CONDUCTOR: Heather Waid
PIANIST: Chris Shlagel
PERCUSSION: Andrew Enberg

CONDUCTOR: Heather Waid
COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER: Emily Pérez
CONCERT PRODUCER: Emily Pérez
SOUND ENGINEER: Tim Andreas
HOUSE MANAGER: Sandi Lang

Pop Stars

Alana Pinsler

Ali Charlesworth

Alyssa Al-Jamea

Amanda Ramm

Anita Singha

Antoinette Sullivan

Aviva Suero

Bianca Fernandez y Garcia

Brianna Loughlin

Camille Alcala

Catherine Wesenfield

Cynthia Bosco

Laura Streeper

Leslie Addiego

Lily Tanner

Lisa Epstein

Patti Dikes

Regina Funk-Nelson

Sara Sturtevant

Sally Evey

Scot Siden

Stephanie Hoekman

Sumita Ram

Teresa Koro

Vedrana Novosel

Vivian Nguyen

Yolanda Cuesta

Conductor’s Note

Welcome to “Golden State,” a celebration of the beautiful state we live in! Originally planned for the spring of 2020, we wanted to show some love to the immense variety of our state and the great music that’s been written about California. While we had a great time putting together this concert, we were definitely reminded that Covid isn’t over, and I appreciate everyone’s willingness to navigate all the curveballs that were thrown our way. I’m so proud of all the work our group has done, and I know we’re all excited to share our music with you. We hope you’ll consider joining us in the fall to sing the music of our favorite boy bands, past and present. For tonight, though, enjoy the show!

Heather Waid
Pop Choir Conductor

PROGRAM NOTES

“Another Day of Sun”

Written by: Benj Pasek, Justin Paul & Justin Hurwitz

Arranged by: Jacob Narverud

"Another Day of Sun" is the opening number from the 2016 musical film La La Land. The scene portrays drivers in a Los Angeles traffic jam on a highway ramp singing and dancing about their aspirations to succeed in Hollywood. The song was filmed on the I-110 freeway with choreography by Mandy Moore. Composer Justin Hurwitz noted the song holds a bittersweet tension that balances ambition and unfulfilled dreams. Click here to see the scene in its entirety!

“Lodi”

Written by: John Fogerty

Arranged by: Heather Waid

"Lodi" is a song written by John Fogerty and performed by Creedence Clearwater Revival. Recorded in March 1969, it was released in April, four months before the album, as the B-side of "Bad Moon Rising".

The song describes the plight of a down-and-out musician whose career has landed him playing gigs in the town of Lodi. After playing in local bars, the narrator finds himself stranded and unable to raise bus or train fare to leave. Fun fact: Fogerty had never actually visited Lodi before writing this song, and simply picked it for the song because it had "the coolest sounding name.

“Free Fallin’”

Written by: Tom Petty & Jeff Lyne

Arranged by: Jetse Bremer and adapted by Heather Waid

Soloists: Brianna Loughlin

"Free Fallin'" is the opening track from American musician Tom Petty's debut solo album, Full Moon Fever (1989). The song was written by Petty and his writing partner for the album, Jeff Lynne, and features Lynne on backing vocals and bass guitar. The duo wrote and recorded the single in two days, making it the first song completed for Full Moon Fever. Although the song is narrative it’s not written about a specific person but rather the people Petty observed on his frequent drives along Ventura Boulevard.

"Free Fallin'" is one of Petty's most famous tracks as well as his highest- and longest-charting. The song is ranked No. 219 on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.

“California Girls/Gurls”

California Girls written by:  Brian Wilson and Mike Love

California Gurls written by: Bonnie McKee, Lukasz Gottwald, Max Martin, Calvin Broadus, Katy Perry, and Benny Blanco

Arranged by: Heather Waid

Soloist: Leslie Addiego

This medley features the work of three California native megastars: The Beach Boys, Katy Perry and Calvin Broadus aka Snoop Dogg. “California Girls" is a song by the American rock band the Beach Boys from their 1965 album Summer Days (And Summer Nights!!). Composer and band-member Mike Wilson conceived "California Girls" during his first acid trip while thinking about women and Western film scores. The song is distinguished for its orchestral prelude, layered vocals, and chromaticism. Wilson later referred to it as "a hymn to youth", the Beach Boys' "anthem", and his favorite record by the group. "California Gurls" is a song recorded by American singer Katy Perry. It served as the lead single for her third studio album, Teenage Dream (2010). We hope you enjoy our medley, no acid required. ;)

“Under the Bridge”

Written by: Flea, John Frusciante, Anthony Kiedis, Chad Smith

Arranged by: Hans Kaldeway

Lead Singer Anthony Kiedis wrote the lyrics of “Under the Bridge” during a period of depression. After struggling with heroin and cocaine addiction, he had been sober for roughly three years and suffering from a sense of alienation. He wrote in his 2006 memoir Scar Tissue: "The loneliness that I was feeling triggered memories of my time with my former girlfriend and how I'd had this beautiful angel of a girl who was willing to give me all of her love, and instead of embracing that, I was downtown with gangsters shooting speedballs under a bridge.” In the lyrics he reflects how the city of Los Angeles embraces him during his recovery, later saying “there was a nonhuman entity, maybe the spirit of the hills and the city, who had me in her sights and was looking after me". Our choral version arranged by Hans Kaldeway mixes the reflective lyricism of the original version with rolling piano lines and layered harmonies.

“Hotel California”

Written by: Don Henley, Glenn Frey, and Don Felder

Arranged by: Heather Waid

Soloist: Scot Siden

"Hotel California" is the title track from the Eagles' album of the same name and was released as a single in February 1977. The song is considered the best known recording by the band, and in 1998 its long guitar coda was voted the best guitar solo of all time by readers of Guitarist. The song was awarded the Grammy Award for Record of the Year in 1978. The lyrics of the song have been interpreted by fans and critics alike, the Eagles themselves describing the song as their "interpretation of the high life in Los Angeles". In the 2013 documentary History of the Eagles, Henley said that the song was about "a journey from innocence to experience ... that's all". The lyrics feature wordplays that are intentionally ambiguous and cinematic with the Twilight Zone referenced as an inspiration.

“I left my Heart in San Francisco”

Written by: Douglas Cross and George Cory

Arranged by: Ed Lojeski and adapted by Heather Waid

Soloist: Aviva Suero

"I Left My Heart in San Francisco" is a popular song written in 1953 and best known as the signature song of Tony Bennett. The song is one of the official anthems for the city of San Francisco. In 2018, it was selected for preservation in the National Recording Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or artistically significant". It has often been performed in public by Bennett in concert as well as on special occasions. A statue of Tony Bennett was unveiled outside the Fairmont Hotel on 19 August 2016, in honor of his 90th birthday, the hotel performance, and the song's history with San Francisco. The San Francisco Giants play the song after each victory at their home field, Oracle Park.

At noon (PDT) on Saturday, April 25, 2020, in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic and the shelter-in-place orders for people across the United States, San Franciscan residents sang "I Left My Heart in San Francisco" in unison from their residences and other places of sheltering as a tribute to the spirit of the city and its fight to keep the virus in check. Tony Bennett led the sing-along.

“California Love”

Written by: Tupac Amaru Shakur, Chris Stainton, Larry Troutman, Roger Troutman, Mikel Hooks, Ronnie Hudson &Joe Cocker

Arranged by: Chris Langton

Soloist: Alana Pinsler

"California Love" is a hip hop song by 2Pac featuring Dr. Dre and Roger Troutman. The song was released as 2Pac's comeback single after his release from prison in 1995 and was his first single as the newest artist of Death Row Records. This is one of 2Pac's most widely known and most successful singles, reaching number one on the Billboard Hot 100 for two weeks. The original version contains a sample taken from Joe Cocker's 1972 song "Woman to Woman". The chorus, "California knows how to party", was sung by Roger Troutman using his characteristic talk box and was taken from the 1982 song "West Coast Poplock" by Ronnie Hudson & The Street People. In the song where Troutman sings "shake it, shake it baby", he interpolates the chant he used on his 1982 Zapp single, "Dance Floor". Chris Langton wrote our playful choral arrangements following the hip-hop traditions of musical references. If you listen closely you’ll hear our choir belting the the iconic theme from the Western classic “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly”.

“Save me San Francisco”

Written by: Pat Monahan, David Katz, & Sam Hollander

Arranged by: Heather Waid

Soloist: Vedrana Novosel

"Save Me, San Francisco" is a song by the American pop rock band Train. It was released on April 25, 2011, as the fifth and final single from their fifth studio album of the same name. The songs’ accompanying music video is an allusion to 1967 California classic The Graduate. As in the film, the male protagonist is uninvited and late to the wedding of his beloved girl, Elaine. He travels across San Francisco in his sports car to reach the wedding, but runs out of gas, and ends up sprinting the rest of the way. Much of the video was shot on Treasure Island in the San Francisco Bay. Love this song with all your heart? Well you can drink it via a cabernet sauvignon made to fundraise for Family House, a charity that cares for the families of seriously ill children.

COME SING WITH US NEXT TERM!

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UPCOMING EVENTS