SF Leonard Cohen Fest w/ Conspiracy of Venus (Lost Church)

Originally hailing from Toronto, Canada but now making his home in the bay area, John Mackay has had a long career in the music business as an award-winning performer, composer/arranger and recording artist. He has performed around the world to rave reviews, playing his own music and the music of well-known composers and songwriters. John’s latest album, released earlier this year, features his trio playing  original, highly energetic jazz arrangements of the music of Leonard Cohen. The main jazz radio station in the Bay area, KCSM, has given the recording steady airplay since its release last February.
https://www.johnmackaymusic.com/
Conspiracy of Venus is a San Francisco-based ensemble of treble voices that sings contemporary music by icons of the singer-songwriter tradition, from artists such as Joni Mitchell to PJ Harvey. We also sing music by Duke Ellington, Led Zeppelin, David Bowie, and original compositions by our arranger/director, Joyce Todd McBride. Recent projects include s series of arrangements of local singer-songwriters, including Brian Belknap, Rhys, and Paul Pot. We will be performing Joyce’s settings of the poetry of Bertolt Brecht at the SF International Arts Festival, in 2026. Established in 2007, the group has performed at all of the Bay Area’s finest venues, and has toured New York City twice. We are the sister choir to the men’s choir Conspiracy of Beards.

Joyce Todd McBride’s arrangements celebrate the richness of the song texts, and her settings often play with the harmonic, rhythmic, and contrapuntal possibilities they conjure up. The singers of Conspiracy of Venus come from a wide variety of musical backgrounds, and bring considerable skills of interpretation to these great songs!
http://www.conspiracyofvenus.com/
https://www.facebook.com/conspiracyofvenus
https://www.youtube.com/@conspiracyofvenus5410
https://www.instagram.com/conspiracyofvenus/

The San Francisco Leonard Cohen Festival, founded in 2018, is an annual celebration dedicated to honoring the poetry, music, and spirit of the legendary songwriter, poet, and author. Presented each November by Conspiracy of Beards—San Francisco’s renowned 30-member male choir devoted to Cohen’s work—the festival has grown from its early beginnings into a multi-day, multi-venue event that draws poets, musicians, artists, and audiences from across the Bay Area and beyond.

The festival emphasizes fresh interpretations of Cohen’s work, encouraging artists to reshape his words and melodies through their own creative lenses. This open, inventive approach results in a diverse program of performances, readings, and collaborations that keep Cohen’s timeless themes of love, longing, humor, and spirituality alive for new generations.

Together, the festival and the choir invite audiences to conspire in celebration of one of the 20th century’s most enduring and influential voices. The result is a vibrant gathering that honors Cohen’s legacy with creativity, reverence, and joy.