Architectural Building Tours
Open to the public. Free tours are offered on the first Sunday of every month at 12:15 PM Reservations for groups of 4 or more are required.
Suggested donation $10 per person.
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Private tours are available for a fee, by special arrangement. For private tour information, email society@csberkeley.org
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If you are interested in booking the church building for an event, please contact society@csberkeley.org
2025 – 2026 Events
Every Thursday | 11:30 am
Midday Organ Meditations
William Ludtke, Organist
11:30 am – 12:00 pm silent meditation
12:00 pm – 12:30 pm organ music
September 20, 2025
9:30 am | 11:00 am | 1:30 am
California Preservation Foundation
Doors Open California Event
Special Architectural Building Tours at 9:30 am | 11:00 am | 1:30 pm
Bernard Maybeck’s First Church of Christ, Scientist, Berkeley, is a world-class architectural treasure and National Historic Landmark. It is a brilliantly creative integration of Arts & Crafts, Byzantine, Romanesque, Japanese, and Gothic Revival, built of modern industrial materials yet designed to be unusually home-like and connected to its garden and community surroundings. Across from today’s People's Park, the center of Berkeley's counter-culture movement, the church's warm and honest character is defined by simplicity, unity, harmony, beauty, light and peace. In terms of light and space, Maybeck’s Masterpiece is the first truly American church.
September 21, 2025 | 4:00 pm
LIEDER ALIVE!
MUSIC IN MAYBECK'S MASTERPIECE
Peter Grünberg & John Parr, four hand piano
Very Special Guest Thomas Kinch, tenor
Mozart, Mendelssohn, Schubert, Brahms Hungarian Dances, Richard Strauss & Wagner
October 12, 2025 | 2:30 pm
THE HANDEL OPERA PROJECT
LEANDRE ET HERO
Daphne Touchais, soprano
MOZART CLARINET QUINTET
Karen Wells, clarinet
THE IMPRESSARIO
Shannon Arcilla
Jane Diliberto
Caleb Alexander
Wayne Wong
November 2, 2025 | 4:00 pm
LEFT COAST CHAMBER ENSEMBLE
MIDNIGHT MEMORIES: MENDELSSOHN, MAHLER, MODERNS
Nikki Einfeld, soprano
Michael Goldberg, guitar
Anna Presler, violin
Liana Bérubé, violin
Phyllis Kamrin, viola
Tanya Tomkins, cello
Leighton Fong, cello
Allegra Chapman, piano
Matilda Hofman, conductor
Fanny Mendelssohn and Gustav Mahler brush shoulders with composers
of our time, past and present connecting through musical memories.
November 30, 2025 | 4:30 pm
December 7, 2025 | 4:30 pm
December 14, 2025 | 4:30 pm
PEACE ADVENT VESPERS
an ecumenical service of music and scripture in Bernard Maybeck’s Masterpiece
December 13, 2025 | 7:30 pm
PACIFIC EDGE VOICES
WINTER CONCERT
PEV and Dr. Nicolas Dosman celebrate the holiday season with a program of music to lift our hearts and souls together. From Schubert’s glorious “Magnificat” to Rosephanye Powell’s gospel-inflected “Still I Rise,” this concert offers works with messages of joy and hope in many musical genres. Traditional carols (with audience participation!) and a chamber ensemble of instrumentalists make this holiday concert - in a landmark Bernard Maybeck church - something truly special to behold.
December 21, 2025 | 7:00 pm
FIRST CHURCH OF CHRIST, SCIENTIST, BERKELEY
CHRISTMAS CONCERT
Bach, Handel, Mozart + Mendelssohn
January 24, 2025 | 7:30 pm
CONCERTS IN AMERICA
KASIA SMOLAREK CLASSICAL GUITAR
SPANISH & LATIN FIRE
An evening of dazzling virtuosity, fiery rhythms, and soulful beauty —
a journey through Spain and Latin America with the guitar at its most powerful and moving.
January 31, 2026 | 7:30 pm
LEFT COAST CHAMBER ENSEMBLE
METAMORPHOSEN
Anna Presler, violin
Phyllis Kamrin, viola
Tanya Tomkins, cello
Leighton Fong, cello
Michel Taddei, double bass
Kurt Rohde, viola (guest artist)
Alisa Rose, violin (guest artist)
Ivo Bokulic, viola (guest artist)
Strauss’s eulogy to the world he knew and loved is an outpouring of emotion, and one of his most intimate works. Metamorphosen is paired with other works that extract maximum power from small forces: Berio’s virtuosic Sequenza and the world premiere of Bahar Royaee’s viola concerto.
February 1, 2026 | 4:00 pm
LIEDER ALIVE !
MUSIC IN MAYBECK'S MASTERPIECE
75 Legacy Liederabend 75
Kindra Scharich, mezzo-soprano
Jeffrey LaDeur, piano
Schumann and Brahms
February 22, 2026 | 7:30 pm
THE HANDEL OPERA PROJECT
ORPHEUS
Sidney Ragland, Orpheus,
Daphne Touchais, Euridice,
Don Hoffman, Narrator
Please join us for the world premiere of
William G. Ludtke's Orpheus
March 20, 2026 | 7:30 pm
CONCERTS IN AMERICA
LAUREL HARNED
FROM BACH TO BOSSA NOVA
Join acclaimed young guitarist Laurel Harned for
‘From Bach to Bossa Nova,’ blending Baroque
elegance, romantic lyricism, and Brazilian flair.
A rising star thrilling audiences with virtuosic
precision and emotional depth.
March 21, 2026 | 7:30 pm
LEFT COAST CHAMBER ENSEMBLE
+ VOLTI
SOUND STORIES
Stacey Pelinka, flute
Phyllis Kamrin, viola
Leighton Fong, cello
Allegra Chapman, piano
with guest artists
Susan Strauss, storyteller
Volti SF
Volti and Left Coast meet in a new work by Chris Castro for storyteller and musicians, which explores the connection between sound and the spoken word in tales from the west coast. The human relationship to our environment forms a through-line from romantic to experimental musical sensibilities.
April 26, 2026 | 7:30 pm
CONCERTS IN AMERICA
ADAM DEL MONTE
ECHOES OF ANDALUSIA
In Echoes of Andalusia, del Monte stands at the forefront of contemporary flamenco and classical guitar. His music draws on centuries of tradition while speaking in a distinctly modern language — rhythmically driven, harmonically rich, and unafraid of contrast.
May 2, 2026 | 7:30 pm
JOURNEY BEYOND SOUND
SOUNDS OF SPRING; A MEDITATIVE SANCTUARY SOUND BATH
Journey Beyond Sound weaves gongs, crystal singing bowls, chimes,
and string instruments into a meditative soundscape for deep relaxation
and clarity.
May 3, 2026 | 4:00 pm
LIEDER ALIVE !
MUSIC IN MAYBECK'S MASTERPIECE
Gabrielle Beteag, mezzo-soprano
Peter Grünberg, piano
Brahms and Mahler
May 14, 2026 | 7:30 pm
CONCERTS IN AMERICA
JOSCHO STEPHEN TRIO
GYPSY JAZZ VIRTUOSOS
Expect an exhilarating evening of modern gypsy jazz—a breathtaking combination of virtuosity, swing, and boundary-pushing creativity that will leave you inspired and energized for more
May 24, 2026 | 2:30 pm
THE HANDEL OPERA PROJECT
SEMIRAMIDE
More information and tickets coming soon.
June 6, 2026 | 7:30 pm
CONCERTS IN AMERICA
EDITH PAGEAUD CLASSICAL GUITAR
CHORDS OF LIGHT & SHADOW
A program of vivid contrasts — from meditative minimalism to Romantic virtuosity — revealing a guitarist who unites imagination, depth, and dazzling command of her instrument.
July 23, 2026 | 7:30 pm
CONCERTS IN AMERICA
LAURA LOOTENS
DIABOLICO
A tour-de-force of the classical guitar repertoire, journeying from the legendary virtuosity of Paganini to the evocative, dark lyricism of 20th-century masterpieces.
2024 – 2025
LIEDER ALIVE!
MUSIC IN MAYBECK'S MASTERPIECE
In partnership with San Francisco International Piano Festival
Kindra Scharich, mezzo-soprano
Jeffrey LaDeur, piano
Fauré La Bonne Chanson, Fauré Mélodies
Sunday, October 6, 2024 | 4:00 pm
THE HANDEL OPERA PROJECT ENSEMBLE
HANDEL OPERA PROJECT
Oakland Civic Orchestra, Martha Stoddard, conductor
Sara Couden, mezzo-soprano
Vaughan-Williams, Schoenberg, Ludtke
Sunday, October 20, 2024 | 2:30 pm
VOLTI VOCAL ENSEMBLE
46TH SEASON OPENING
Robert Geary, Founding Artistic Director conducts
Hege, Winges, Saariaho, Negrón
Sunday, November 17, 2024 | 5:00 pm
LIEDER ALIVE!
MUSIC IN MAYBECK'S MASTERPIECE
Kurt Erickson Ten-Year Composer-in-Residence Celebration!
Heidi Moss Erickson, soprano
John Parr, piano
Erickson Each Moment Radiant, Fauré, Strauss
Sunday, November 24, 2024 | 4:00 pm
First Church of Christ Scientist, Berkeley presents
A CHRISTMAS CONCERT
Let There Be Light
with vocalists
Jayne Diliberto
Katherine Gray
Bradley Kynard
Kathleen Miller
Daphne Touchais
Reuben Zellman
Bach, Vivaldi, Buxtehude, Mozart, Yekmalyan, Ives
Sunday December 22, 2024 | 7:00 pm
LEFT COAST CHAMBER ENSEMBLE
WINTER WANDERING FESTIVAL
Luigi Nono – "Hay que caminar" soñando
Franz Schubert – String Quintet in C Major
Friday, January 24, 2025 | 7:30 pm
LEFT COAST CHAMBER ENSEMBLE
WINTER WANDERING FESTIVAL
ECHO CONTEST...NEARLY
Raven Chacon, Danny Clay
Saturday, January 25, 2025 | 11:30 am
LEFT COAST CHAMBER ENSEMBLE
WINTER WANDERING FESTIVAL
ON THE THRESHOLD OF DREAMLAND Huang Ruo – Without Words, Todd Kitchen – Soprasymmetry IV World Premiere
Benjamin Britten – Folk Songs, Laurie San Martin – Witches
LJ White - New Work TBA World Premiere
Saturday, January 25, 2025, | 7:30 pm
LIEDER ALIVE!
MUSIC IN MAYBECK'S MASTERPIECE
Charlotte Kelso, soprano
Peter Grūnberg, piano
Schubert, Wagner, Mahler, Marx
Sunday, February 23, 2025 | 4:00 pm
Every Thursday starting
March 6, 2025 | 11:30 am
Midday Organ Meditations
William Ludtke, Organist
Sunday, March 23, 2025 | 2:00 pm
THE HANDEL OPERA PROJECT
THE MAGIC FLUTE
with vocalists Caleb Alexander, Daphne Touchais, Chelsea Hollow, Clifton Romig, Bradley Kynard, Courtnee Rhone, Wayne Wong, Kathleen Moss Miller, Jayne Diliberto, Eliza O'Malley, Bryana Marrero, Reuben Zellman, Katherine Gray, and Michael Orlinsky
Sunday, April 27, 2025 | 8:00 pm
BERKELEY CHAMBER OPERA PRESENTS
Europa & The Bull
A tale of Europa and Zeus, inspired by the paintings of Mary Holmes
Peter Josheff, music
Eliza O’Malley & Peter Josheff, libretto
Eliza O’Malley, soprano
Jonathan Smucker, tenor
Matilda Hofman, conductor
Dan Flanagan, violin
Peter Josheff, clarinet
Victoria Ehrlich, cello
Richard Worn, bass
LIEDER ALIVE!
MUSIC IN MAYBECK'S MASTERPIECE
Esther Rayo, soprano
Peter Grünberg, piano
A plethora of Spanish composers!
Sunday, May 25, 2025 | 4:00 pm
THE HANDEL OPERA PROJECT
SAMSON
Gabriel Liboiron-Cohen, Samson
Daphne Touchais, Dalila
Sara Couden, Micah
Wayne Wong, Manoah
Michael Orlinsky, Harapha
Shannon Arcilla, Jayne Diliberto, & Caleb Alexander, Philistines
Sunday, June 15 2025 | 7:30 pm