UPCOMING CONCERTS
FIRST CHURCH FESTIVAL CHORUS: MARGARET BONDS
Saturday, January 25, 2025 • 7:30 pm
More than sixty years after her sudden passing, Margaret Bonds (1913–72) seems more relevant than ever as a leading musical advocate for social justice. This concert features two major choral works by Bonds: Credo and Simon Bore the Cross. Featuring texts by W.E.B. Du Bois and and her close friend Langston Hughes, these two works are powerful representations of Bonds’ unique compositional voice. While Bonds did not live to hear either works performed in their entirety, don’t miss this opportunity to listen to these two rarely-heard works and be inspired to action!
This concert will feature soloists Angela Arnold (soprano) and Wilford Kelly (bass-baritone).
Experienced choral singers are welcome to sign up for the Festival Chorus, which will rehearse in January for the concert.
For more information about joining, please click here to register.
TICKETS
$30 general
$20 First Church members and students under 25 (with ID)
ABOUT RESONANCE
Since 2014, we have brought world-class performances to the East Bay! From classical music to jazz and everything in between, savor our historic Sanctuary’s inimitable acoustics. Now in its eleventh season, Resonance @ First Church has become a mainstay of the East Bay artistic calendar.
Music has always been an important part of the life of First Church. It touches the soul and gives sound and voice to ineffable mystery. We sing together and share our musical gifts. We also delight in the special talents of artists from within our community and beyond.
We promise to continue to bring our “characteristic vitality” to a series of exciting performances (Joshua Kosman, San Francisco Chronicle) as we celebrate more than a decade of memorable concerts!
Derek Tam, First Church’s Director of Music, curates this exciting series.
Please consider a donation to support great music beyond ticket sales. Your generosity will support the First Church Berkeley Music Fund!
First Church is on the south side of the UC Berkeley campus, just west of Telegraph Avenue. It is a few blocks from the Downtown Berkeley BART and is accessible by several bus lines. Some paid parking is available in the church parking lot. For more directions, click here.
OUR PAST SEASONS
2023–24 series: Les Rebelles Baroques • Andrew McIntosh, violin | Nature Sounds • Sara Couden | Elizabeth Forsyth (organ) and Friends | Summer Sing-ins: Fauré Requiem and Bonds Credo
2022–23 series: Women of Majesty • Bethany Hill, soprano | First Church Festival Chorus • Schubert and Pergolesi | Around the World in Eighty Minutes • Elizabeth Forsyth, organ | Belle Époque • Derek Tam, piano
2021–22 series: J.S. Bach: Gamba Sonatas • Erik Andersen and Derek Tam | Breanna Sinclairé (cancelled due to Covid-19) | First Church Festival Chorus • Schubert and Pergolesi (postponed) | Singing Hope (cancelled)
2020–21 online series: Darnell Ishmel & Andrew Jamieson | Thrive Choir | Music of Black Composers • Derek Tam, piano | Toccatas and Tunes • Elizabeth Forsyth,organ | Mozart Requiem: Lecture and Sing-Along | Singing Hope: Praise Through a Pandemic
2020–21 summer in-person series: Bach and Friends • Elizabeth Forsyth, organ | Stormy Beethoven • Derek Tam, fortepiano | A Saint-Saëns Celebration • Elizabeth Forsyth, organ
2019–20: Blessing of the Animals | Beethoven at 250 | First Church Festival Chorus · Duruflé Requiem and Quatre Motets | Singing Hope! | Bach’s Goldberg Variations (cancelled due to Covid-19)
2018–19: Costanoan Trio | Carnival of the Animals | Ars Minerva · Ifigenia in Aulide | First Church Festival Chorus · Vaughan Williams Dona Nobis Pacem & Serenade to Music | Derek Tam, fortepiano | Elizabeth Forsyth, organ
2017–18: Mozart for Friends | Jason Chu | Mya Byrne | First Church Festival Chorus · Brahms Requiem | Peter and the Wolf | Sylvestris Quartet | MUSA · The Birth of the String Symphony
2016–17: First Church Festival Chorus · Carmina Burana | Salisbury Cathedral Choir | Ja Ronn & FLOW
2015–16: MUSA · Brandenburg Concertos | Kyle Stegall, tenor | Andrew Jamieson & Trouble Ensemble | First Church Festival Chorus · Fauré Requiem
2014–15: Derek Tam, harpsichord | Messiaen: Quartet for the End of Time | French Baroque | First Church Festival Chorus · Vivaldi Gloria