Young Women's Choral Projects Presents APRIL IN PARIS

Young Women's Choral Projects of San Francisco (YWCP) will celebrate its 10th anniversary season with April in Paris, a French-themed Gala Concert on Saturday, April 30, 2022, at Calvary Presbyterian Church in San Francisco. Founding Director Dr. Susan McMane will lead YWCP's premier ensemble, Young Women's Chorus of San Francisco, in a performance featuring a selection of music from French composers Fauré, Poulenc, and Debussy. In addition, the Chorus will premiere "The Music of Heaven" by Frank La Rocca, for chorus, piano and string quartet. The Gala concert previews some of the repertoire the Young Women's Chorus is preparing for their summer concert tour in France. The annual fundraising event will also include a wine and cheese reception, a catered sit-down dinner, and live auction. Tickets for April in Paris are available now at ywcp.org.

"Our anniversary gala is a wonderful opportunity to celebrate Young Women's Choral Projects and our accomplishments over the past decade," said Dr. McMane, "We look forward to hosting our supporters at a glamorous and fun-filled event while showcasing the talent of our young women."

Featuring words of revolutionary composer Hildegard von Bingen and poet Rabindranath Tagore, the Frank La Rocca commission "The Music of Heaven" uplifts the young women's voices to proclaim the importance of singing. Adds Dr. McMane, "Once again, Frank has written us a beautiful piece of music that has deep meaning for the singers and audience alike. He composes so well for our young women's voices and the strings will add another layer to this transcendent sound."

The 10th anniversary gala is also the final one with Dr. McMane at the helm, as she will retire at the end of YWCP's season. Dr. McMane established YWCP in 2012 and has led the organization to grow to six ensembles of more than 100 young women, ages 4 to 18.

Proceeds from the gala benefit YWCP's music education program and need-based scholarships. Touring is part of YWCP's mission, and all the Young Women's Chorus singers will be going on this summer's tour to France, some with help of the Chorus's financial aid. Past concert tours have included Italy, the East Coast, Germany, Slovenia, Austria, Hungary, and South Africa. The upcoming concert tour to France will be the Young Women's Chorus first tour since 2019, after suspending travel due to COVID-19.

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