Cris Walker

Friends, singers, and curious humans — please read this.
I need to say this louder because the ads are not doing it justice.

The Emily Dickinson concert on Sunday, Feb 1 is going to be wildly interesting. Even if you don’t usually go to classical concerts, this is absolutely one to check out.

This is not a “sit politely and clap” kind of night.

Think:
• multi-genre music
• multimedia + multi-sensory design
• things hanging from the ceiling
• dirt on the stage
• and yes… a desk gets broken during the performance

WHY EMILY DICKINSON?
Because Emily Dickinson wrote about the stuff people usually keep to themselves: fear, obsession, doubt, desire, death, and those moments when joy flips into terror. Her poems are short, sharp, eerie, funny, and unsettling in the best way. They still feel shockingly modern. They don’t wrap things up nicely — they linger. Set to music, they hum under your skin.

This concert is a fully immersive, multimedia, multi-genre experience. It’s on a Sunday night because it literally takes four full days to build the technical and physical elements of the show.

🎟️ Students: PLEASE take advantage of the $20 tickets
Promo code: SoSings2026 (this link auto-applies it)

📍 Weill Hall, Green Music Center (Sonoma State University)
🚗 Free parking — no permits required (Sonoma Sings is covering the lot)

🎶 SINGERS — there’s more.
If you want to go one step further than attending, there’s also a FREE ensemble singing opportunity as part of the masterclass on:

📅 Thursday, January 29, 2026
⏰ Call time: 4:45 pm (rehearsal 5–6 pm)
🍽️ Dinner break
🎤 Masterclass: 7–9 pm (free and open to the public)

👗 Dress: Black attire (touches of white are totally fine)
📍 Location: Weill Hall, Green Music Center

🎼 What we’re singing:
• Ombra mai fu
• How Can I Keep From Singing

Treble voices (soprano/alto):
– You’ll sing T1 on How Can I Keep
– Ombra is in unison

No memorization required — you just need to know the music well. Printed music and folders will be provided on site for a unified look.

🎧 YouTube reference links are available, and Melinda Moreaux can send you the sheet music PDFs.
📧 Email her directly at [email protected]

There’s no ticket required for the masterclass, so feel free to invite friends and family to come watch.

Even if you only come to the concert — come.
And if you’re a singer? Come sing with us. This is a special one.

Joyce DiDonato, mezzo-sopranoTime For Three, string trioEmily – No Prisoner Be - Green Music Center Michael Feinstein pays heartfelt tribute to the legendary Tony Bennett, bringing his iconic songs to life with the Carnegie Hall Jazz Band.

Want to know where I am performing in 2026?
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I recently did some much-needed housekeeping and discovered my mailing list had collected thousands of fake or inactive email addresses over time, which meant I was paying monthly to email a bunch of robots. Not ideal.

So I cleaned things up and started fresh.

If you’d still like to hear about upcoming performances, concerts, and musical adventures, I’d love to keep you in the loop ~ just re-subscribe using the sign-up form at the bottom of my website’s home page:

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Cris Walker singer Singer, music teacher, entrepreneur

Looking back on this year of performing, I sang less than usual, largely because of the demands of my final year completing my MA in Vocal Pedagogy and Performance Practice. In many ways, that made each performance more intentional and more special.

I’m deeply grateful for the opportunities to perform alongside such wonderful friends and colleagues, and organizations and for the chance to remind ourselves, and our audiences, to feel joy once in a while, especially in a tumultuous political and civic moment.

I’m especially thankful for my role directing It’s a Grand Night for Singing at the Jarvis Center / Jarvis Conservatory where we create monthly concerts that give singers and pianists a beautiful space to share their work.

My heart was also full watching my students at Music to My Ears grow, perform, and gain confidence in themselves and their art.

All in all, it’s been a rich, meaningful, and deeply fulfilling musical year. Looking forward to 2026!

Excited to be singing at the 6th Street Playhouse for the New Years Eve gala! Get your tickets here: https://6thstreetplayhouse.com/shows/2025-26/nye-classical-voices-celebration-2025/

NYE Classical Voices Celebration 2025 - 6th Street Playhouse
6thstreetplayhouse.com

6th Street Playhouse - 6th Street Playhouse 6th Street Playhouse is the premiere North Bay destination for compelling theatre, creative excellence, and high quality educational opportunities.

So excited to be singing in this program on October 5th!

Sonoma Sings Presents: Queens of Comedy and Tragedy - Green Music Center Michael Feinstein pays heartfelt tribute to the legendary Tony Bennett, bringing his iconic songs to life with the Carnegie Hall Jazz Band.

https://www.christadurand.com/bookcriswalker.html

Cris Walker | Wedding & Funeral Singer Book Cris Walker for live music at weddings, funerals, and memorials. Elegant, heartfelt, and professional.

had a great time singing at the Jarvis Center / Jarvis Conservatory last month!

Come sing with us this fall! Rehearsals begin August 26th! https://www.petalumawomenschorus.org/

One of my students and I were looking for sea shanties yesterday and found this modern sea shanty. We are loving this very relevant lyrics for our time. The importance of being humans together, of connecting in person, telling stories, making music, sharing meals....

Watch that old fire as it flickers and dies
That once blessed the household and lit up our lives
It shone for the friends and the clinking of glasses
I'll tend to the flame, you can worship the ashes

Capture the wild things and bring them in line
And own what was never your right to confine
The lives and the loves and the songs are what matters
I'll tend to the flame, you can worship the ashes

Do you feel heavy? Your eyes drop with grief
Your spirit is wild and your suffering is brief
So never you buckle and bend to the masses
I'll tend to the flame, you can worship the ashes

Get round the fire with a glass of strong ale
And tell us a story from beyond the pale
Bury some seeds and expect some strong branches
I'll tend to the flame, you can worship the ashes

Now show me a man that can meet all his needs
For what we need most now is unity's seed
A common old song for all creeds and all classes
I'll tend to the flame, you can worship the ashes

I'll tend to the flame

What will we do when the world it is ending
And time it is halted for friend and for foe?
Try to hold on to the time as it passes

I'll tend to the flame, you can worship the ashes
I'll tend to the flame, you can worship the ashes
I'll tend to the flame, you can worship the ashes

Ashes, from Cures What Ails Ya by The Longest Johns From the new album Cures What Ails YaMerchandise and Physical copies from https://thelongestjohns.com/shopDigital copies available at https://thelongestjohns...

https://mailchi.mp/christadurand/two-very-different-and-wonderful-concerts-this-month

Two Very Different (and Wonderful!) Concerts This Month 🎭 Saturday, June 7 – Jarvis Conservatory, Napa – 7 PM This is a beautiful concert hall, and we’ll be performing a mix of classical music and musical theater. Since I’m not hosting this time, I get to sing some of my favorite big opera pieces! I’ll be performing:

😃🤗Here is a mathematical explanation of the basic musical notes and rhythms