Enter a Sanctuary of Sound: AfterGlow Chorus Presents "The Gift of Love"
- AfterGlow Chorus
- 5 days ago
- 4 min read
Public ticket sales are officially live for our Summer 2026 Concert Series in Oakland.
Take a breath, step away from the noise of the world, and enter a sanctuary built entirely from the warmth of the human voice.
This August, AfterGlow Chorus invites you to experience The Gift of Love — a deeply moving, transformative afternoon performance designed to be a profound "vocal embrace." Whether you are navigating a complex season of loss, holding up loved ones as a caregiver, or simply looking to refill your reservoir with hope, this concert series is an intentional space built to offer comfort, restore your spirit, and lift your heart through the power of live music in the East Bay.
The Program: An A Cappella Journey Across Musical Worlds
True healing doesn't sit in the dark—it moves toward the light. To capture that emotional journey, our upcoming performances weave a brilliant tapestry across diverse musical genres, creating an atmosphere where precise artistic mastery meets a deep, celebratory sense of wonder.
Hearing a premier Bay Area chamber choir perform completely unamplified is a uniquely physical experience. Our Summer 2026 program showcases an extraordinary array of emotional and stylistic contrasts that showcase the absolute versatility of the human voice:
Classical & Contemporary Light: Experience the luminous beauty and soothing, architectural perfection of sacred devotion in Maurice Duruflé’s Ubi Caritas and Nathaniel Dett’s O Holy Lord.
Powerful Spirituals: Feel the roof-raising power, unshakeable resilience, and pure hope of traditional arrangements, featuring Moses Hogan's exquisitely comforting Give Me Jesus and Stacey Gibbs' driving, rhythmic Wade in the Water.
Gospel, Soul & Jazz Elegance: Immerse yourself in the healing warmth and high-energy joy of Richard Smallwood's masterpiece Healing, Nathan Carter's soaring If I Can Help Somebody, and a sophisticated, whimsical escape into Greg Murai’s stunning choral arrangement of Pure Imagination.
Behind the Music: Seamlessly shifting from the strict, historical modal polyphony of Duruflé to the intricate, close-interval jazz harmonies of Greg Murai requires an exceptional level of vocal skill and musicianship. Our 40+ singers live for this exact kind of rigorous artistic challenge, shaping every single note to move the room and touch the soul.
Public Tickets Are Open! (Early-Bird Tiers Already Sold Out)
With public booking now officially open for this premier a cappella concert in Oakland, we want to extend a massive thank you to our community for an incredible wave of early support. Following our early email campaigns to our newsletter subscribers this past week, our $15-off Early Bird ticket allotment completely sold out in record time.
If you missed out on that initial window, you can still plan ahead and save. Today, we are officially launching our Advance Tickets tier, which offers a $10 discount off the standard door price.
Because St. Paul's Episcopal Church is an intimate acoustic venue and our opening ticket allocation vanished so quickly, claiming your seats during this Advance window is the absolute best way to guarantee your place in the room before prices increase at the door.
Choose your performance date and claim your Advance savings below:
P.S. Need a quick escape from the June heatwave?
August is still a few weeks away, and the summer sun is officially blazing out here in the East Bay. To help you cool off while our singers put the finishing touches on our summer repertoire, we decided to dig deep into our winter performance archives.
Yes, we know it is a bit ridiculous—and highly out of season—to drop a holiday classic in the middle of June. But nothing showcases the rich vocal blend, crystal-clear precision, and pure collective warmth of this chorus quite like our live archival footage of Mel Tormé's legendary arrangement of "The Christmas Song."
Think of it as a quick blast of musical air conditioning for a hot June afternoon. Grab a cold drink, take a listen, and we look forward to welcoming you (sans snow) to our live performances this August!
Concert Schedule & Venue Details
Performance 1: Sunday, August 9, 2026 at 4:00 PM — Click Here for August 9th Tickets via Eventbrite
Performance 2: Sunday, August 16, 2026 at 4:00 PM — Click Here for August 16th Tickets via Eventbrite
The Venue: St. Paul's Episcopal Church, 114 Montecito Ave, Oakland, CA 94610
Love High-Caliber Choral Music? Sing With Us.
AfterGlow Chorus is a tuition-free, highly selective ensemble dedicated to performing choral music at the highest standards of excellence. To maintain our exceptional vocal blend, we hold rolling auditions throughout the year for experienced, passionate singers across all voice parts—with a particular focus on strong sight-readers.
If you are a dedicated Bay Area vocalist looking for a rigorous, joyful, and deeply artistic musical home, we invite you to come experience The Gift of Love this August to hear our sound firsthand.
To review our audition requirements, check current openings, or submit an inquiry to our artistic team, visit our AfterGlow Chorus Audition page.
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