In honor of Mother's Day weekend, the Cantabella Children's Chorus is set to perform a selection of works that highlight womanhood and strength through music.
The Tri-Valley-based group will present "Inversions" this Saturday (May 13) at the Bankhead Theater in Livermore. A 1 p.m. show features younger performers of the chorus that are elementary aged, while at 4 p.m. middle and high school aged singers will take the stage.
The performing group has invited guests to bring their family members, mothers and friends, expressing that it will be a, "family event in honor of Mother's Day."
Performance pieces were selected by Cantabella artistic director Clement Cano to honor mothers and women around the near holiday. Many of the songs are said to represent female artistry.
"The root musical chord represents the status quo of majority male composers highlighted throughout the centuries and when you invert the chord you get a different color or feel," Cano said in a statement. "(It's) basically turning the status quo upside down by presenting majority female composers, poets, lyricists and arrangers."
The Cantabella Children's Chorus, originally founded in 1992, has won several national and international performance awards. In 2019 the group traveled to the World Youth Choral Festival and Competition in South Korea and secured a top prize.
The chorus continues to put on shows throughout the year, including annual Christmas and spring concerts.
Cano spoke on the music of female composers for the upcoming "Inversions" show.
"'Measure Me, Sky!' by Elaine Hagenberg has a great sense of flying and living aspirations represented in the music," he said.
Another song in the show, "Wanting Memories" by Ysaye M. Barnwell, was described by Cano as, "a relatively simplistic nature song with luscious melodies that has tremendous impact for longing for family and memories."
Cano added, "'Past Life Melodies' by Sarah Hopkins has no lyrics, so we are concentrating on pure raw singing producing visceral sounds and emotions."
For more information and tickets to a show, visit livermorearts.org/.
