Witness an extraordinary, immersive concert experience like never before in San Francisco’s stunning Grace Cathedral. The UK’s Gesualdo Six and the Bay Area’s Wildcat Viols present a groundbreaking collaboration with Concert Theatre Works in a unique event honoring the 400-year legacy of William Byrd, one of England’s finest composers. Directed by Bill Barclay, Secret Byrd brings the historical context of Byrd’s music to life through a ritualistic, theatrical staging by candlelight, recreating the profound spiritual intensity of forbidden Catholicism in Reformation England. The sublime, high renaissance style of Byrd’s Mass for Five Voices is interspersed with other secular & sacred works, inviting listeners into a mystical journey with particular resonance in today’s world.
Audience Testimonials:
“We had the most wonderful time… the drama, the stunning music, both vocal and instrumental and how emotional the whole event was. Thank you!”
“We were amazed… nothing so exciting as what happened. I thoroughly enjoyed the performance. The purity of the voices was wonderful.”
Press Quotes:
“Profound, Spiritual, and Beautiful.”
– The Financial Times
“A reminder of our hope for a world in which people’s differences of belief are tolerated and respected.” – Opera News
“Effortless Perfection.” – The Observer
“Quietly Transfixing.” – The New Yorker
THURSDAY & FRIDAY, JULY 17 & 18, 6:30 & 9:30 PM
Grace Cathedral
1100 California St, San Francisco
Summer Season Packages NOW Available
Individual Tickets Available March 25
Fully Immersive Tickets $75:
Immerse yourself in the excitement of this exclusive secret mass with premium seating and a small serving of soup, bread, and wine
General Admission $60:
You will gain access to seating around the perimeter of the space. Please note that this ticket does not include soup.
Pay-What-You-Can Tickets:
A limited number of Pay-What-You-Can tickets will be available starting May 1. This initiative allows everyone the opportunity to experience the event, regardless of budget. Don’t miss your chance to secure one of these tickets—mark your calendars!
Consider buying a subscription package to ensure the success of our pay-what-you-can model!
About Gesualdo Six, Wildcat Viols, and Concert Theatre Works
Gesualdo Six
The Gesualdo Six is an award-winning British vocal ensemble comprising some of the UK’s finest consort singers, directed by Owain Park. Praised for their imaginative programming and impeccable blend, the group formed in 2014 for a performance of Gesualdo’s Tenebrae Responsories in Cambridge and has gone on to perform at numerous major festivals around the world.
Notable highlights include a concert in the distinguished Deutschlandradio Debut Series, performances at renowned venues including Wigmore Hall (London), Miller Theatre (New York), the Sydney Opera House, and their debut at the BBC Proms in 2023. In 2024, The Gesualdo Six made their South American debut in Colombia, and will appear in Japan, China and Singapore for the first time. The ensemble have collaborated with Fretwork, the Brodsky Quartet, and Matilda Lloyd, and tour a work of concert-theatre titled Secret Byrd with Director, Bill Barclay.
The group released their debut recording English Motets on Hyperion Records in early 2018 to critical acclaim, followed by seven further albums (Christmas, Fading, Josquin’s Legacy, Gesualdo’s Tenebrae Responsories, Lux Aeterna, William Byrd’s Mass for Five Voices, & Morning Star). Their latest album, Queen of Hearts was released at the end of June 2024.
members: Guy James, countertenor; Alasdair Austin, countertenor; Joseph Wicks, tenor; Josh Cooter, tenor; Michael Craddock, baritone; Owain Park, director and bass
Wildcat Viols
Wildcat Viols was formed in 2003, bringing together three of the San Francisco Bay Area's favorite early string specialists, Joanna Blendulf, Julie Jeffrey and Elisabeth Reed, and was joined in 2015 by internationally recognized viol virtuosa Annalisa Pappano. Praised for their musical rapport and the shared enjoyment that radiates from their performances, they have been hailed as "refreshing", "sensuous", "gutsy", "incredible artists", "breathtaking ensemble." Early Music America Magazine called their debut concert at the 2004 Berkeley Early Music Festival a "wonderful offering… beautifully played.".
In 2010 Wildcat Viols, at the invitation of Artistic Director George Benjamin, performed the complete 3- and 4-part Fantazias of Henry Purcell at the Ojai Music Festival, receiving lavish audience and critical praise. Wildcat Viols’ recording of the complete four-part Fantazias of Henry Purcell, the complete viol sonatas of Giovanni Legrenzi and selected Consorts of Four Parts by Matthew Locke (released in 2018) has been enthusiastically received: “The sound they make… is not just incredibly powerful, it’s beautifully blended, truly concerted, like the best chamber music… top-flight musicmaking.” (San Francisco Classical Voice).
Wildcat is joined by two guest artists for this performance, David Morris and Farley Pearce.
Concert Theatre Works
Concert Theatre Works is a creative production company that blends vibrant storytelling with live classical music to create unique performance experiences. Based between the US and UK, Concert Theatre Works is devoted to establishing new audiences, using theater and spectacle to make live music feel essential. From intimate concert settings to large-scale symphonic collaborations, composer, writer, and director Bill Barclay has created dozens of theatrical concerts with the world’s most prominent ensembles, shaping the future of concert music.
Artistic partners include The Boston Symphony Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, BBC Symphony Orchestra, Cleveland Orchestra, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Silkroad Ensemble, Shakespeare’s Globe, The National Symphony Orchestra, The Gesualdo Six, Fretwork, City of London Sinfonia, Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, The English Concert, The United Strings of Europe, and many others ensembles and festivals. These productions have been presented in venues including The Kennedy Center, The Hollywood Bowl, Buckingham Palace, Washington National Cathedral, Tanglewood Music Center, The Barbican, Chicago Symphony Center, Southbank Centre, Southwark Cathedral, Wilton’s Music Hall, NYC’s United Palace, and Chautauqua. An international leader in cutting edge performance, Concert Theatre Works employs actors, projections, lights, sound, illusions, juggling, architecture, and even food to serve an iconic piece of music in a dynamic, original way, while focusing on marginalised stories to make the case for the performing arts as an urgent, political act.