Alegría y Placer: A Musae Christmas showcases Musae's versatility with an eclectic sampling of holiday music from around the world. The centerpiece is local composer Conrad Susa's "Carols and Lullabies: Christmas in the Southwest," a dazzling work for chorus, harp, marimba, vibraphone, and guitar. "Alegría y Placer" includes familiar, festive gems both sacred and secular, with traditional European carols and American favorites from spiritual and popular traditions. About Musae Musae is a women's vocal ensemble based in San Francisco. The group takes its name from the original "ladies of song," the classic nine muses of Greek mythology. Since its founding in 2004, Musae has performed diverse and accessible music throughout the Bay Area, and continues to stretch the boundaries of traditional repertoire for women's voices. Musae functions as a musical collective in which each singer identifies as a leader and soloist contributing actively to the artistic process. The group's twelve singers are trained in the choral tradition, but not bound by it. Each singer may sing a range of voice parts based on the aesthetic demands of the music, and the group performs largely without conductor. In its first four seasons, Musae established itself as an up-and-coming member of the Bay Area music community. The group collaborated with acclaimed vocal ensembles Kitka and Chanticleer, performed at charity events, hosted a series of open houses, and produced a full schedule of sold-out concerts. Whether in Berkeley, Marin, on the Peninsula, or at home in San Francisco, Musae offered its audiences a new experience of women's voices with a repertoire including sacred chants, baroque masterpieces, choral standards, chamber pieces with string quartet, spirituals, folk songs, jazz, and popular music from five continents. In 2005, Musae released its debut album, "From Argentina to Appalachia," featuring music from North America, Venezuela, Mexico, Argentina, and Brazil. "Alegría y Placer: A Musae Christmas" followed in 2007, showcasing local composer Conrad Susa's "Carols and Lullabies: Christmas in the Southwest" for women's chorus, harp, marimba, vibraphone, and guitar. Musae is thrilled now to be celebrating its 5th Anniversary Season, in which the group presents its first ever Meet the Composer event, debuts new commissioned works, hosts a grand party and fundraiser at The City Club, and brings its annual December and May concerts to audiences in San Francisco, Berkeley, and Tiburon. Mission Musae offers a new experience of women's voices by combining musical artistry with an innovative and generous approach to performance. Vision Music is an essential part of our lives. Our commitment to excellence and collaborative learning challenges us to push artistic boundaries each season. We believe that Musae's heartfelt and adventurous music making inspires audiences and builds community.