Artists sometimes talk about their creative work as if it were their offspring. The Vocal Art Ensemble goes one step further this month, involving the children of choir members in a program titled “Voices of Innocence: Wonder, Hope and Joy,” which will be performed Friday, Nov. 22, in Sacramento and Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 23-24, at two different locations in Davis.

Tracia Barbieri, director of the Davis-based choral group, is known for creative programming and collaboration with other performing artists. Past concerts have involved dancers, instrumentalists, spoken poetry and more.

This time,  Barbieri is literally sticking closer to home. Her entire family will be part of the program, with husband Doug singing baritone in the ensemble, daughter Ashlyn singing soprano for portions of the program and taking a solo, and son Kian playing trumpet.

The Vocal Art Ensemble children involved in the performance range in ages from 10 to 17, unless you count baby Beatrice Dolanc, who was the inspiration for a new work composed by soprano Christina Dolanc. Christina created the piece “Rocking Softly on Mother” while pregnant with Beatrice, who is now a toddling 1-year-old. Her 10-year-old daughter Eden also will perform in the concert, and husband Chris Dolanc sings bass.

“We hold music as an expression of our deepest thoughts and feelings, just as we do our children every day,” Christina says. “To let the love of my children pour into a musical composition was both natural and inspiring.”

Daughter Eden’s take on the concert: “I can’t wait to get to sing with my mom and dad!”

Barbieri has organized the concert around seven themes connected to childhood experience: wonder, play, innocence, fun, warmth, hope and joy. But don’t expect a family concert of light-hearted sing-alongs. The program contains VAE’s usual range of demanding choral repertoire, from intimate and delicate works by living composers Arvo Pärt and Morten Lauridsen to rousing and rhythmic ethnic pieces from Serbia and Africa.

The selections are intended to invite the listener to revisit the intense emotions and sensations of childhood, with the inclusion of children’s voices and instrumental performances heightening the reminiscence.

Concerts are planned at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 22, at Trinity Episcopal Church, 2620 Capitol Ave. in  Sacramento; at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 23, at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Davis, 27074 Patwin Road in Davis; and at 4 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 24, at the Davis United Methodist, 1620 Anderson Road.

A donation will be taken at the door, which will help fund VAE’s May 2014 tour of England and Scotland. For more information, visit www.vae.trug.com or call 530-757-2396.

— Reach Jeff Hudson at [email protected] or 530-747-8055. Follow him on Twitter at @JeffHudsonDE

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