Take Bernstein’s hit musical Candide of French genius Voltaire, mix in the Chichester Psalms, the most played piece worldwide for Bernstein’s Centennial Celebrations, and top it off with the pious and jazzy melodist and 20th-Century French master composer (on his 125th birthday), Poulenc’s glorious Gloria, and you have the ideal True Concord program! Add in the fabulous soprano Nicole Cabell – winner of the Singer of the World Competition, one of the most prestigious prizes won by such luminaries as Barton Hvorostovsky and Terfel – in her True Concord debut. Mozart with SF Opera, Puccini at Grand Tetons, Perfection.

Poulenc’s masterwork is filled with exquisite melodies and breathtaking harmonies which combine buoyant optimism and a deep, spiritual tranquility, radiating a kind of blazing intensity. Bernstein’s Chichester is hopeful and life-affirming, magically and uniquely combining his religious sensibilities with his music theater brilliance. A musical depiction of the composer’s hope for brotherhood and peace, especially after the loss of his two great friends, JFK and composer Marc Blitzstein.