The 85 voices of the Chester River Chorale will herald the joys of Christmas and Chanukah in their annual presentation of A Chester River Holiday-A Holiday Concert, with two performances in the beautiful sanctuary of Presbyterian Church of Chestertown, the first on Friday evening, November 30 at 8:00 p.m., and the second on Sunday afternoon, December 2 at 3:00 p.m.
The concert opens with the subtle peal of a single pair of bells in C. Harry Causey’s reverent Processional Alleluia and culminates in a full-voiced rendition of George Frideric Handel’s Hallelujah Chorus. Featuring a complement of strings, organ, harp, percussion, vocal soloists, and members of the Presbyterian Church Handbell Choir, the program will include a mix of traditional and modern music celebrating the Christian Yuletide and the Jewish Festival of Lights.
“The music we offer in this concert is an eclectic mix of holiday music from both Christian and Jewish traditions,” said Douglas D. Cox, the Chorale’s artistic director since 2010. “We feature time-honored classics, alongside newly minted arrangements in a playlist designed for a community celebration.”
Old Christmas favorites include O Come, Emmanuel and Joy to the World! They will be joined by a special arrangement of American jazz musician, Alfred Burt’s, famous carols, among them Some Children See Him and The Star Carol.
Stepping back in time, lyrics get a Latin workout with a Gloria by Franz Schubert and O Magnum Mysterium by the English Renaissance music master William Byrd, which explores the gentle nativity tradition of the farm animals awed at the sight of the baby Jesus lying in the manger.
Lyrics in English, Hebrew and Yiddish evoke the Hanukkah miracle-some 150 years before the Nativity in Bethlehem-when the lamps burned in the recaptured Temple in Jerusalem for eight days, although only one day’s worth of consecrated oil had been left behind by the Temple’s despoilers.
Chestertown’s own Cantor Gary Schiff returns to the CRC stage for a sixth consecutive holiday season, soloing in Shôlom Aleichem (“Peace Be With You”), a celebratory ode of the Jewish Sabbath set to music by Cantor Sholom Kalib of Baltimore. Cantor Schiff also solos in the iconic Yiddish folk song, Chanukah, O Chanukah, and Ma’oz Tsur, while the Chorale sings the English version, “Rock of Ages.”
Soprano, Janet Hjelmgren will make her second appearance with the Chorale, soloing in the medley of Alfred Burt Carols and on the beloved Christmas anthem O Holy Night. CRC’s accompanist, Sam Marshall will support the Chorale on piano and organ and be featured on Craig Courtney’s evocative setting of the French carol, Carol of the Birds.
Other featured artists include violinist, Paula McCarthy, Concertmaster of the Annapolis Chamber Orchestra; violist, Meredith Buxton, of Washington College, and harpist, April Stace Vega, of Metro Washington, D. C.
Ms. Vega will accompany the Chester Chamber Singers in an excerpt from Benjamin Britten’s renowned A Ceremony of Carols – settings of ancient Middle English poems composed during a perilous 1942 wartime voyage from New York to his native England.
Suggested donations at the door are $15. No tickets will be sold. The Chorale has been performing to full houses for the past several years, so patrons are urged to come at least 15 minutes early to be assured of being seated.
Chorale members are amateur singers drawn mainly from Kent and Queen Anne’s counties. No audition is required. The Chester Chamber Singers are drawn from the Chorale ranks.
The Chester River Chorale is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization funded in part by the Kent County Arts Council and by an operating grant from the Maryland State Arts Council, an agency dedicated to cultivating a vibrant cultural community where the arts thrive. The CRC’s Mission is to provide opportunity and inspiration for amateur singers to strive for artistic excellence. CRC performances entertain diverse audiences and enrich the cultural life of the community. For more information visit www.chesterriverchorale.org or call 410-928-5566.
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