“River, River carry me on,” the repeated plea in Peter Gabriel’s song “The Washing of the Water,” evokes the symbolic power of flowing water to cleanse, redeem and restore, extolled by composers since music began. The Biblical Israelites sang of their grief beside the waters of Babylon; modern souls yearn for a bridge over troubled water. Washing of the Water will feature music of spiritual intensity by Palestrina, Gibbons, Tomkins, Cardoso, Bryars, Gabriel, Simon, & Cohen.

Called “the world’s reigning male chorus” by The New Yorker magazine, the San Francisco based GRAMMY® award-winning ensemble Chanticleer celebrates its 39th season in 2016-17. Praised by the San Francisco Chronicle for their “tonal luxuriance and crisply etched clarity,” Chanticleer is known around the world as “an orchestra of voices” for the seamless blend of its twelve male voices ranging from soprano to bass and its original interpretations of vocal literature, from Renaissance to jazz and popular genres, as well as contemporary composition.