The San Francisco Leonard Cohen Festival presents an evening of instrumental and vocal interpretations of Cohen’s work through the arrangements of a jazz trio and a choral ensemble.

​Conspiracy of Venus
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. They also perform music by Duke Ellington, Led Zeppelin, David Bowie, and original compositions by their arranger/director, Joyce Todd McBride. Recent projects include a series of arrangements of local singer-songwriters, including Brian Belknap, Rhys, and Paul Pot. They 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 many of the Bay Area’s finest venues and has toured New York City twice. They are the sister choir to the men’s choir Conspiracy of Beards.

They are honored to present four pieces by Leonard Cohen for this program. 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. The singers of Conspiracy of Venus come from a wide variety of musical backgrounds and bring considerable interpretive skill to these great songs.

The John Mackay Trio
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 both his own music and the works of well-known composers and songwriters. John’s latest album, released earlier this year, features his trio performing original, highly energetic jazz arrangements of Leonard Cohen’s music. KCSM, the Bay Area’s main jazz radio station, has given the recording steady airplay since its release last February.