From Russia (to Petaluma) with love (and music)

The return of warm weather, longer days and (mostly) dry skies is plenty enough to sing about, metaphorically speaking. But given that so many choruses, bands and classical ensembles plan concerts in the spring, it is clear there’s something about this time of year that really does make people want to sing, and play the piano, and join others in performing some of the most beautiful music ever written.

In Petaluma, there are numerous upcoming examples, beginning this weekend with a Friday night appearance by the St. Petersburg Russian Men’s Ensemble, on April 26, 7 p.m., at First Presbyterian Church (939 B St.).

Though the organizers hope that many locals come out for this weekend’s free recital, perhaps attending a concert there for the first time, it is definitely not the first time the St. Petersburg Men’s Ensemble.

Says Patrecia Graham of the First Presbyterian Church, “In the 10-plus years they have been coming to Sonoma County, the four men who make up the S.P.R.M.E. have become our friends. Their professionalism and amazing vocal talents elicit audience reaction from ‘oohs’ and ‘ahs’ on the ballads, to spontaneous cheering after the rousing folk tunes.”

As in past performances here, the concert will be separated into two distinct portions. The first is a selection of Russian liturgical music, presented formally, with the ensemble clad in tuxedos. The second section, performed in traditional “peasant shirts,” is an array of Russian folk songs, sung along with clever narration (in English), describing each of the songs and explaining the stories they tell.

“My favorite,” says Graham, “is about a guy who bought a boat with a hole in the bottom. We all laugh along as the poor fellow sinks.”

The St. Petersburg Men’s Ensemble regularly tours the US, hitting the East Coast in the fall and the West Coast in the spring. The Russian Orthodox Church employs the group the rest of the year, but their annual tours abroad are entirely self-funded. It is the ensemble’s tradition to present these Petaluma shows with no tickets or admission charge, but donations are happily accepted. It is a bold, and clearly confident, economic system that has kept the group going for over a decade of local appearances.

The St. Petersburg Men’s Ensemble has numerous CDs and other items, which will be on sale following the concert. Additional information on the group and the show can be attained at PetalumaFirst.com.

PETALUMA SINGERS

“Con Amor” (“Spring Romance”) is the theme when Petaluma’s Cinnabar Singers present their own annual seasonal concert on Sunday, May 5, at 3 p.m. at Elim Lutheran Church. The performance will include a wide-ranging assortment of songs from many of the “romance languages,” including choral compositions by such greats as Gabriel Fauré, Maurice Ravel, Francis Poulenc and Claude Debussy. One of many additional pieces is Argentine composer Ariel Ramirez’ “Misa Criolla,” a gloriously received 1964 mass written in Spanish.

Cinnabar Singers, to be accompanied by Abbie Gabrielson on piano, is under the direction of Michael Shahani, who holds degrees from the University of Nebraska, UC Davis and the Hartt School of Music in Hartford, Connecticut. Over his career, Shahani has conducted more than 65 musicals and operas, with a long list of high-level professional performances numbering over 350. He is currently a faculty member at City College in San Francisco, and is the founder of Hesperian Ensemble Orchestra and the Moraga Chamber Orchestra. He has conducted choral groups all over the world.

Tickets for “Con Amore” are $15. Tickets are available at the door or in advance at CinnabarTheater.org.

THE FAMILY

KHALIKULOV

Cinnabar will be continuing its warm-weather music programs in June with a run of Gioacchino Rossini’s beloved opera “The Barber of Seville (June 7-23), and a one-night-only performance of classical music from Russia (it seems to be a theme!) performed by the Family Khalikulov, on Sunday, June 9, at 7:30 p.m.

Audiences at such Cinnabar shows as “The Fantasticks” and “The Most Happy Fella” have seen singer-actor Sergey Khalikulov in performance, but not many know that he springs from a whole family of classically trained musicians.

Blending classical compositions and folk tunes with a few well-chosen musical theater standards, the Family Khalikulov will weave into their concert some colorful stories of how the the group originally made their way to California from Russia.

Tickets for “From Russia with Love” are $25. Tickets for “The Barber of Seville” range from $37-$40. All tickets are available at the door or in advance at CinnabarTheater.org.

PETALUMA

COMMUNITY BAND

Among Petaluma’s best kept secrets, the all-volunteer Community Band is a collection of retirees, college students, and anyone else with an interest in playing concert style band music. Under the direction of Arlene Burney, the band performs a wide range of musical styles from marches and folk tunes to jazz standards, classical adaptations and musical showtunes.

The Community Band has been chosen this year to perform at the always impressive Golden Gate Park Band Festival, in San Francisco this June. They will play on the bandshell between the Academy of Sciences museum and the De Young Museum.

But first, the band has got its annual spring concert in Petaluma, on Monday, May 20, 7:30 p.m., in the Casa Grande High School multi-use room (333 Casa Grande Rd.). The concert will include some of the pieces the band plans to perform when they appear in San Francisco the following month.

For more information, visit PetalumaCommunityBand.org.

JURA MARGULIS

And finally, as regular a tradition in Petaluma as Butter & Egg Days and Clo the Cow, it’s the return of pianist Jura Margulis to the Petaluma Historical Museum. All the way from Vienna’s Music and Arts University, the renowned classical music will perform an evening of works by classical master on Friday, May 24, at 7:30 p.m. This will be Margulis’ eleventh appearance in Petaluma, where he has developed a strong local following. Admission is $35 for downstairs seating (free for students with ID), and $50 for seating in the balcony with “elite beverage service.” Complimentary wine and cheese to all ticketholders. 20 Fourth St. Information at (707) 778-4398 or visit PetalumaMuseum.com.