Staples Orphenians Burst Into Song in San Francisco

The Staples Orphenians are in San Francisco for the National Youth Choral Festival and traveled to the Twin Peaks overlooking the city and burst into “Dominus Vobiscum” by Sydney Guillaume, a young Haitian-American composer of contemporary classical music and film music. The Grammy award-winning choir Chanticleer chose the Orphenians to be part of the festival based on a performance a year ago. The Orphenians, who also serenaded their Jet Blue crew on arrival (see video here) are the only East Coast group to be invited. More than 200 student singers in 10 high school choirs from across the country are participating. The four-day choral immersion will place the visiting choirs in close, intensive interaction with the members of Chanticleer, who will coach them in all areas critical to the choral art. The final event of the trip is a concert on Monday at Davies Symphony Hall conducted by Ragnar Bohlin, the music director of the San Francisco Symphony Chorus, in which the Orphenians will perform. Martin Gitlin/YouTube.com