Since 2015
Mission Statement
Gaude seeks to engage the concert-going public, new listeners, and students through approachable, polished performances of music from the Renaissance and beyond.
Gaude’s Story
History
Gaude's debut concerts took place in December 2015 to an overwhelmingly positive response. Founded & directed by Jace Wittig (former Interim Director of the Grammy Award-winning ensemble, Chanticleer), Gaude was founded by leading singers from the San Francisco Symphony Chorus and other professional ensembles. Its earliest performances were presented by Music on the Hill, a long-time, trusted chamber music series in San Francisco.
Following a lengthy silence during the Covid-19 pandemic, Gaude returned to the concert stage in March 2023 at its first home in San Francisco: St. Aidan's Episcopal Church, presented by Music on the Hill.
Noteworthy Appearances & Collaborations
2015 Inaugural performances in San Francisco (St. Aidan’s Church) & San Jose (Cathedral Basilica of St. Joseph)
2016 First appearances at San Francisco’s Old First Concerts Series
2017 Featured professional choir at the annual CASMEC Conference (California All-State Music Educators Conference); educational workshops with high school choirs from California & New Hampshire
2018 Ensemble in residence at The Episcopal Church of St. Mary the Virgin; appearances on Candelight Concerts Series
2019 Rituals and Transformations: choral collaboration with Cantabile Youth Singers of Silicon Valley in San Francisco & Palo Alto
Artistic Director
Jace Wittig (Founder & Music Director) is an educator, conductor, baritone, clinician, and arranger based in San Francisco, California. He performed around the world for eight seasons with the GRAMMY Award-winning ensemble, Chanticleer. During his tenure with the ensemble (five years as a singer followed by three years as Interim Music Director), he performed or directed over one thousand concerts in many of the world’s preeminent concert halls, including the Vienna Musikverein, the Amsterdam Concertgebouw, the Prague Rudolfinum, the National Grand Theatre in Beijing, Chicago’s Orchestra Hall, Los Angeles’ Disney Hall, and the Kennedy Center, among others. Jace’s voice can be heard on seven Chanticleer albums, and his time as Music Director saw the release of three live concert recordings. In the summer of 2013, he led the recording sessions for Chanticleer’s latest studio album, Someone New (recorded at Skywalker Sound).
In 2015, Wittig founded GAUDE out of his love for a cappella choral music of the Renaissance.
