The English Concert
Handel’s Hercules
Harry Bicket, conductor
The Clarion Choir
Steven Fox, artistic director
Ann Hallenberg, mezzo-soprano (Dejanira)
William Guanbo Su, bass (Hercules)*
Hilary Cronin, soprano (Iole)*
Alexander Chance, countertenor (Lichas)*
Britain’s extraordinary early-music ensemble visits with another exquisite concert performance of a Handel masterwork in what has become an eagerly anticipated highlight of each Cal Performances season.
Hercules is a fine showcase for the richly expressive mezzo-soprano Ann Hallenberg, who sings the demanding role of the hero’s wife Dejanira, evolving from impatience to rage to despair as her jealousy leads her to murder and madness. The opera, with a libretto in English, Hercules also features some of Handel’s most gorgeous choral writing, showcasing the crystalline voices of New York City’s Clarion Choir.
“A certain magic occurs when Bicket gives the down beat: the players unleash gleaming rays of sound” (The New York Times).
Patron Sponsors: The Lynne LaMarca Heinrich and Dwight M. Jaffee Fund, The Estate of Ross E. Armstrong, Anonymous
* Cal Performances debut
The Program Book will be available approximately one week before the performance.
There is a $15 per order service charge on single ticket purchases that partially underwrites the cost of our ticketing platform, credit card processing, Ticket Office staffing, and ticket delivery. To avoid this fee, tickets can be purchased in person at our Ticket Office during our regular office hours. Note: there is a $20 service charge for all subscription orders.
Beyond the Stage Related Posts
* There is a $15 per order service charge on ticket purchases made by phone or online that are not part of a subscription package, and a $20 service charge on all subscription orders. There is no fee for tickets purchased in person at the Zellerbach Hall Ticket Office unless they are part of a subscription. This fee helps to underwrite the cost of providing services online and by phone, as well as programs needed for digital order delivery. To avoid this fee, tickets can be purchased in person at our Ticket Office during our regular office hours.
Single tickets for 2025–26 Season events go on sale at noon as follows:
July 24: Donors of $100+
July 29: Email Club and UCB Community
Aug 5: General Public