A Brief History of Cabrillo Chorus

A Brief History of the Cabrillo Chorus

The Cabrillo Chorus was formed when Cabrillo College opened its doors in Watsonville High School in 1961. The first director was Ralph Kent, followed by Theodore Toews, Allen Illich, Gene Manners, and Antony Antolini. In the early years, the chorus performed in Germany, Austria, the Netherlands and on the East Coast of the United States.

In December 1988, Tony Antonlini led the chorus in a tour of the Soviet Union, performing Sergei Rachmaninoff's Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom. The San Jose Public Television Station, KTEH, accompanied us and produced Rediscovering Rachmaninoff, a one-hour documentary, which has been shown all over the world.

In the fall of 1991, Cheryl Anderson stepped upon the podium, bringing her bright personality, brilliant musicianship, and a vast choral repertoire.

A partial listing of works we have performed follows to highlight some of the great memories, moments and achievements of Cabrillo Symphonic/Cantata Chorus.

Cabrillo 's magnificant new recital hall.	The Chorus recently sang the GALA opening of Cabrillo’s Crocker Theater and performed the Dedicatory Recital of Cabrillo’s New Music Recital Hall with a performance of Handel’s Messiah with orchestra.
Summer 2009: June 14‐June 24, 2009 Cabrillo Touring Chorus celebrated Handel’s 250th anniversary in a joint performance of the complete Messiah, Simon Carrington conducting, in Dublin, Ireland, the city in which Händel first conducted this great work in 1742. Online Photos	Christ Church Cathedral, the site of our Messiah performance
	Summer 2007: The Cabrillo Symphonic Chorus and the Cabrillo Youth Chorus were honored with an invitation to sing in Carnegie Hall on June 19, 2007. We performed the commissioned: "The Peace of Wild Things" by Imant Raminsh (East Coast Premiere), Cheryl Anderson, conductor more...
Spring 2005, performing the "Ode to Joy," with its celebration of the brotherhood of mankind, we brought this masterful composition to a close with the Santa Cruz Symphony. more...
Stabat Mater	The Cabrillo Symphonic Chorus performed Dvorak's Stabat Mater with the Santa Cruz County Symphony May 1, 2004. Phyllis Rosenblum wrote: "Music Director John Larry Granger led the orchestra and Cheryl Anderson's Cabrillo Symphonic Chorus in a dazzling performance." (Santa Cruz Sentinel 4 May 2004).
Cabrillo Symphonic Chorus performed in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Thursday, February 26 the Western Division American Choral Directors 2004 Convention. We began the program with i thank you God, an e.e. cummings poem set to music by Eric Whitacre. Our finale was Chichester Psalms by Leonard Bernstein, accompanied by orchestra.	ACDA Convention 2004
	In July 2003, the Cantiamo! and the Cabrillo Symphonic Chorus traveled to Berlin to participate in the premiere of Eric Whitacre's Paradise Lost, the Opera. We performed in the beautiful BerlinerDom, followed by a tour of Germany and Austria. The grand finale was a performance of the Mozart Requiem, with a wonderful professional orchestra in Vienna's Karlskirche. The invitation to participate in this event was a tribute to the fine work of Cheryl Anderson and those who sing with her. The premiere and the tour was another wonderful, life-changing experience.
Spring 2003 the chorus performed Carmina Burana, the energetic work by Carl Orff, the German composer and folklorist. The grand finale of the Santa Cruz County Symphony's 2002-2003 season brought out its largest audience of season.
	During spring 2002, the chorus joined with Cantiamo!, Cabrillo Chorale, and the Cabrillo Youth Chorus to perform the Mozart Requiem. The chorus repeated this performance on September 11, 2002, to honor those who lost their lives on that date.
Spring 2001 the Cabrillo Chorus was privileged to perform the Johannes Brahms' Ein Deutsches Requiem with the Santa Cruz County Symphony.	Brahm's Requiem
Viva Espana!	In 2001, the chorus traveled through Spain in one of the most fun tours ever. Singing and dancing in Barcelona, flamenco dancers in Seville, great art in the Prado, and great choral music throughout that wonderful country made for a wonderful time for everyone. Also during 2001, the chorus also performed Songs of the Slave by Kirke Meecham with the Santa Cruz Symphony.
In spring 2000, the chorus prepared and sang Bach's St. Matthew Passion with our Cantiamo and the Cabrillo Youth Chorus. That year, the chorus also sang Mahler's Resurrection Symphony with the Santa Cruz County Symphony.
Elijah top	During summer 2000, the chorus performed Mendelssohn's Elijah with Ensemble Monterey at the Civic Auditorium and at Grace Cathedral in San Francisco. Both performances involved intense preparation and were rewarding learning experiences for all involved. Numerous chorus members sang fabulous solos.
During the summer of 1999, the chorus conducted a home tour, performing in Watsonville, Salinas, and Mission San Antonio in Jolon. We performed Ramirez' Navidad Nuestra, with Latin American percussion and stringed instruments in the lovely Steinbeck Center.	Navidad Nuestra
Triumphant Tour of Italy	During the summer of 1998, 90 singers and 30 friends and family, affectionately known as The Entourage, toured Italy. It was a life changing experience for everyone who went. We sang in the Duomo of Milan, St. Mark's Basilica in Venice, the Cathedral of Siena, the Duomo in Florence, and sang at a Mass in the Vatican. It was an unforgettable experience to sing Palestrina's Tu es Petrus in the Vatican, with the words themselves lining the great dome above us in golden letters six feet high. Our final performance was at the Church of the Twelve Apostles in Rome.
During the summer of 1996, the chorus performed Richard Einhorn's Voices of Light with the Cabrillo Music Festival. This cantata was performed in conjunction with the 1937 silent film, Joan of Arc. Mr. Einhorn said that he had never heard the work performed better.	Voices of Light
La Koro Sutra	In 1995, the chorus took a summer expedition to Mission at Santa Barbara, where we performed Lou Harrison's La Koro Sutra, a setting in Esperanto of the Buddhist Heart Sutra. We performed with a gamelan, an amazing red and gold ensemble of gongs and bells. In March 1996, the chorus performed at the American Choral Director's Association Annual Conference for the Western Region. The chorus performed La Koro Sutra with gamelan, and introduced a whole new generation of choral directors to this exciting work by one of the 20th Century's greatest composers. This great honor was a tribute to the hard work and spirit of all members of the Cabrillo Chorus.
Harmonium Immediately after returning from the Eastern European tour, the chorus began rehearsals for Harmonium, by John Adams, performed with the Cabrillo Music Festival. Probably the most difficult piece of music the chorus has ever sung, Harmonium catapulted chorus members to new heights of musical ability.	Wild Nights–Wild Nights! Were I with thee Wild Nights should be Our Luxury! Futile–the winds– To a Heart in port– Done with the Compass– Done with the Chart! Rowing in Eden– Ah, the sea! Might I but moor–Tonight– In thee! -- Emily Dickinson top
Poster from the Eastern European Tour	In July 1994, approximately 80 singers and 30 groupies toured Eastern Europe, performing in the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, and Poland. The program included sacred music, American spirituals, opera, and Carmina Burana. Singing Carmina Burana with orchestras whose players spoke no English, who had never worked with a woman conductor before, and who had never seen a costumed chorus enter from the back of the hall singing, dancing, and shouting, was a uniue and wonderful experience!
In the summer of 1993, the chorus produced Carl Orff's Carmina Burana, a bawdy celebration of life. We sang in costume and sold out the Civic Auditorium to a standing room only house of over 1,400 excited audience members. After a fantastic standing ovation, we finished the performance by holding a gala celebration, where we ate and danced and sang until the early hours of the morning.
	For two decades, Cabrillo Chorus has performed Music for the Feast, a concert that marks the beginning of the holiday season for many with an evening of warmth and a sing-along. We hope you will join us this December at Holy Cross Church in Santa Cruz.
In August 1992, the chorus initiated our first summer activity. The chorus invited other local singers to join us in performing Leonard Bernstein's Chichester Psalms as the finale for the Cabrillo Music Festival.	Chichester Psalms
The Cheryl Years Druids, pirates, and geishas come to the opera top	In the fall of 1991, Cheryl Anderson stepped upon the podium, bringing her bright personality, brilliant musicianship, and a vast choral repertoire. In May 1992, we performed our first opera concert, dressed in fantastic costumes and having a tremendous amount of fun. From this beginning has evolved the Cabrillo Opera program.