The award-winning vocal ensemble Solstice has enthralled Bay Area audiences with their technically precise and passionate treatment of music for women’s voices since 1996. With a repertoire spanning centuries, crossing musical and geographical boundaries, Solstice shares the music they love and their joy in singing together in an intimate concert that makes use of the hall's wonderful acoustics.

The San Geronimo Valley Community Center is excited to announce a return performance of Solstice, on Saturday, January 28th at 8 p.m. in the Valley Room of the Community Center. Solstice has enthralled audiences with their technically precise and passionate treatment of music for women’s voices since 1996. Each Solstice member brings her own musical tastes and talents to the group, which creates a diverse, dynamic repertoire. From Purcell to Poulenc, from the Barry Sisters to Sara Bareilles, Solstice shares the music they love from around the world and through the ages. They are committed to performing new works for women's voices and regularly compose, commission, and arrange new songs.

The group is made up of Emily Bender, Christina Bogiages, Becca Burrington, Krista Enos, Sheryl Kaskowitz, Kim Warsaw, and Sara Webb-Schmitz. 

Tickets are $25 Adults, $20 Seniors, and $10 Specially Priced Tickets (kids, students, and fixed and low income). Tickets are available on Eventbrite.

Join Solstice: A Female Vocal Ensemble in celebrating the release of our new album, Sing When The Dawn is Dark. Recorded in the lush acoustic of the San Geronimo Valley Community Center, the album features songs that show resilience and strength in the face of difficult times such as ours, and it also showcases the rich sound of our baritone Lark Coryell, who left the group in 2018 but will be back to sing with us at this special concert! 

 Come soothe your soul in an acoustic oasis of sound precisely and lovingly performed by eight outstanding female vocalists who have been refining and perfecting their unified sound for more than 20 years. Recognized in the top three in a national field of competitors at the Harmony Sweeps A Cappella Festival, the passion and quality of their music combined with their approachable and appreciative love for their audiences makes for a delightful evening.

 The album features many never-recorded Solstice concert favorites, including the Quaker hymn "How Can I Keep from Singing," Elizabeth Alexander’s "Faith is the Bird," Biebl’s soaring "Ave Maria," as well as Solstice originals like Sara Webb-Schmitz's lullaby "Corn Pone" and Becca Burrington's arrangement of "This Woman's Work" by Kate Bush. The songs on this record hold messages of strength, love, peace, and humor that we have found comforting during the hard times of the last few years, and we are so excited to share them with you.

 The evening will feature a full concert, including songs from the album, as well as a reception to celebrate, and the album will be available at a discounted price.  

 We hope you can join us! 

Click Here for Tickets.

Solstice Sings for the Season:

Let a cappella ensemble Solstice ease you into the warmth and glow of the season with music from around the world and through the ages. Solstice takes a unique approach to the music of the holidays by bringing us traditional and lesser-known songs of peace, justice, childhood wonder, and love performed with warmth and precision by these seven Bay Area women. 

Suggested donation: $20 at the door; no one turned away for lack of funds.

Come out and hear some great a cappella music, and show your support for families and other immigrants at our border. While the Trump administration has halted the most wrenching part of their inhumane immigration policy, the crisis is not over. The previously incarcerated children and parents are still apart. In addition, the administration's new plan is to detain families together--INDEFINITELY, internment style. Many of these families are fleeing violence in their home countries, looking to the US for a better future. They are not criminals, but people in need of safety. All ticket revenue will go to organizations supporting these families. We will also have letters you can sign and send to your representatives, asking that a more humane immigration policy be implemented.

Tickets will be by donation at the door. Suggested donation $10-$10,000!

Solstice is excited to sing at one of our favorite venues, the San Geronimo Valley Community Center. This lovely and intimate venue, just 9 miles west of San Rafael in the beautiful San Geronimo Valley, is the perfect place to share an evening of a cappella music for women's voices.  Not only do you enjoy great, independent musicians, but a portion of each ticket supports critical SGVCC services such as their food bank. 

To our Marin fans — thank you for many sold out & standing ovation shows — it has been way too long since we’ve performed in Marin and we’ve missed you!  You will hear a number of new pieces, including Solstice originals by Sara Webb-Schmitz. For new fans, you will enjoy our signature eclectic mix of a cappella music from around the world and through the ages. From Hildegard Von Bingen to Debussy to Finnish folk music, you will enjoy centuries of music for women's voices, precisely and lovingly performed.

Sadly, Lark Coryell, our long-time baritone, will be leaving us after the summer. We will miss her terribly, and  this is one of our last concerts with her. Enjoy her amazing low sounds while you still can!

Tickets are available at Brown Paper Tickets: https://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/3441584

Solstice Sings in Support of Refugees

Please join Solstice on Saturday, November 4, as we sing in support of, a local organization with a 35-year history of supporting newly arrived refugees, asylees and immigrants with education, family engagement and community leadership programs. We are especially pleased to support their new Women’s Initiative, which supports mothers with young children in their transitions to life in the US.  Refugee Transitions focuses on supporting those who have been forced to migrate due to war, famine, violence or economic duress. 

In this time of many wars and disasters at home and abroad, Solstice is glad that we can support a local group making a difference in the lives of some of those affected.  Bring a friend and your checkbooks, make a donation and listen to our signature eclectic mix of a cappella music from around the globe and through time.  This concert will take you from 11th Century Europe to China, Japan, Columbia and back home again.  Be transported while supporting a good cause

Suggested Donation at the Door:  $20-50. No one will be turned away for lack of funds.

We are looking forward to the warmth we always find at Rose Avenue Acoustic Delights!  A concert there is like having us in your own living room, so if you want the most intimate of concert experiences, this one is for you!  The hosts, Mark and Deborah, make everyone feel welcome, and create a space where artists can be at their best.  

Solstice is thrilled to be joining our friend and collaborator, composer Amy X Neuburg for The Amy X-Perience! . 

Get your open ears and open minds on for an experimental-meets-traditional evening of music from a who's-who of local performer/composers working with widely varying genres and instrumentations. Curated by beloved Bay Area electronic diva Amy X Neuburg, expect a very X-esque evening of solos, duos, typos, and mojos… and show tunes! Of course!

Featured Guest Artists:

Amanda Chaudhary, manipulating a big bunch of electronic gadgets

Alex Kelly, cello with electronic processing, blending 21st-century soundscapes with jazz, klezmer, and "pretty cello"

Solstice, a female vocal ensemble with a world-y and wonderful repertoire

Each artist’s performance will be preceded by a short informal interview with Amy, and a final set will bring everyone together in various combinations to join her in songs by Jewish folks (no shortage of those!), including a “tutti” finale.

Bring your friends and family and let Solstice ease you into the warmth and glow of the season.  Our beautiful holiday program features some fantastic new pieces this year, as well as many old favorites--but never the music you hear at the mall (well, almost never).  

The evening's selections include the Spanish Renaissance "A un nino llorando al hielo", several Middle English Christmas texts set by 20th century composer Williametta Spencer, an original arrangement of Vince Guaraldi's "Christmas Time is Here" from the Charlie Brown Christmas special, in addition to beautiful and unusual carols from around the world. You will even hear a couple of winter-related pop tunes.  A beautiful and fun evening for everyone.

Tickets available at Brown Paper Tickets.

Join Solstice for a concert and party celebrating 20 years of fantastic music making!  You will hear a concert featuring new music and new arrangements written for us this year by our friends such as Amy X Neuburg,  Cortlandt Bender and Jim Hale.  We will also be joined by Solstice alums for some old favorites in our long-time repertoire.  The concert will be followed by a party where we can toast our many years of singing together.  We hope you will join us! 

Advance tickets are available through Brown Paper Tickets

$20 general admission and $15 for students and seniors.

Door Tickets:

$25 general admission and $20 for students and seniors

Brazzissimo will be presenting a special concert celebrating 15 years of performance featuring a newly commissioned work from Dean Boysen entitled, "Suite Jubilation" a four-movement piece for brass dectet and percussion.  Many of Mr. Boysen's other compositions and arrangements will also be presented. Additionally, the award winning vocal ensemble "Solstice" will be sharing their superb vocalization talents in collaboration and acapella style.

This concert is made possible with a music grant by the San Francisco Friends of Chamber Music (SFFCM). Additional music included for the program will highlight the ingenious and spectacular music of Crespo, and DiLorenzo, amongst others.  Save the date on your calendar for this one-time event!

The concert will be held at the gorgeous and easily (parking and B.A.R.T) accessible First Congregational Church of Berkeley.

Admission: Adults - $15, Students 18 and under - Free.

Yes, it's true.  Solstice will be joining the fun and competing in the Harmony Sweeps once again, the first time since 2010.  Come out to cheer us on, and enjoy some of the best a cappella music in the Bay Area.