1. MEDIA CONTACT
Corty Fengler
650.345.1451 | cfengler@cappellasf.org
650.867.7812 | cell phone .
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
SAN FRANCISCO, September 28, 2015
RAGNAR BOHLIN AND CAPPELLA SF PRESENT
"SONGS FOR THE EARTH”
November 7th Concert Celebrates10th Anniversary of Food & Water Watch in Program
Featuring Music and Reflections on the Protection of Nature
Noted choral director Ragnar Bohlin and his professional vocal ensemble Cappella SF
open their second season with a program inspired by the natural world. The concert, "Songs for
the Earth: Music and Reflections on Protecting Nature,” takes place in San Francisco on
Saturday, November 7 at 7 p.m. in the Mission Dolores Basilica. The 24-voice professional
chamber choir appears in collaboration with Food & Water Watch, now celebrating its 10th
anniversary as an environmental non-profit organization dedicated to making healthy food and
clean water available to all people.
“The music and readings on this program contemplate the natural beauty of our earth and
probe us to ask what we can do to preserve what we all love,” notes Ragnar Bohlin, founding
artistic director of Cappella SF and Chorus Director of San Francisco Symphony. “Cappella SF
is especially excited to present this important production in collaboration with the service
organization Food and Water Watch. And as always, I am proud to lead a singular collection of
the region’s finest choral musicians, whose talent and focus enable us to offer performances of
the highest standard, combining professional sheen and artistic nuance with sheer dramatic

2. impact. Together we believe in the power of the human voice to inspire hearts and change the
world.”
A program of music and spoken reflections inspires listeners to appreciate the beauty of
and natural world and challenge them to reflect on the need to conserve it. Works by
Scandinavian composers include “Biegga Luohte, a “call to the wind” by Jan Sandström drawing
on the yoik singing tradition of the indigenous Sami people; “Kung Liljekonvalje,” an evocation
of loss by David Wikander with text by the great Swedish poet Gustaf Fröding; and
“Stjernespejl” by Per Nørgård, Denmark’s most acclaimed living composer. Contributions by
contemporary Americans include Eric Whitacre’s “Cloudburst,” which simulates the sounds of
thunder and rain in words by Mexican poet Octavio Paz; Frank Ticheli’s “Earth Song,” described
by the composer as a “steadfast declaration of the power of music to heal;” and a world premiere
by David Conte, Cappella SF’s composer in residence and chair of composition at the San
Francisco Conservatory of Music. “Ecco Mormorar L’onde,” a depiction of sunrise by Claudio
Monteverdi with words by Torquato Tasso, Charles Villiers Stanford’s treatment of “Blue Bird”
by Mary Coleridge and “Autumn Landscapes” by the Estonian Veljo Tormis as well as further
readings complete the evening’s musical and thematic journey.
The performance takes place on Saturday, November 7 at 7 p.m. at Mission Dolores
Basilica, 3321 16th
Street, San Francisco, CA 94114. Concert tickets are $55 VIP seating, $35
general admission and $15 for students with ID. A reception follows the performance. Tickets
may be purchased at the door or online at www.cappellasf.org.
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About Cappella SF
Cappella SF is a professional chamber choir founded by Artistic Director Ragnar Bohlin, Director of the Grammy
Award-winning San Francisco Symphony Chorus. Cappella SF was created to bring the magic of a cappella music
from all stylistic periods to the San Francisco Bay Area and beyond in performances at the highest artistic level.
Members of the ensemble are veterans of the leading professional chorus groups of the San Francisco Bay Area,
including Chanticleer, Philharmonia Baroque Chorale, American Bach Soloists and the choruses of San Francisco
Symphony and San Francisco Opera. Its members teach, lead ensembles and appear as soloists throughout the Bay
Area and beyond. The ensemble’s San Francisco debut performance in February drew standing ovations from a
capacity crowd, prompting a San Francisco Classical Voice critic to write, “I frankly was so captivated by the
performances — above all, the beautiful sound and clear articulation of the parts — that I barely noticed the change
from one composer to another.” The ensemble’s debut recording Light of Gold: Cappella SF Christmas is now
available.

3. Cappella SF Recordings
Hear performances of Cappella SF on the Cappella SF website. The ensemble’s debut recording Light of Gold:
Cappella SF Christmas is now available on the Cappella SF website and on YouTube.
About Food & Water Watch
Food & Water Watch is an organization that, according to its mission statement, "champions healthy food and clean
water for all," and "will stand up to corporations that put profits before people, and advocate for a democracy that
improves people’s lives and protects our environment." To learn more about their important work, please
visit foodandwaterwatch.org.
About Ragnar Bohlin
Ragnar Bohlin was named Chorus Director of the San Francisco Symphony in 2007. He prepares the Chorus for
performances under internationally renowned conductors and has conducted Symphony performances of works
including Orff’s Carmina Burana, Handel's Messiah, Bach's Christmas Oratorio and B Minor Mass
and Poulenc’s Figure Humaine. His outstanding work has been recognized with a Grammy Award for Best Choral
Performance for Mahler's Symphony No. 8 with Michael Tilson Thomas and the San Francisco Symphony.
Guest conducting engagements have brought him to many parts of the world, including the Sao Paulo Symphony in
Brazil and the Malmö Symphony Orchestra in Sweden. Recent debuts include the Stavanger Symphony and the
Edmonton Symphony in Canada. He has served as guest music director with world renowned men's
ensemble Chanticleer and continues to lead choirs in Sao Paolo and Lund, Sweden.
In 2014 he founded the professional chamber choir Cappella SF in San Francisco, which has already recorded two
albums. Light of Gold: Cappella SF Christmas, the ensemble’s debut recording, is available on line.
In his native Sweden, Mr. Bohlin has worked frequently with The Swedish Radio Choir and conducted them on their
2010 tour of the United States. He has also appeared with the Ericson Chamber Choir and the Opera Chorus of
Stockholm. He was choirmaster of Stockholm's Maria Magdalena Church and appeared regularly on Swedish radio
with the Maria Magdalena Motet Choir and The Maria Vocal Ensemble. Mr. Bohlin toured internationally with his
Swedish choirs, earning prizes in international competitions and distinctions including the prestigious Johannes
Norrby Medal in 2006 for expanding the frontiers of Swedish choral music making.
Mr. Bohlin studied conducting with Jorma Panula and the legendary choir director Eric Ericson, piano with Peter
Feuchtwanger in London, and singing with the great Swedish tenor Nicolai Gedda. He holds a masters degree in
organ and a diploma degree in conducting from the Royal Academy of Music in Stockholm. Mr. Bohlin is on the
faculty of the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. In 2013 he was awarded the Swedish America Chamber of
Commerce Cultural Award.
CALENDAR EDITORS:
Cappella SF | Songs for the Earth
Ragnar Bohlin artistic director
Saturday, November 7, 2015, 7 p.m.
Mission Dolores Basilica
3321 16th
Street (at Dolores)
San Francisco, CA 94114
Tickets: $55 VIP/$35 general admission at the door or online
www.cappellasf.org
A reception follows the performance.
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