducted by Jeffrey Thomas, who “...draws crisp, vital playing from the ace baroque instrumentalists of American Bach Soloists, who provide galvanizing vigor but also caress the gut strings of their period instruments with unusual beauty.” - Opera News


Address

182 Howard Street, #536
San Francisco, CA 94105

Contacts

SEND A MESSAGE
Phone: +1 (415) 621 7900 
Fax: +1 (415) 621 7920