Choir of Clare College to Perform in Pacific Palisades

By SARAH SHMERLING | Editor-in-Chief

Saint Matthew’s Music Guild will continue its current season with a performance by Choir of Clare College, Cambridge University, on Friday, December 8, beginning at 8 p.m.

The program, which is called “O magnum mysterium,” will span more than five centuries of “beloved choral repertoire,” designed for the “advent and Christmas seasons.”

It features settings of the text “O magnum mysterium” by Spanish composer Cristóbal Morales, “more contemporary” settings by Francis Poulenc and Morten Lauridsen, and carols from 17th-century France and Germany. There will also be “seasonal works” by Herbert Howells, John Tavener, John Rutter, Will Todd and Lucy Walker.

“Since the founding of a mixed voice choir in 1972, the Choir of Clare College, Cambridge, has gained an international reputation as one of the world’s leading university choirs,” according to a statement from Music Guild. “In addition to its primary function of leading services three times a week in the College chapel, the Choir keeps an active schedule recording, broadcasting and performing.”

Recent performances for the choir include with the Orchestra of the Age of the Enlightenment, Britten Sinfonia, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra and Orquesta Sinfonia Nacional de Mexico.

“The Choir has produced an impressive discography of more than 40 recordings,” the statement continued. “Their recordings under Graham Ross on the Harmonia Mundi label have been released to great critical acclaim, earning praise for ‘exceptional singing’ and ‘immaculate performances.’ The Choir’s latest album, ‘Rolling River,’ featuring American choral works by Barber, Bernstein, Nico Muhly and others, was released on the Harmonia Mundi label in 2023.”

The concert will take place at St. Matthew’s Church, located at 1031 Bienveneda Avenue. Tickets are $45, or available as part of a Music Guild season pass.

Music Guild President Tom Neenan will host a free pre-concert lecture, which will begin at 7:10 p.m.

For more information or to purchase tickets, visit musicguildonline.org.