Join us for a beautiful evening of vocal music from the San Francisco based, 30-strong choir of women, Conspiracy of Venus! Opening the evening will be the talented Dave Mihaly & the Shimmering Leaves Ensemble.
Conspiracy of Venus is a San Francisco based vocal ensemble comprised of 30 women directed by the innovative singer, composer, and arranger Joyce Todd McBride. Conspiracy of Venus’s repertoire includes unique and complex jazz-inspired arrangements of songs by David Bowie, Joni Mitchell, Tom Waits, Leonard Cohen, Stevie Wonder, The Pixies, Björk, and others, as well as McBride’s own original works. The choir delivers a graceful and energized live choral performance, and recently released their debut album, Muse Ecology.
Director: Joyce Todd McBride is a composer, vocalist and pianist from Berkeley, California. Her musical influences and performance experience span the early medieval art of the troubadours, early polyphony, balinese gamelan, middle eastern rhythms, jazz, art song, piano literature, punk and rock, and East Bay funk. She has taught voice and piano for nearly 25 years after studying composition and ethnomusicology at Mills College (M.A.) and the University of Pennsylvania (an all but done PhD). Compositions include three theatre works, one full length musical, dozens of songs, a string quartet, instrumental works, and over thirty arrangements. She is a devoted teacher and directs several ensembles. She performs frequently with local groups as a singer and/or pianist.
Singers: Christina Alva, Maggie Andrews* (12), Aviva Berlowitz, Frankie Burton, Kala Chapman, Laura Einhorn, Robin Fontaine, Jamie Freedman, Natalie Hopner, PJ Husack, Liz Innes, Sarah Kaplan, Amelia Kay Large, Erin E. Lyman, Sylvia Kratins, Leah Laderas, AJ Margolis, Sarah Markstrom, Cathy Matgen, Bridget May, Saskia Ockeloen, Dawn Olson, Diana Pray (guest vocalist), Kate Sheehan, Amy Shelf, Emily Shumway* (4), Alexandra Smith, Deborah Steinberg, Lette Stockwell, Athena Waid, Madalyn Watkins* (4, 7), Jessie Woletz
*soloists
