Following recent release of Delos debut, Joy to the World, Chanticleer tours beloved Christmas program in Bay Area & across U.S. (Nov 29–Dec 23)

(November 2025) — “Breathtaking in its accuracy of intonation, purity of blend, of color and swagger of style” (The Boston Globe), multiple Grammy-winning vocal ensemble Chanticleer embarks at the end of November on its annual nationwide tour of their iconic holiday program, “A Chanticleer Christmas” (Nov 29–Dec 23), highlighted by return performances at New York City’s Church of St. Ignatius Loyola (Dec 5 & 7), Chicago’s Symphony Center (Dec 9), and Los Angeles’s Walt Disney Concert Hall (Dec 15), as well as concerts throughout the ensemble’s Bay Area home. Much of this season’s live Christmas repertoire is drawn from Chanticleer’s recent debut on the Delos label, Joy to the World, which was released on October 31. Joy to the World can be streamed or downloaded here.

See a video of Chanticleer performing Palestrina’s O Magnum Mysterium from the new album, honoring the 500th anniversary of the composer’s birth

Coming up in the new year, Chanticleer gives Bay Area tours of two programs – “I Left My Heart in San Francisco” (March 22–28) and “American Early Music” (May 31–June 7) – along with U.S. performances of this season’s featured program, “Our American Journey,” celebrating America’s 250th year of independence (Feb 22–March 5; April 12–May 10), and tours of multiple programs in Europe in both the winter (Jan 20–Feb 8) and spring (June 13–29).

Reflecting on the holiday performances and new album, Chanticleer Music Director Tim Keeler comments:

“The magic of Christmas lies in old meeting new: beloved traditions earn deeper meaning with each passing year. Family and friends gather and grow, roles change, experiences multiply, and life accumulates, while the familiar rituals of Christmastime pass from one generation to the next. Similarly, the magic of Chanticleer’s Christmas offerings come from the ensemble’s extraordinary ability to move seamlessly and expertly between styles, allowing not only the juxtaposition of ancient and contemporary, but also fresh interpretations of enduring melodies.”

“A Chanticleer Christmas” – from its opening candlelit chant procession through early music, contemporary compositions, and favorite carols to its triumphant gospel conclusion – hearkens back to some of the group’s most cherished traditions and the original vision of its founder, Louis Botto; the program has also been featured on a PBS special and multiple appearances on NBC’s Today show. The new album builds on these traditions: Renaissance motets by Praetorius, Palestrina, and Morales rub shoulders with seven new arrangements of favorite carols by vocal jazz expert Amanda Taylor; Chanticleer’s longest tenured singer, countertenor Adam Brett Ward; Chanticleer’s own vocal jazz star, bass-baritone Jared Graveley; and Music Director Tim Keeler. Contemporary compositions include Sarah Quartel’s This Endris Night, Steven Sametz’s A Christmas Fanfare (Angelus ad Virginem), and two new commissions from Joanna Marsh: Hands and the Hour and Arrival at the Lantern Festival. The latter two pieces were written for Chanticleer and Stockholm’s Zero8 choir, forming a triptych with Marsh’s 2019 composition In Winter’s House, which has become a favorite of both groups and is also included on Joy to the World. All the album repertoire and more will be presented in Chanticleer’s live tour performances.

Veteran former San Francisco Chronicle music critic Joshua Kosman recently distilled years of experience with Chanticleer performances in his On a Pacific Aisle blog:

“Chanticleer is approaching its 50th anniversary, and in all that time it’s been an invaluable asset to the Bay Area’s musical landscape. Over many decades, and through countless dozens of personnel shifts, the group’s values have remained the same – gleaming ensemble sound, flawless intonation and diction, a repertory that encompasses everything from the Renaissance polyphony it was created to sing all the way up to contemporary works that are often commissioned by the organization. And all of it is delivered with a warmth of personality and stylistic flair that makes you think, parasocially, these guys would be so cool to hang out with.”

About Chanticleer

The Grammy Award-winning vocal ensemble Chanticleer is known around the world as “an orchestra of voices” for its wide-ranging repertoire and dazzling virtuosity. Founded in San Francisco in 1978 by singer and musicologist Louis Botto, Chanticleer quickly took its place as one of the most prolific recording and touring ensembles in the world, selling more than one million recordings and performing thousands of live concerts to audiences around the globe.

Rooted in the Renaissance, Chanticleer’s repertoire has been expanded to include a wide range of classical, gospel, jazz and popular music and to reflect a deep commitment to the commissioning of new compositions and arrangements. The ensemble has dedicated much of its vast recording catalogue to these commissions, garnering Grammy Awards for its recordings of Sir John Tavener’s Lamentations & Praises and the ambitious collection of commissioned works entitled Colors of Love. Chanticleer is the recipient of Chorus America’s Dale Warland Singers Commission Award and the Chorus America/ASCAP Award for Adventurous Programming. During his tenure with Chanticleer, Music Director Emeritus Joseph H. Jennings received the Chorus America Brazeal Wayne Dennard Award for his contribution to the African American choral tradition.

Named for the “clear-singing” rooster in Geoffrey Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales, Chanticleer continues to maintain ambitious programming in its hometown of San Francisco, including a large education and outreach program, and an annual concert series that includes its legendary holiday tradition, “A Chanticleer Christmas.”

Chanticleer: Joy to the World (Delos)

Track list:
1. Joy to the World Lowell Mason (1792–1872), arr. Adam Brett Ward
2. This Endris Night Sarah Quartel (b. 1982)
3. Rorate Caeli Michael Praetorius (1571–1621)
4. O Magnum Mysterium Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina (1525–1594)
5. Quem Vidistis Pastores Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina
6. Ecce Virgo Concipiet Cristóbal de Morales (c. 1500–1553)
7. Once in Royal David’s City Henry Gauntlett (1805–1876), arr. Jared Graveley
8. I Wonder as I Wander John Jacob Niles (1892–1980), arr. Tim Keeler
9. A Christmas Fanfare (Angelus ad Virginem) Steven Sametz (b. 1954)
10. Ding Dong Merrily on High Traditional, arr. Adam Brett Ward
11. Good King Wenceslas / Little Girl Blue Traditional and Richard Rodgers (1902–1979), arr. Jared Graveley
12. And the Trees Do Moan Traditional, arr. Tim Keeler
13. Hands and the Hour (from Winter’s Garland) Joanna Marsh (b. 1970)
14. Arrival at the Lantern Festival (from Winter’s Garland) Joanna Marsh
15. In Winter’s House (from Winter’s Garland) Joanna Marsh
16. O Come, All Ye Faithful John Francis Wade (1711–1786), arr. Amanda Taylor
17. Silent Night Franz Xaver Gruber (1787–1863), arr. Jared Graveley

Chanticleer: Christmas and spring 2026 engagements

“A Chanticleer Christmas”
Nov 29: Fairfax, VA (George Mason University)
Dec 2: Charlottesville, VA (Old Cabell Hall Auditorium, University of Virginia)
Dec 4: Bloomsburg, PA (Commonwealth University – Bloomsburg)
Dec 5 & 7: New York, NY (St. Ignatius Loyola)
Dec 6: Newark, NJ (NJPAC)
Dec 9: Chicago, IL (Symphony Center)
Dec 11: Stanford, CA (Memorial Church)
Dec 13: Oakland, CA (The Cathedral of Christ the Light)
Dec 14: Mill Valley, CA (Mt. Tamalpais UMC)
Dec 15: Los Angeles, CA (Disney Hall)
Dec 17: Berkeley, CA (First Church Berkeley)
Dec 18: Petaluma, CA (St. Vincent de Paul; two shows)
Dec 19: Sacramento, CA (Fremont Presbyterian)
Dec 21: San Francisco, CA (St. Ignatius)
Dec 22: Carmel, CA (Carmel Mission; two shows)
Dec 23: Santa Clara, CA (Mission Santa Clara; two shows)

European tour: Jan 20–Feb 8
Jan 20: Trento, Italy (Società Filarmonica)
Jan 21: Val Gardena, Italy
Jan 22: Bozen, Italy
Jan 24: Feldkirch, Austria (Montforthaus)
Jan 25: Stuttgart, Germany (Liederhalle, Mozartsaal; “Sing Joyfully”)
Jan 28: Vienna, Austria (Mozart-Saal; “Sing Joyfully”)
Jan 30: Dortmund, Germany (Reinoldihaus; “Our American Journey”)
Feb 1: Ettelbruck, Luxembourg (Centre des Arts Pluriels Ettelbruck)
Feb 3: Halle Westfalen, Germany
Feb 4: Gackenbach, Germany
Feb 6 & 7: Helsinki, Finland (Akademen)
Feb 8: Stockholm, Sweden (Zero8)
Other venues and programs to be determined

“Our American Journey”
Feb 22: Ellicott City, MD
Feb 26: Valparaiso, IN
March 1: Toronto, ON
March 5: Grand Rapids, MI

“I Left My Heart in San Francisco”
March 22: Sacramento, CA (St. John’s Lutheran)
March 23: Berkeley, CA (First Church Berkeley)
March 24: Mill Valley, CA (Mt. Tamalpais UMC)
March 27: Palo Alto, CA (St. Mark’s Episcopal Church)
March 28: San Francisco, CA (SFCM – Hume Hall)

“Our American Journey”
April 12: Deep River, CT
April 15: Portland, OR
April 20 & 21: New York, NY (Kaufman Music Center; includes mentor session)
April 28: Houston, TX
May 2: Lodi, CA
May 10: La Jolla, CA

“Machaut Messe de Nostre Dame”
April 22: New York, NY (Trinity Church)

“American Early Music”
May 31: Sacramento, CA (St. John’s Lutheran)
June 1: Berkeley, CA (First Church Berkeley)
June 2: Mill Valley, CA (Mt. Tamalpais UMC)
June 5: Santa Clara, CA (Mission Santa Clara)
June 7: San Francisco, CA (St. Mark’s Lutheran)

European tour: June 13–29
All dates and programs TBA

Additional dates will be announced.