North Coast Choral Artists Performing ‘Hello, Goodbye, and Everything in Between’ June 26

This is a press release from Christ Episcopal Church:

The North Coast Choral Artists

The North Coast Choral Artists, led by artistic director Rachel Samet, will present an eclectic and inspiring choral program called “Hello, Goodbye, and Everything in Between” at the beautiful Christ Episcopal Church in Eureka. There will be two performances, one on Friday, June 26th at 7:30 p.m. and the other on Sunday, June 28th at 4:00 p.m. Tickets will be available for $20 at the door.

The North Coast Choral Artists is a unique musical program where the singers work together for only two weeks from the first rehearsal through the final performance. This intensive musical experience allows for the cultivation of a strong sense of community, especially since the singers rehearse together for four evenings a week during the two-week period. And because North Coast Choral Artists is specifically designed for experienced choral singers, the group is able to achieve a very high level of artistry within this short period of time.

For this concert, Samet cultivated an upbeat and meaningful program inspired by the idea of greetings and farewells. The first piece creates a welcoming atmosphere with Rosephanye Powell’s powerful Zimbabwe greeting, “Sorida.” Three historic pieces follow: English Renaissance composer John Wilbye’s expressive madrigal “Adieu, Sweet Amaryllis;” the lighthearted “Haste Thee, Nymph,” from George Frederic Handel’s opera, “L’Allegro;” and Ralph Vaughn Williams’ haunting a cappella arrangement of the English folk tune, “The Turtle Dove.” A highlight of the program is the iconic American choral composer Eric Whitacre’s “Five Hebrew Love Songs,” which is a set of five short and varied “postcards,” as the composer refers to them. Whitacre’s beautiful set of miniature love songs will be accompanied by pianist Larry Pitts and violinist Karen Davy.

The second half of the program starts with a burst of energy with Mosie Lister’s rousing gospel tune “Goodbye, World, Goodbye.” Dolly Parton’s “Light of a Clear Blue Morning” arranged by Craig Hella Johnson has become a classic in American choral repertoire for its simple yet profound expressiveness. Orlando di Lasso’s “Echo Song” is a lighthearted double choir piece about someone who playfully greets and bids farewell to an echo. René Clausen’s arrangement of the English folk song “Johnny Has Gone for a Soldier” is striking and poignant with the unusual accompaniment of soprano saxophone and piano. The program closes with Adam Anders’ and Tim Davis’ arrangement of the uplifting classic Beatles tune, “Hello, Goodbye.” The hellos and farewells throughout the concert range in style and mood and are sure to draw the audience in for a meaningful and enjoyable experience.

A DreamMaker Program of The Ink People, North Coast Choral Artists was founded by Rachel Samet in 2019 as an intensive choral workshop featuring 40 dedicated local singers. In 2020, the workshop was put on hold indefinitely. North Coast Choral Artists was reinstated in 2024, and has been a yearly event since, with about 50 outstanding local choral singers participating each summer.

“I have had so much fun creating this summer’s concert program!” says Samet. “Greetings and farewells come in so many forms, from yearning to energetic. I’m honored to create a program that explores the breadth of this theme with such talented singers.”

The North Coast Choral Artists evolved from Samet’s work at Cal Poly Humboldt, where she is the Director of Choirs. One of the ensembles there, Humboldt Chorale, is made up of both students and community members, and many singers expressed interest in continuing to sing over the summer when the university choirs do not meet. Since the first iteration of North Coast Choral Artists in 2019, the number of community members involved in Humboldt Chorale has skyrocketed, with well over 100 singers participating each semester. Samet also invites several talented students from Cal Poly Humboldt’s University Singers to participate in North Coast Choral Artists each summer. Newer additions to North Coast Choral Artists include members of Mosaic Vocal Ensemble, a chamber choir that Samet created in 2025 that has been very well received in the community in a short amount of time and includes some of the top singers in the community.

“I created North Coast Choral Artists as a ‘work hard, play hard’ kind of experience,” says Samet. “The singers have come to call the experience ‘choral camp’ and look forward to doing it each summer. The singers receive their scores about two weeks before our first rehearsal, and they prepare on their own as much as they are able before the first rehearsal. Their advance preparation helps to accelerate the choir’s progress during this short rehearsal period.”

Samet has lived in Humboldt since 2015, when she moved here to teach music and direct the choirs at the university. She grew up in New York and has lived all over the country, from Boston to Colorado to Hawaii, before landing here. “I was fortunate to grow up in a public high school program in New York that had an incredible choral program, so I think my love of choral music evolved from that experience.”

She was a piano major as an undergraduate, but choral music was always her main love, so she went on to get her master’s and doctoral degrees in choral conducting. Before coming to Humboldt, she directed collegiate, community, and semi-professional choirs, taught middle school and high school, and served as the music director for numerous musical theater productions.

Samet has been keeping the choral community in Humboldt quite active. Several of the singers participating in North Coast Choral went with Samet to New York City last year, where they participated in a performance at Carnegie Hall for which Samet conducted Mozart’s “Regina Coeli.” Between the Carnegie Hall singers, Humboldt Chorale, University Singers, and Mosaic Vocal Ensemble, Samet is keeping choral music alive and well in Humboldt.

Title: North Coast Choral Artists – Hello, Goodbye, and Everything in Between

Date: Friday, June 26, 2026

Time: 7:30 p.m.

Date: Sunday, June 28, 2026

Time: 4:00 p.m.

Location: Christ Episcopal Church, Eureka

Price: $20 at the door

Artistic Director Rachel Samet