Would you help ABS get nominated for SFCV
2019–2020 Audience Choice Awards?
Dear Friends -

Probably like you, I’ve seen lots of videos and “zoom concerts” lately, but nothing compares to the feeling of sharing a magical moment of performance when we’re all together in concert venues. Those days will return! We are sure of that. But for now, these past months have certainly been filled with memories of our (temporarily halted) most enjoyable concert experiences.

Meanwhile, San Francisco Classical Voice (SFCV) is again asking you, the public, for nominations of artists, ensembles, and performances for their annual Audience Choice Awards (formerly known as “Best of the Bay”).

They are reaching out to every concert-goer to: “ Think about the most moving musical experiences you had last season, comb through your programs, discuss it with your friends, scroll through last year’s  SFCV  coverage, and participate… Nominations may include any live concert performance between Aug. 1, 2019, and March 15, 2020. ”

ABS has a wonderful and remarkable history of receiving a good number of previous “Best of the Bay” top picks, and we’re hopeful that you can make that happen for us again.

Before you make your nominations, would you keep reading a bit more?

There are two phases:

  1. Nominations (taking place now until Wednesday, August 5th)
  2. Votes (to be announced shortly after SFCV tallies the nominations)

They have shortened the list of categories this year, and for some that makes it a bit of a puzzle to figure out how best to nominate your favorites, but we have suggestions!

We’ve picked the 3 (out of 9) categories that seem to be most well suited for ABS, and here they are:

Question 1. Who was your favorite performer in each of the following categories?

  • Opera Singer: Sarah Coit, mezzo-soprano (in “A Baroque New Year’s Eve at the Opera, December 31st, 2019 in Herbst Theatre

  • Choral Ensemble: American Bach Soloists Choir (for example, in Bach’s Mass in B Minor (August 4th & 11th, 2019 at the ABS Festival) and Handel’s Messiah (December 11–13, 2019 in Grace Cathedral)

  • Early/Baroque Ensemble: American Bach Soloists (!) 

  • Conductor: Well, with humility, perhaps your ABS music director, Jeffrey Thomas :-)

Question 2. Which was your favorite single performance (single concert or production) in each of the following categories? As appropriate, please list the ensemble and the specific program or company and name of production.

  • Opera: ABS for A Baroque New Year’s Eve at the Opera featuring Sarah Coit, mezzo-soprano, and Hadleigh Adams, baritone (December 31st, 2019 in Herbst Theatre)

  • Choral: ABS for Handel’s Messiah (December 11–13, 2019 in Grace Cathedral)

  • Early Music/Baroque: Aryeh Nussbaum Cohen & ABS in “Orphean Enchantments” (Vivaldi: Stabat Mater; Buxtehude: Jubilate Domino; additional vocal works by J.C. Bach and Hoffmann; Bach’s “Triple” Concerto for Harpsichord, Flute, and Violin; Muffat: Sonata V; January 24–27, 2020 in Belvedere, Berkeley, San Francisco, and Davis)

Question 6. What was your favorite festival this year?

  • American Bach Soloists Festival & Academy - August 2019

So, if you are so inclined, help us get nominated! Here’s a link to the page from which you can click to participate.

Thank you! And I’m looking forward to seeing you all again soon…

With gratitude,
Jeffrey.
Deadline for Nominations is Wednesday August 5th, 2019.
We Thank our Sponsors

The American Bach Soloists are grateful for the support of Individual Sponsors and these and other Foundations, Corporations, and Government Agencies: