Renaissance Singing Weekend!
(Feb. 2027)
Il pastor fido: Madrigals with texts by Giovanni Battista Guarini
RENAISSANCE SINGING WEEKEND!
Il pastor fido: Madrigals with texts by Giovanni Battista Guarini
St. Francis Lutheran Church (152 Church St, San Francisco)
February 5–7, 2027
Fee is $100 (does not include scores)
You'll be given materials to prepare in advance, and our time together will include both coached and self-directed sessions to deepen your expressive connection to these wonderful pieces, becoming more eloquent singers in the process.
We encourage experienced singers to fill in an application as soon as possible, as we need to assign groups and find appropriate material. Since spaces are limited, application does not guarantee participation, as we need to find the right combinations of voice parts.
If we are not familiar with your voice and vocal experience, we may ask for a brief recording and vocal resume to help us place you in a small ensemble.
We will send out scores about three weeks before the workshop; you are expected to print/download your own music, and come prepared.
We also encourage pre-formed ensembles (of at least five singers) to apply.
Are you looking to build up your small ensemble singing chops, especially in polyphonic works?
Join us on the weekend of February 5–7 for a supportive singing intensive for intermediate and advanced amateur singers focused on madrigals with texts by Giovanni Battista Guarini (1538–1612), best known as the author of the tragicomedy Il pastor fido, which influenced composers from Monteverdi to Handel. Enjoy the chance to sing in both one-on-a-part ensembles as well in a chamber choir.
Derek Tam (SFEMS Executive & Artistic Director) and Elizabeth Kimble (director of Musae) will facilitate ensemble work. Nicholas Jones (professor emeritus, Oberlin College), will also be on hand to share his expertise as a translator of over 150 of Guarini's texts into contemporary English verse.
Questions: email workshops@sfems.org
Draft Schedule
(subject to change)
Friday night: 7:00pm to 8:00pm group session; 8:00 to 10:00pm in small ensembles
Saturday: 11:00am to 1:00pm in small ensembles; 1:00pm to 2:00pm lunch; 2:00pm to 2:30pm lecture; 2:30pm to 3:00pm group session; 3:00pm to 5:00pm small ensembles
Sunday session: 2:00pm to 3:30pm warmup/final check-in, 4:00pm "sharing" concert
Elizabeth Kimble (she/they) is a conductor, composer, soprano, and psychotherapist whose music aims to explore the sacred and psychological dimensions of the human experience. She currently serves as the Artistic Director of Musae, a treble vocal ensemble based in San Francisco. Previously, she was the Music Director of the early music chamber choir Tactus SF from 2021-2024, and the Assistant Conductor of the International Orange Chorale of San Francisco from 2012-2020.
As a vocalist, Elizabeth has performed with an array of distinguished choral ensembles, including the San Francisco Symphony Chorus, Cappella SF, Gaude, Clerestory, Volti, 21V, the International Orange Chorale, and the California Bach Society. Her music has recently been performed by the Swedish Radio Choir, St Paul’s Episcopal Church of Burlingame CA, Cappella SF, the International Orange Chorale of San Francisco, and SF sound. Some of her liturgical music is published by Selah, and has been featured in services throughout the United States and England. She is a proud member of the American Guild of Musical Artists.
Elizabeth holds a MM in Music Composition from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, BM’s in Music Composition and Vocal Performance from Baldwin-Wallace College Conservatory of Music, and a MA in Counseling Psychology with an emphasis in Depth Psychology from Pacifica Graduate Institute. She currently lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband, and works as an Associate Marriage and Family Therapist and an Associate Professional Clinical Counselor. Learn more about Elizabeth at elizabethkimblemusic.com
Praised not only for his "deft" conducting (San Francisco Chronicle) but also as a "a master of [the harpsichord]" (San Francisco Classical Voice) and "the fortepianist of the beguiling fingers" (Bloomington Herald-Times), Derek Tam appears regularly throughout the Bay Area and beyond as a conductor and historical keyboardist.
He is the executive & artistic director of the San Francisco Early Music Society, a major advocate for early music in the United States, and serves as the artistic director of the biennial Berkeley Festival & Exhibition, an internationally-renowned celebration of early music.
Tam is the most recent past president of the board of Early Music America, a national organization dedicated to strengthening historical performance.