"…In the silence your heart is singing.
Dream deeply, listen well.
Know the single point of stillness
Where all things are born."

—"Winter Song" by Debra White

On Christmas eve in 1978 people drove from their homes in the hills surrounding Occidental, California and gathered in the center of town around a campfire to sing carols. We didn’t want to go home, so we started a choir.

Since 1978, we’ve grown into a group of singers, composers and musicians, writing and performing our own music. Our writing styles range from fugues and folk to madrigals and classical, from reverent to irreverent and everything in-between. Described affectionately by the media as “heartfelt, irreverent and quirky,” we generally perform two concert series a year of our original music. Subject matter can range from raccoons, Ford automobiles and therapy, to the cosmos and love.

The Occidental Community Choir has been fortunate to have had talented leadership throughout the years. In the beginning, Philip Rolnick was the director. Alaudin Mathieu took the helm for 10 years and led us on several adventures to San Francisco to join in exciting performances at Grace Cathedral and Davies Symphony Hall with Paul Winter and his Consort. Mr. Mathieu encouraged the composing process among interested choir members. His flamboyant conducting style and superior piano skill and composing inspired a higher level of musicianship.

Doug Bowes became our next director, leading us for 16 wonderful years. He refined our ears and voices into a well-oiled, tuned, and blended group. His composing talent was showcased in each and every performance.

In 2004, Daniel Canosa became our director. Once again we had in our midst, a talented conductor and composer. Mr. Canosa brought vocal training and passion to each rehearsal. His enthusiasm for the music we sang and the people in the group lifted us up into a larger sound and a feeling kind of experience. Daniel continues to play a prominent role in the Bay Area music scene. He conducts the Mayflower Community Choir, the San Francisco Rainbow Orchestra, and the California Camerata.

In 2009, our former assistant conductor, Sarah Saulsbury, became our fifth director. Sarah took the helm of the chorus at an exciting time in the history of the West County arts scene. The choir worked in partnership with the Occidental Center for the Arts to realize the dream of finally creating a permanent home for the OCC—and a venue for all the arts—in the town of Occidental. The dream came to fruition at Harmony Village, the former site of Harmony School, recently developed into live/work units by developer Orrin Thiessen, who generously donated a portion of this property to the OCA. Most renovations have been completed on what was formerly the Harmony School cafeteria, and the choir is now inhabiting a new rehearsal and performance space there. To learn more about this thriving arts hub to life in West County, please visit the OCA web site.

Mission Statement

The Occidental Community Choir creates, performs, and promotes choral music composed primarily by its members. Our music reflects a wide range of personal experience and represents an authentic connection we have with one another and the community at large. We mentor and support one another in developing our skills as singers, lyricists and composers. We strive to share a meaningful musical experience with our audience community.