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The Tri-Valley’s community chorus has a new voice at the helm, with Joseph Castro set to make his public debut as artistic director of Valley Concert Chorale leading a pair of performances at local churches this weekend.
Castro, who succeeded John Emory Bush upon his retirement last season after 26 years, is a Bay Area native who has performed around the world, previously conducted and coached with Cantabile Youth Singers of Silicon Valley and serves as director of Choral Activities at West High School in Tracy. For his introductory concerts conducting VCC, Castro has chosen as centerpieces Ludwig von Beethoven’s “Mass in C Major” and Elaine Hagenberg’s “Songs from Silence”.
“I am beyond grateful for the opportunity to join such a vibrant group of choral artists,” Castro said in a recent press release. “VCC has a rich history and tradition in the choral arts, so naturally I was drawn to composers from past and present who embody similar qualities I have heard in the sound from the Chorale.”
“Beethoven is a natural embodiment of the human spirit; to persevere and reach toward our ideals despite what life may throw our way,” he added. “I found common ground between the spirit of Beethoven and our choristers and found the perfect marriage of ideals to bring together a performance that is more than a concert — it is an artistic experience of how the human spirit can navigate immense adversity to inspire hope.”
Castro’s selections are emblematic “of his vision for the future of the Chorale”, according to VCC Board President Sarah Allendorf.
“We are really enjoying the challenge of learning and perfecting this music,” Allendorf added, “and these concerts are sure to break new ground for the chorale. Join us as we embark on a new level of artistic expression and storytelling with our new artistic director Joseph Castro.”
The creative expression and emotions evoked from silence is a theme among the music of the concert.
“Silence may have been a reality for Beethoven near the later portion of his life, and certainly was beginning to take hold around 1807 when he composed the ‘Mass’,” Castro said. “It would not be many years later when silence would become his most hated companion. I chose the Jake Runestad ‘A Silence Haunts Me’ (2019) which is based on a letter Beethoven wrote to his family regarding his settling deafness. It appropriately compliments Beethoven’s ‘Mass in C’.”
The companion pieces “Song of My Heart” and “Stir the Embers” that make up Hagenberg’s “Songs from Silence” join Joshua Shank’s “Musica animam tangens” in also being featured in the upcoming VCC program.
The concerts are scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Saturday (March 15) at First Presbyterian Church on Fifth Street in Livermore and 4 p.m. Sunday (March 16) at Trinity Lutheran Church on Hopyard Road in Pleasanton. Tickets are $30 for adults and $10 for college students with valid ID; youth through high school are free. Visit valleyconcertchorale.org or call 925-866-4003.
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