I haven’t been around for the last few weeks. You see, after our November 7 concert, I had to switch gears in a matter of days and get ready for a Christmas concert. Oh sure, I had the music chosen some time in August, but had to rehearse and get all the little bits and pieces together. And this was a paying gig for a local organization, so we wanted it to be good. The program had to be excellant and, for events such as this, I write a script to introduce the music and history to our audience, most of whom have no idea what a chamber choir is.

I take Christmas music seriously, no matter how light hearted and ‘fun’ it is. I believe choral musicians, more than others, really create Christmas, whether we lead music in a church setting or a school concert or, like our performance, a community concert. The music must be chosen carefully and must include something familar, something meaningful and something out of the ordinary. And of course, something fun!

Our concert included many familar carols as well as three of the Alfred Burt Carols. It was a magical concert and I was so happy we had the opportunity to do it in this venue. After the concert, I received several emails telling me how much they enjoyed our program. And how our concert really made Christmas.