The choral group Camerata d’Amici will present “A Celebration of Christmas” on Sunday, December 11, at 4 p.m. at the South Salem Presbyterian Church, 111 Spring St., South Salem, NY.
Dr. Kristin Sponheim will conduct the ensemble of singers from Fairfield and Westchester counties in a performance of works from Renaissance to modern and from many countries and cultures. The concert also includes traditional carols with the audience invited to sing along.The concert opens with a joyful African spiritual from the Congo entitled “Noel,” arranged by Brad Holmes, sung in the Kituba dialect and accompanied by African percussion.
We then turn to an ethereal setting by Francis Poulenc of the 12th century Latin text “O Magnum Mysterium.” Poulenc’s 20th century rendition of this venerable text portrays the wonder and awe of the speaker through a haunting melody and equally haunting harmony. Words and music combine, reflecting on the mystery of Christ’s birth.The first half of the program closes with a vibrant setting of Alfred Lord Tennyson’s poem “Ring Out, Wild Bells” by American composer Ron Nelson, assisted by pianists Margarita Nuller and Max Vladimiroff in a virtuosic piano 4-hands accompaniment, as well as percussionist Jonathan Churchill on glockenspiel.
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The second half of Camerata’s Christmas celebration features a number of carols from Christmas traditions around the world -- from the French carol “Sing we now of Christmas,” arranged by David York for men’s voices, to the English carol “In the bleak midwinter,” arranged in a new setting by Nathan Jones in 2011.
The program will close with “This Christmastide” by Donald Fraser, a gentle invitation to remember the enduring nature of hope this Christmas, and always.
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Tickets at the door are $25 for adults, $20 for seniors, and $10 for children 12 and under. Advance tickets, with a reduced ticket price for adults of $20, may be purchased by sending a check to Camerata d’Amici at P.O. Box 133, West Redding, CT 06896. For more information, email info@cameratadamici.org, or go to www.cameratadamici.org.
