SLO Master Chorale Concerts

Following a historic year celebrating its 40^th anniversary, the San Luis Obispo Master Chorale announces its 2025/2026 season, featuring three diverse concerts at the Performing Arts Center San Luis Obispo. Each performance features choral masterworks by world-renowned – and sometimes underrecognized – composers, conducted by Dr. Thomas Davies, music director and founder. The SLO Master Chorale also hosts Beyond the Notes, free community events that offer an in-depth look at pieces performed.

The season’s programming begins on November 23, 2025, with “Songs of Joy.” This performance features an afternoon of inspiring music for chorus and orchestra with talented soloists for a delightful concert of uplifting compositions. Works include Antonín Dvořák’s Te Deum, Mozart’s Vesperae solennes de confessore (commonly known as the Solemn Vespers), and The Canticle of the Sun by Amy Beach, a breathtaking work that is infrequently performed live. The Te Deum is an exuberant cantata in four parts that follows the formal arrangement of a classical symphony, and its composition marks the beginning of Dvořák’s American period. The Solemn Vespers is Mozart’s final choral work composed for the cathedral and is divided into six movements, ranging from bold and exuberant, to tranquil a cappella style. The Canticle of the Sun combines chorus, orchestra, and solo voices into a symphonic style rooted in the Romantic tonal tradition that’s an expression of gratitude to all of nature’s elements. Soloists include Jamie Chamberlin, soprano; Max Potter, mezzo-soprano; Manfred Anaya, tenor; and Joel Balzun, bass.

Next, the San Luis Obispo Master Chorale presents its annual “Holiday Festival” concert on December 20, 2025. This family holiday tradition features a sing-along of the “Hallelujah Chorus” of Handel’s ever-popular Messiah, plus works by local composers Meredith Brammeier and Paul Osborne, as well as Robert Shaw/Robert Russell Bennett carol arrangements. Attendees will also be delighted by returning guest quartet Westwood Brass from Los Angeles, and experience the magic of the Forbes Pipe Organ, played by Cal Poly University Organist Paul Woodring. Messiah scores will be available in the lobby of the Performing Arts Center.

The season’s final concert on April 19, 2026, is a performance of The Creation by Franz Joseph Haydn, an oratorio in three parts inspired by Handel’s Messiah and Israel in Egypt. This choral gem of the Age of Enlightenment draws out the story of the Creation, depicting all the wonders of the first six days. The SLO Master Chorale and Orchestra will be accompanied on stage by resident soprano soloist Amy Goymerac singing the parts of Gabriel and Eve, plus two newcomers: bass soloist Colin Ramsey (Raphael/Adam), and tenor Nathan Granner (Uriel).

The San Luis Obispo Master Chorale also invites the community to attend Beyond the Notes, a lecture series that accompanies the Chorale’s November and April concerts. The educational presentations are given by noted scholars and strive to offer an enhanced understanding of the context and history of the music, an increased appreciation for the music and live performance, and to spread awareness about the arts. The November lecturer is E. Douglas Bomberger, PhD, professor of music emeritus at Elizabethtown College. His presentations will explore American Music in the 1890s, particularly works composed by Dvořák and Amy Beach. Michael E. Ruhling, PhD, professor of performing arts at the Rochester Institute of Technology and a senior associate faculty in musicology at the Eastman School of Music, will visit to present in April 2026. Dr. Ruhling’s presentations focus on the life of composer Franz Joseph Haydn and the context of the music of The Creation. More details about these presentations are available at www.slomasterchorale.org.

All concerts are given in Harold Miossi Hall at the Performing Arts Center San Luis Obispo on the Cal Poly campus. Tickets are available for purchase at www.pacslo.org or by calling the PAC box office at 805-756-4849. Season ticket packages are available through November 14.