Join us for a springtime afternoon of singing and drumming on the shores of Lake Merritt in Oakland.  PEV will perform selections from our Sound Garden of Love program alongside our friends from SoulBeatz drum circle. This is a free, fun, outdoor presentation for all ages. Bring your kids, your chairs and your dancing shoes!

No reservations necessary. No seating provided - BYO. Rain cancels.

Our spring program is a multicultural celebration of community, music and love for all. Ash’s inspiration for the program comes from William Blake’s famous poem of social and religious protest from 1794, Garden of Love, which you can read in its entirety on our blog here.

The music is wide-ranging, with works from the PEV archive of all eras. The program includes  Elgar’s Lux Aeterna, Monk’s Panda Chant, Dahlgren’s God’s Great Dust Storm, Dylan Tran’s If Music Be the Food of Love - plus our first live performance of Vienna Teng’s astonishing Hymn of Acxiom that we recorded during the lockdown. (Watch that video here.) Dynamic lighting and African-diaspora chants with drumming will have you - and us! - moving and moved. 

We’re excited to welcome special guests Soul Beatz, Oakland’s community drum circle, join us for this program.

This is the only performance of our full program, and space is limited at St. Mark’s, so grab your seats today!

Download the digital concert program here.

Travel back in time with us to celebrate our current decade! Be it the 2020s, 1920s or 1720s, we’re popping the corks and striking up the band for our annual gala fundraiser bash. This is a grand evening of drinks, dining, irresistible treats and experiences, unforgettable performances and celebrating our community of music makers and music lovers. You’re invited to be part of this intimate, lively affair.

This event is sold out. Thank you!

This year our holiday concerts explore and celebrate music of the Spanish diaspora, as well as other seasonal delights. The program opens in candlelight and features Argentinian, Basque and Mexican works in Spanish and Indigenous languages from across the Americas, and the music will include drums, guitar, piano and more! It will be a lively and joyous musical experience for everyone!

Frank LaRocca: Aue Maria from Mass of the Americas (with Ellie McKee, guest soloist)

Anonymous: Hanaq Pachap Kusikuynin (Quechua)

Jacobus Handl : Jerusalem Gaude (Latin)

Ariel Ramirez : Misa Criolla (Argentina/Spanish; with Claudia Landivar, mezzo-soprano; Isaac Perez, tenor; Paulino Contreras, piano; Richard Flores, guitar)

Josu Elberdin: Guar Akelarre (Basque)

Ken Lampl: Adon Olam (Hebrew)

Ruben Federizon: Gabaq an (Tagalog)

Traditional carols  and spirituals

This year our holiday concerts explore and celebrate music of the Spanish diaspora, as well as other seasonal delights. The program opens in candlelight and features Argentinian, Basque and Mexican works in Spanish and Indigenous languages from across the Americas and beyond, and the music will include drums, guitar, harpsichord and more! It will be a lively and joyous musical experience for everyone!

Frank LaRocca: Aue Maria from Mass of the Americas (with Ellie McKee, guest soloist)

Anonymous: Hanaq Pachap Kusikuynin (Quechua)

Jacobus Handl : Jerusalem Gaude

Ariel Ramirez : Misa Criolla (Argentina; with Claudia Landivar, mezzo-soprano; Isaac Perez, tenor; Paulino Contreras, harpsichord; Richard Flores, guitar)

Josu Elberdin: Guar Akelarre (Basque)

Ken Lampl: Adon Olam (Hebrew)

Ruben Federizon: Gabaq an (Philippines)

Traditional carols  and spirituals

Parking for this concert is available at St. Mark’s and across Gough Street in the lot at Cathedral of St. Mary’s.

The uncommon tradition from the Bay Area's Uncommon Chorus lives on! Enjoy the musical stylings of songs from all your favorite genres. This is definitely *not* your grandfather's choir concert (but he's still invited). The 2023 program features:

Jazz: Thunderclouds/Cecile McLorin Salvant, I Let a Song Go Out of My Heart/Duke Ellington, Refresh/Kerry Marsh, One-Note Samba/Jobim, How About You/Burton Lane, Choo Choo Ch’Boogie/Vaughn Horton, Billy-a-Dick/Hoagy Carmichael, Gold Heranca/Trio Esperanca

Pop/Rock: Crazy in Love/Beyonce, Cecilia/Simon & Garfunkel, Lean on Me/Bill Withers, Good Life/Sammy Rae, Somebody I Used to Know/Gotye, Because/The Beatles, I Saved the World Today/Eurythmics, Good Kisser/Lake Street Dive, Hide and Seek/Imogen Heap

Country/Roots: The Light of a Clear Blue Morning/Dolly Parton, Angel from Montgomery/John Prine, Will the Circle Be Unbroken/J. David Moore, Let ‘Er Rip/The Chicks

Other: Sing/Pentatonix, Sweet May/Matt Rice, My Husband Was a Weatherman/The Bobs, Helmet/The Bobs, If Ye Love Me/Thomas Tallis, The Stars and Stripes Forever/John Philip Sousa

PEV is committed to the health and safety of our audience and artists. Read about our concert health protocols here.

The uncommon tradition from the Bay Area's Uncommon Chorus lives on! Enjoy the musical stylings of songs from all your favorite genres. This is definitely *not* your grandfather's choir concert (but he's still invited). The 2023 program features:

Jazz: Thunderclouds/Cecile McLorin Salvant, I Let a Song Go Out of My Heart/Duke Ellington, Refresh/Kerry Marsh, One-Note Samba/Jobim, How About You/Burton Lane, Choo Choo Ch’Boogie/Vaughn Horton, Billy-a-Dick/Hoagy Carmichael, Gold Heranca/Trio Esperanca

Pop/Rock: Crazy in Love/Beyonce, Cecilia/Simon & Garfunkel, Lean on Me/Bill Withers, Good Life/Sammy Rae, Somebody I Used to Know/Gotye, Because/The Beatles, I Saved the World Today/Eurythmics, Good Kisser/Lake Street Dive, Hide and Seek/Imogen Heap

Country/Roots: The Light of a Clear Blue Morning/Dolly Parton, Angel from Montgomery/John Prine, Will the Circle Be Unbroken/J. David Moore, Let ‘Er Rip/The Chicks

Other: Sing/Pentatonix, Sweet May/Matt Rice, My Husband Was a Weatherman/The Bobs, Helmet/The Bobs, If Ye Love Me/Thomas Tallis, The Stars and Stripes Forever/John Philip Sousa

PEV is committed to the health and safety of our audience and artists. Read about our concert health protocols here.

The uncommon tradition from the Bay Area's Uncommon Chorus lives on! Enjoy the musical stylings of songs from all your favorite genres. This is definitely *not* your grandfather's choir concert (but he's still invited). The 2023 program features:

Jazz: Thunderclouds/Cecile McLorin Salvant, I Let a Song Go Out of My Heart/Duke Ellington, Refresh/Kerry Marsh, One-Note Samba/Jobim, How About You/Burton Lane, Choo Choo Ch’Boogie/Vaughn Horton, Billy-a-Dick/Hoagy Carmichael, Gold Heranca/Trio Esperanca

Pop/Rock: Crazy in Love/Beyonce, Cecilia/Simon & Garfunkel, Lean on Me/Bill Withers, Good Life/Sammy Rae, Somebody I Used to Know/Gotye, Because/The Beatles, I Saved the World Today/Eurythmics, Good Kisser/Lake Street Dive, Hide and Seek/Imogen Heap

Country/Roots: The Light of a Clear Blue Morning/Dolly Parton, Angel from Montgomery/John Prine, Will the Circle Be Unbroken/J. David Moore, Let ‘Er Rip/The Chicks

Other: Sing/Pentatonix, Sweet May/Matt Rice, My Husband Was a Weatherman/The Bobs, Helmet/The Bobs, If Ye Love Me/Thomas Tallis, The Stars and Stripes Forever/John Philip Sousa

PEV is committed to the health and safety of our audience and artists. Read about our concert health protocols here.

ONE NIGHT ONLY!

Inspired by the poems “Son to Mother” (1991) by Maya Angelou and “Mother to Son” (1922) by Langston Hughes, our spring program features the U.S. premiere of a setting of Angelou’s poem by our friend Swedish composer Henrik Dahlgren (remember “God’s Great Dust Storm” from our April 2022 concerts?), “All of Us” from Craig Hella Johnson’s oratorio Considering Matthew Shepard, John Lennon’s “Because,” and the rarely performed masterwork “Dona Nobis Pacem” by Ralph Vaughan Williams.

The concert features bass-baritone soloist Wilford Kelly, our own sopranos Meghan Joyce Tozer, Katie Craddock, Frances Falling and Kim Keeton, and the finest selection of Bay Area instrumentalists in the PEV Orchestra. Plus amazing lighting effects. Don’t miss this exceptional concert experience!

Read more about the program here.

Read Ash’s blog post about his late brother Avery, to whom this concert is dedicated.

PEV is committed to the health and safety of our audience and artists. Read about our concert health protocols here.

We are so excited that our annual gala fundraiser is back in person for the first time since 2019! After three years of technology interfaces, we want to celebrate with you the freedom to be together, to share food and raise a glass together, and of course to sing for you! Freedom - in its many dimensions - is our theme for the night. We’ll be singing songs of freedom by the Beatles, Beyoncé, Aretha and more!

Let us pamper and entertain you with a lively evening of food, drink, and music while you help to empower PEV to deliver on our mission to be the Bay Area’s Uncommon Chorus.

Space for this event is limited, so reserve your place today! Please note: Tickets will not be sold at the door. The deadline to reserve your seat is Monday, February 20 at 6pm.

Preview the irresistible offerings from the silent auction here.

Now a PEV tradition, join the singers of Pacific Edge Voices for a live performance of carols and a caroling singalong - on Zoom!

We’ll be coming to you live, via Zoom, for a real-time, synchronized performance of holiday songs we've been preparing for you - plus a singalong of your favorite carols, all led by our still-new Music Director Ash Walker!

When we make music in community, we experience joy and a true sense of connection that is so needed right now -- and very much a part of this time of year. We are thrilled to share that experience with you.

Can’t make it on Dec 19? Sign up anyway, and you’ll get a link to the recording so that you can play it on demand anytime during the holidays!

Our December concert will take the audience on a musical voyage along the Black Sea, as we celebrate the music from those countries most impacted by the current Russian invasion. The repertoire will give voice to the works of Ukrainian women artists who have been displaced by the war, including painter Olga Kovtun (see image) and composer Hanna Havrylets, who died in Kiev on the third day of the Russian invasion. Havrylets’ piece “Vse upovanyiye moye” (All My Hope) will be the centerpiece of the program, flanked by other works by Rachmaninov, new music by Sarah Hopkins, Moira Smiley, and traditional folk songs of the season. The concert will also feature Ukrainian bandura player Ola Herasymenko Oliynyk, plus handbells, organ and audience carol singalongs.

In support of the Ukrainians facing a long winter in great need, the members of PEV are encouraging our friends and family to share their generosity with Hearts for Ukraine. This direct-aid humanitarian nonprofit is recommended by the Ukrainian emigres who have been consulting with us on this concert. There will be an opportunity to donate at the concert, or you can do so here.

PEV is committed to the health and safety of our audience and artists. Read about our concert health protocols here.

Our December concert will take the audience on a musical voyage along the Black Sea, as we celebrate the music from those countries most impacted by the current Russian invasion. The repertoire will give voice to the works of Ukrainian women artists who have been displaced by the war, including painter Olga Kovtun (see image) and composer Hanna Havrylets, who died in Kiev on the third day of the Russian invasion. Havrylets’ piece “Vse upovanyiye moye” (All My Hope) will be the centerpiece of the program, flanked by other works by Rachmaninov, new music by Sarah Hopkins, Moira Smiley, and traditional folk songs of the season. The concert will also feature Ukrainian bandura player Ola Herasymenko Oliynyk, plus handbells, organ and audience carol singalongs.

In support of the Ukrainians facing a long winter in great need, the members of PEV are encouraging our friends and family to share their generosity with Hearts for Ukraine. This direct-aid humanitarian nonprofit is recommended by the Ukrainian emigres who have been consulting with us on this concert. There will be an opportunity to donate at the concert, or you can do so here.

PEV is committed to the health and safety of our audience and artists. Read about our concert health protocols here.

A Bay Area choral tradition unlike any other — live a cappella performances of all your favorite Jazz & Pop tunes, as well as new discoveries and arrangements presented by the singers of PEV.

This year’s program - live and in person! - includes everything from Nirvana (yes) and Lizzo (oh yes) to jazz classics like Lullaby of Birdland and Me and My Shadow. And songs by the Beatles, Simon & Garfunkel, Cole Porter. Oh, and the Overture to The Barber of Seville, like you’ve never heard it.

This concert never disappoints - make sure to reserve your spot!

A Bay Area choral tradition unlike any other — live a cappella performances of all your favorite Jazz & Pop tunes, as well as new discoveries and arrangements presented by the singers of PEV.

This year’s program - live and in person! - includes everything from Nirvana (yes) and Lizzo (oh yes) to jazz classics like Lullaby of Birdland and Me and My Shadow. And songs by the Beatles, Simon & Garfunkel, Cole Porter. Oh, and the Overture to The Barber of Seville, like you’ve never heard it.

This concert never disappoints - make sure to reserve your spot!

A Bay Area choral tradition unlike any other — live a cappella performances of all your favorite Jazz & Pop tunes, as well as new discoveries and arrangements presented by the singers of PEV.

This year’s program - live and in person! - includes everything from Nirvana (yes) and Lizzo (oh yes) to jazz classics like Lullaby of Birdland and Me and My Shadow. And songs by the Beatles, Simon & Garfunkel, Cole Porter. Oh, and the Overture to The Barber of Seville, like you’ve never heard it.

This concert never disappoints - make sure to reserve your spot!

We celebrate the return of rains to the thirsty Bay Area and welcome the season of reawakening with a concert of music that engages with and celebrates the transformative power of nature and all our surroundings. Our program includes the U.S. premiere of A Single Drop of the Ocean by rising Swedish composer Henrik Dahlgren, as well as works by Forrest Pierce, Randall Thompson, Dr. Ysaye Barnwell of Sweet Honey in the Rock and more, including plenty of drumming and dancing.

And don’t miss the FREE virtual “Meet the Composers” event with Dahlgren and Pierce, on Wed, Apr 6 at 7pm PT. Register here for access.

We celebrate the return of rains to the thirsty Bay Area and welcome the season of reawakening with a concert of music that engages with and celebrates the transformative power of nature and all our surroundings. Our program includes the U.S. premiere of A Single Drop of the Ocean by rising Swedish composer Henrik Dahlgren, as well as works by Forrest Pierce, Randall Thompson, Dr. Ysaye Barnwell of Sweet Honey in the Rock and more.

Join the singers of Pacific Edge Voices for a live performance of carols and a caroling singalong!

We had so much fun with this during last year’s pandemic shutdown, we've decided to reprise this year-end event. We’ll be coming to you live, via Zoom, for a real-time, synchronized performance of holiday songs we've been preparing for you - plus a singalong of your favorite carols, all led by our still-new Music Director Ash Walker!

For this event, we'll once again be using JackTrip Virtual Studio, a hardware/software solution developed by the JackTrip Foundation, using technology developed at Stanford University. JackTrip eliminates the delay over the internet that otherwise makes ensemble singing in real time on Zoom impossible. Last year it changed our musical lives!

When we make music in community, we experience joy and a true sense of connection that is so needed right now -- and very much a part of this time of year. We are thrilled to share that experience with you.

Please note: This event is our year-end fundraiser to support PEV’s return to live performances. When you register, you’ll be asked to make a donation of any size -- from as little as $1 to as much as your imagination and love of music will allow. You choose the amount , but our gratitude for your support remains the same!

We can’t wait to see your face on December 20!

As the temperature drops and the nights get longer, join Pacific Edge Voices in celebrating the celestial beauty of the season. Experience J.S. Bach’s beloved Christmastime cantata BWV 191 Gloria in Excelsis Deo featuring a collection of the Bay Area’s finest chamber musicians, flanked by works reflecting the wisdom of the heavens from Stacey Gibbs, Jonathan Dove, Ēriks Ešenvalds, and many others, as well as a selection of cherished holiday carols. An aural and visual experience that will leave you echoing the words of poet Sara Teasdale, “And I know that I am honored to be witness of so much majesty

PEV is committed to the health and safety of our audience and artists. Read about our concert health protocols here.

As the temperature drops and the nights get longer, join Pacific Edge Voices in celebrating the celestial beauty of the season. Experience J.S. Bach’s beloved Christmastime cantata BWV 191 Gloria in Excelsis Deo featuring a collection of the Bay Area’s finest chamber musicians, flanked by works reflecting the wisdom of the heavens from Stacey Gibbs, Jonathan Dove, Ēriks Ešenvalds, and many others, as well as a selection of cherished holiday carols. An aural and visual experience that will leave you echoing the words of poet Sara Teasdale, “And I know that I am honored to be witness of so much majesty.”

PEV is committed to the health and safety of our audience and artists. Read about our concert health protocols here.

Following PEV’s 40-year tradition, we will close out this unusual season with our signature a cappella jazz & pop set. This year we'll be taking full advantage of numerous technologies to bring you live, virtual performances of tunes from Beyonce and the Beatles, Bon Iver, Kendrick Lamar, Pharrell Williams, ELO, Nat King Cole, Paul Simon, the Gershwins and more!

Your concert ticket includes admission to our special Happy Hour "We Made It!" End-of-Season Celebration Fundraiser Party immediately following the concert. There are lots of ways to enjoy the party: raffle drawings, bottles of bubbly, announcements about next season, the world premiere of PEV’s latest music video, and - yes - more singing!

Make sure you stock up on raffle tickets when you order your concert ticket. Prizes include a long weekend in a luxurious family-friendly house at Tahoe Donner, a PEV-curated instant wine cellar, and a dinner party with PEV music director Ash Walker.

Since long before the cast of Glee was a gleam in someone’s eye, PEV has been bringing to harmonic life some of the most iconic – and obscure – jazz & pop tunes in original close-harmony arrangements for large and small ensembles that never fail to delight and surprise. Don’t miss it!

Please note: Ticket sales end on Saturday, June 12 at 11:59pm.

Inspired by Leonard Cohen’s work The Great Event, PEV has put together a virtual concert program of hopeful, thoughtful works that will be performed LIVE. The Great Event experience includes the world premiere of a special music video and a post-concert Q&A/reception with the artists.

Cohen’s lyrics for The Great Event provide our blueprint:

 It's going to happen very soon
The great event, which will end the horror
Which will end the sorrow
Next Tuesday when the sun goes down

I will play the Moonlight Sonata backwards
This will reverse the effects of the world's mad plunge
Into suffering, for the last 200 million years

What a lovely night that would be
What a sigh of relief
As the senile robins
Become bright red again
And the retired nightingales
Pick up their dusty tails
And assert the Majesty of Creation

Join us on the vernal equinox for this online presentation of live and recorded works designed to help us all rediscover our equilibrium and bring balance, justice and hope for the future.

Join the singers of Pacific Edge Voices for a live performance of carols and a caroling singalong!

Since everyone is safely at home for the holidays, we're coming to you live, via Zoom, for a real-time, synchronized performance of holiday songs we've been preparing for you - plus a singalong of your favorite carols.

Led by our new Music Director Ash Walker, we are very excited to share our new, technology-enabled singing with you - live! For this event, we'll be using a new system called JackTrip Virtual Studio, a hardware/software solution developed by the JackTrip Foundation, using technology developed at Stanford University. JackTrip eliminates the delay over the internet that otherwise makes ensemble singing in real time on Zoom impossible. It has changed our musical lives!

When we make music in community, we experience joy and a true sense of connection that is so needed right now -- and very much a part of this time of year. We are thrilled to share that experience with you.

Please note: To help enable PEV to acquire all of the necessary equipment that JackTrip requires (approximately $300 per singer), we're asking all folks who register for this event to make a donation of any size -- from as little as $1 to as much as your imagination and love of music will allow. You choose the amount when you register below.

Thank you in advance for your support. We look forward to having you with us on December 21 !