St. Wilfrid of York
Music Consortium
Our Music Consortium aims to foster a vibrant and inclusive community that enhances collaboration, creativity, and connection among musicians in Orange County, empowering our musical community to grow and thrive together, and to cultivate a dynamic and prestigious community of musicians renowned for their excellence and commitment to artistic innovation, making St. Wilfrid’s of York Music Consortium a beacon of musical achievement in Orange County.
Pacific Symphony
Candlelight Baroque Series
Thursday, November 7th, 2024 at 7:30pm
Saturday, March 8th, 2024 at 7:30pm
Step back in time with Pacific Symphony's new Baroque series! This marks the first collaboration between St. Wilfrid's and the premier professional orchestra of Orange County, the Pacific Symphony. You won't want to miss the chance to experience timeless masterpieces as they were meant to be heard—in the divine ambiance of a church setting, where every note resonates with celestial clarity and transports you to an era of exquisite elegance. Don't miss your chance to bask in the glow of candlelight and the golden age of greatness!
Orange County Women's Chorus
OCWC invites audiences to share in the souvenirs they’ve brought back from their three international tours. Hear music for the season for voices and instruments from England and Wales, Canada, and Croatia—plus a special bonus finale from the ensemble’s 2022 Carnegie Hall debut.
About the Orange County Women's Chorus
Under the artistic leadership of Eliza Rubenstein since 2000, the Orange County Women’s Chorus has grown from a small group of women brainstorming about singing together to one of the region’s leading choruses, performing repertoire from many lands, eras, and genres. Highlights of the chorus’s 26 years together have included concert tours to Canada, England, Wales, and Croatia; featured performances at the 2004, 2012, and 2020 conferences of the American Choral Directors’ Association; a 2022 Carnegie Hall debut; and collaborations with ensembles from across the country and around the world. The chorus’s 60 members include teachers, students, scientists, accountants, activists, artists, mothers, and grandmothers.
Three Journeys: Where We've Been
Sunday, December 8 at 3:00pm
OCWC Artistic Director Eliza Rubenstein says, “Our singing has taken us to some mind-blowingly beautiful and interesting places around the world, and since our audience and our donors helped make that happen, we wanted to bring them some souvenirs! This season’s holiday concert features works from the nations we’ve visited, and includes some music you’re not going to hear performed by anybody else within the borders of the United States. We hope you’ll come with us on this journey—it’s the fun without the jet lag!”
Two Roads: Where We're Going
Saturday, March 15 at 7:00pm
Sunday, March 16 at 3:00pm
Two Roads: Where We’re Going offers music that “makes all the difference”—songs of purpose, power, resistance, and renewal. From the reflective to the electrifying and from Poulenc to Sweet Honey in the Rock, the OCWC will sing of the paths we travel, the futures we imagine, and the friends and dreams that accompany us along the way.
OCWC Artistic Director Eliza Rubenstein says, “This is a very personal program—an all-over-the-map emotional journey as we all navigate life in a country that's following some dark and uncertain paths. This is music that speaks to me, and to our singers, during a time when we need faith and resolve to counter our anxiety. We hope and believe that it will speak to our audience members as well.”
One World: What We Leave Behind
Saturday, May 31 at 7:00pm
Sunday, June 1 at 3:00pm
OCWC Assistant Director Sarah Hughes leads the chorus in an unforgettable program of works about our planet in all its scenic, stormy, fragile beauty. We're bringing the outdoors indoors as we sing of creatures, climate, and much more.
The Sparrow Initiative
The Sparrow Initiative is a performance group, founded in 2019 by Alyssa Wills and Amy Joy Stephens, with the mission of using music to make a difference in the community by inspiring hope and initiating change. The Sparrow Initiative creates uniquely-themed, engaging concerts in partnership with local nonprofits to shine a light on their causes. Additionally, they commission new works that enrich the human spirit, with recorded excerpts of their first opera, based on the life of Joan of Arc, available on their website.
A Woman's Voice
Saturday, November 9th at 6:00pm
Join us for a night of music and spoken word that celebrates the experience of womanhood from being a daughter to a mother and everything in between. This program will highlight women composers, lyricists, authors, and poets through classical art song, folk song, musical theater, and jazz standards, with excerpts from literature, poetry, and Scripture woven throughout. A portion of ticket sales will be going to Colette’s Children’s Home to support their cause.
L'Esprit Baroque
L’Esprit Baroque performs rarely-heard Baroque cantatas and chamber music for voices and period instruments in California and beyond. Our mission is to bring the amazing music of the Baroque era, and historical performance practice, to audiences in Orange County.
Music of Feast and Famine
Friday, November 22nd at 7:00pm
L'Esprit Baroque will be performing a concert of Baroque music on Friday, November 22, 2024 at 7:00pm at St. Wilfrid of York Episcopal Church. We will be performing a cantata for soprano and instruments by Carissimi, trio sonatas by Boismortier and Telemann, and one of Telemann's famous Paris quartets. Come hear music from the height of the Baroque era, performed on Baroque instruments!
Laguna Beach Chamber Singers
Laguna Beach Chamber Singers is an auditioned vocal ensemble dedicated to cultivating joy and community through excellence in choral performance. The mission of the Laguna Beach Chamber Singers is to enrich the lives of our community through artistic excellence and creative programming. They engage and inspire a broad audience through captivating and impactful choral performances. They believe that outstanding choral performance has the power to cultivate kindness, joy, and compassion. Through thoughtful concert curation, an unwavering commitment to audience engagement, and collaboration with other impactful arts organizations, we aim to serve as a beacon of choral excellence in Southern California and beyond.
Visit the Laguna Beach Chamber Singers website to learn more
Light Eternal
Sunday, October 13th at 5:00pm
Join us for an unforgettable evening as the Laguna Beach Chamber Singers, in collaboration with The St. Wilfrid Choir, present "Light Eternal." This special concert will showcase the hauntingly beautiful Duruflè Requiem, a masterful composition that captures the profound themes of rest, peace, and eternal light.
We are dedicating this meaningful performance to the memory of two remarkable women: Cynthia Ryder, a longtime singer and ardent supporter of our choir, and Leticia Brown, the beloved mother of our Artistic Director, Ryan Brown. Let the timeless melodies of the Requiem serve as a tribute to their enduring legacies and an expression of deep gratitude for their contributions.
Landmark Chorale
Today’s musical performance group evolved from harmony-singing classes taught in the 1980’s at the Landmark Senior Community in Huntington Beach, where community college instructor Stan DeWitt directed choral recitals at the end of each semester. After a time, the college discontinued the classes, but students wanted to remain singing together. They assessed themselves fees and formed the Chorale. Dr. Dawn Brooks, now a Professor of Music at Golden West College, became its director while still in graduate school. She continued for 18 years, and for a short time was succeeded by another music student. The coronavirus pandemic intervened, and rehearsals resumed post-pandemic with a new director, Mike Kutzle – an accomplished performance pianist with years of experience directing church choirs. Mike’s joy for music is expansive and infectious. The Chorale’s holiday-themed programs in December, and Americana-themed programs in June, delight audiences with a variety of choral works, soloists, interpretive skits, instrumental interludes, and audience singalongs. Concert attendance and Chorale membership continue to grow under Mike’s leadership.
Musical Director: Mike Kutzle
Mike Kutzle attended Fountain Valley High School and went on to Biola University after graduation. Mike studied piano as a music major. Post college years, Mike directed church choirs in the area and played piano in the 1984 Olympic Opening Ceremony. Four years later, upon getting a call from Radio City Music Hall, he played piano at Half time at the 1988 Superbowl. Mike also played piano for Nordstrom South Coast Plaza for several years. Mike is really enjoying directing our Landmark Chorale having been suggested to the position by his brother Jimmy who is a Landmark Photographer. Mike and his wife Nancy live in Fountain Valley and have a musical family…daughter Kristen, teaches English at Bolsa Grande H.S and son Brent, the bass/cello player in the band OneRepublic.
Jingle All The Way Concert
Sunday, December 14 at 4:00pm
Join the fun with Landmark Chorale wearing your favorite holiday colors to this concert.
Stars and Stripes Forever Concert
Sunday, June 29th at 4:00pm
The Landmark Chorale returns to St. Wilfrid for their second Stars and Stripes Forever concert. Highlights include Uncle Sam and Paul Revere. Wear your red, white, and blue or military uniform to join the fun. Tickets cost $12 and are available at the door.
Men in Blaque
Formed in 1997 at the University of California, Irvine, Men in Blaque sings 15th – 21st century choral music in original voicing. This ensemble’s repertoire includes over 350 eclectic selections to date. Following the spirit of Chanticleer and the King’s Singers, Men in Blaque performs music from many eras and genres. Members include computer specialists, professors, business owners, teachers, clergy, and students. To enhance and project different music styles, their wide range of repertoire and performance programming includes scripted narrative, choreographic staging and concert positioning.
About the Men in Blaque
Their first concert included Gregorian Chant, male choruses by Franz Schubert, Esti Dal (in Hungarian) and our most requested selection, Nothin’ Like a Dame (from South Pacific). In 1998, the ensemble appeared in the award-winning production, Madrigal Dinner, and established the critically acclaimed Valentine’s Day Concert at UC Irvine. In February 2005, Men in Blaque collaborated with the internationally-acclaimed ensemble, Chanticleer, on a workshop at UC Irvine.
Men in Blaque has competed in various invitation-only choir competitions including China, Slovakia, and Wales, winning multiple awards. In August 2018, Men in Blaque participated in the World Choral Festival at Puebla, Mexico. They have recorded five albums, the most recent being released in 2015. They have also commissioned 15 new works to date. Javier Busto, Sydney Guillaume, Kirke Mechen, Vytautus Miskinis, and Imant Raminsh are among noted composers writing for the award-winning ensemble.
Winter Concert
Saturday, December 14th at 7:00pm
Join us for an enchanting evening of music, merriment, and the joyous spirit of the season. We invite you to continue the festivities and make the most of your evening by attending our post-concert reception. Mingle with the performers who made the concert an unforgettable experience. Come and be part of our Holiday Concert tradition. We can't wait to celebrate with you!
Valentine's Day Concert
Friday, February 14th at 7:00pm
More information coming soon!
Spring Concert
Saturday, May 3rd at 7:00pm
More information coming soon!
