For over a century the Monterey Peninsula has been a magnet for creative people connected to the visual and literary arts, theater and music. The artistic history of the region is extraordinary for such a modest-sized community, located almost 100 miles from the largest metropolis to the north. In his book, “Carmel Impresarios,” David Gordon chronicles important roots of an arts Renaissance that began in our region in the 1930s and continues to flourish today.

He writes about entrepreneurs Dene Denny and Hazel Watrous, “In their work together, they recognized and collaborated with artists in every discipline who shared their mission: to connect with others, to help others connect with each other, and to create artistic excellence and shared joy.”

An internationally renowned Bach soloist and teacher, Gordon was a central figure at the Carmel Bach Festival for 30 years. His deep dive into the lives and cultural impacts of these two women who founded the Festival among their accomplishments gives him a unique insight into the inheritors of their influence today.

Gordon sees in I Cantori di Carmel’s new music director and conductor Daniel Henriks the same high standards and generosity of spirit that made Denny and Watrous such an inspiration to the community. Like Henriks, Gordon had a thriving professional career in the rarified world of the great opera houses of Europe singing coveted roles of the repertoire before specializing in the music of Bach.

When the two met a short time ago, they discovered a common understanding and vision about music, as well as about teaching and working with singers and ensembles. They also inhabit what the Bach Festival’s former conductor Bruno Weil calls “the Carmel spirit,” a joyful collaboration of top artists with the local community and a desire to share the heart of this experience with audiences.

“We love the same kind of music and have the same approach to the music,” says Henriks. “If you find allies, then you want to do something with them.”

Gordon agreed to serve as a vocal coach and master teacher for the professional soloists of I Cantori’s December program, six members of the organization’s new Vocal Arts Academy. Fans of Gordon’s long-running leadership of Carmel Bach’s Virginia Best Adams vocal masterclasses will be delighted to know he will give a public masterclass Thursday afternoon at Hidden Valley in Carmel Valley, which will be followed by an open rehearsal with Henriks and I Cantori. This holiday program showcases two sopranos, two countertenors, a tenor and bass.

“I love working with singers at this level,” Gordon said to Henriks in a joint conversation for this column. “They have done their work and they come to you exploring artistic potentials. That’s why I said yes. I think what you are doing is brilliant and wonderful. It’s so much a part of the way artistic things have been done in this community.”

The Vocal Arts Academy gives performance opportunities to emerging artists who can come here and sing with a chorus, which is supportive of this initiative. “They stay with choral singers in their homes,” says Henriks. “Friendships develop, and the choir loves to have all these people here. It’s great for the audience because we get cross-pollination with different people.”

Alexa Dieterle, I Cantori’s artistic and administrative manager, adds, “And we can build with that. They want to come back. We are developing a community of musicians, singers and players who are all excited about doing cool programming and new projects.”

While the holiday season is characteristically hectic for classical musicians, Academy members can take a breath and slow down. Says Henriks, “We keep them here for a whole week, including the weekend. They are not going anywhere else. They immerse themselves in this repertoire in this place. The region offers a beautifully meditative atmosphere, like a retreat, to explore and readjust your relationship to your craft and art. And we do special things, like organizing a hike to Point Lobos. It all goes into the music. Life is music and music is life.”

I Cantori owes its formation to those early days when Denny and Watrous persuaded acclaimed conductor Michel Penha to lead their ragtag orchestra and chorus in a performance of Giacomo Rossini’s Stabat Mater. The event rocked the entire region, according to Gordon and led directly to the establishment of the renowned summer Bach Festival.

The tradition of the community chorus role in the Festival’s musicmaking continues to this day. Over four decades ago, the choristers sought year-round singing activities, gave themselves the name, and began presenting annual spring and winter programs at the Carmel Mission under the leadership of now retired conductor Sal Ferantelli. It’s a credit to the singers’ hard work and dedication that they persuaded a reluctant Henriks, with his international career as a conductor and dramatic baritone, to serve as their new music director. He and his wife moved to Carmel during the pandemic and had no plans to become involved with the local music community. Now they are fully committed to I Cantori and its potential for growth with young professional artists.

Gordon was amazed when he heard the chorus’s broadcast of Bach’s Christmas Oratorio at the Mission two years ago. He told Henriks, “I thought, this is like Michel Penha conducting the Stabat Mater. You showed that something greater was possible here.”

Henriks describes the upcoming Christmas program as Baroque fireworks. Marc-Antoine Charpentier’s “Midnight Christmas Mass” is based on folksy tunes of the era, a cheerful and joyful beginning. George Frideric Handel’s “Utrecht Te Deum” celebrates an important peace treaty that restored the balance of power in Europe in the early 18th century. “I think a program about peace is needed,” he says. After intermission, the chorus performs Bach’s gorgeous “Magnificat and Cantata Gloria in excelsis Deo” that later appears as the Gloria in Bach’s B Minor Mass.

This season also marks a milestone for I Cantori with their first community concert free of charge at the Stanton Theater in King City, giving residents of the south Salinas Valley a chance to enjoy the 28-piece orchestra, 50-voice chorus, and vocal soloists.

“This constellation we have now in the leadership and the supporters and collaborators, such as David Gordon, is a magical one, and it feels like the time is right to continue on this transformative path to establish I Cantori as a choral and vocal arts hub in this region.”

Performances take place Saturday and Sunday at 8 p.m. at the Carmel Mission Basilica. For tickets and information about additional concerts and programs see www.icantori.org. On Thursday afternoon, Dec. 12, an open masterclass with David Gordon and Daniel Henriks takes place at Hidden Valley Music Seminars in Carmel Valley from 3-6 p.m., followed by a talk about the concert repertoire. At 7, the public can sit in on a short open rehearsal with the chorus and soloists.

More at the Carmel Mission

Cantiamo! Cabrillo will present its annual Christmas program, Concert for a Winter’s Eve, Dec. 20 at 8 p.m. at the Mission. The program includes music by Morten Lauridsen, Eric Whitacre, Eriks Ešenvalds, Imant Raminsh, Kira Rugen, and traditional and seasonal music. Tickets are available through the Cabrillo Box Office at https://cabrillovapa.universitytickets.com.

A Chanticleer Christmas returns for its traditional concert at the Carmel Mission on Dec. 23. The early concert is already sold out, but some tickets to the 8:30 p.m. program are still available. Contact City Box office at www.cityboxoffice.com or call (415) 392-4400.