Spend an evening with wonderful music and singing!

Featuring:
The Northwest Sound Men's Chorus & Northwest Mix and quartets!

Where:
Kirkland Performing Arts Center
350 Kirkland Ave, Kirkland, WA 98033
https://www.kpcenter.org/

Tickets: $20 - $40
https://northwestsound.org/tickets-no-shows/

We hope to see you there!

After 2 years of virtual concerts, Wellspring Ensemble is extremely excited to perform in our first in person concert! Music sang to the poetry of Langston Hughs!

Concerts to be held in Seattle and Tacoma.

Our 6th season returns us to the summertime, where we will be exploring early music from Mexico and Latin America, featuring works from Capillas, Fernandes, Franco, Lienas, Padilla, and more.

Mozart composed the torso of his Requiem in the year of his death, but left it unfinished. His student Franz Xaver Süßmayr completed the work. For over two hundred years, their music has helped people all over the world to reflect and to mourn. This event commemorates the 21st anniversary of the 9/11 attacks in New York, Washington DC, and rural Pennsylvania, in a tradition begun in 2002 called the “Rolling Requiem.” (Last year’s 20th-anniversary commemoration was postponed due to covid.) On this date, choirs around the world share in presentations of Mozart’s Requiem to unite everyone in remembrance of that tragic occasion.

MENOTTI Amelia al ballo Overture
BARBER Concerto for Violin and Orchestra, Op. 14
BEYER World Out of Balance [world premiere]

This concert — and our season — opens with the work of two composers very much in dialogue with one another: Gian Carlo Menotti and Samuel Barber, who began a lifelong personal and creative partnership when they were teens at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia. Menotti’s Amelia al ballo and Barber’s Violin Concerto were written within three years of each other, in part when the two men were primarily based in Switzerland, living as common-law spouses.

Huntley Beyer’s epic new oratorio, World Out of Balance, was composed during the lockdown period of the pandemic in collaboration with the work’s sponsors, Doug and Dana Durasoff. The text sources range widely, but the piece is structured as a dialogue between movements such as “Racism Asks” and “Love Answers.” This piece is both powerful and honest, but also optimistic and life-affirming.

Inspired by the discovery of the Higgs Boson, Heaven and Earth is a musical meditation on Psalm 103 (“Bless the Lord, O my soul”) by six Orthodox composers, including a double-choir motet by the late Richard Toensing. Sung in English with the traditional Orthodox refrains. Members of 45th Parallel will join Cappella Romana for Tavener’s Ikon of Light.

With recording release!

Heaven and Earth: A Song of Creation
Tikey Zes (1927–) • Richard Toensing (1940–2014) • Kurt Sander (1969–) • Alexander Khalil (1969–) • John Michael Boyer (1978–) • Matthew Arndt (1976–)

Ikon of Light for chorus and string trio, sung in Greek
Sir John Tavener (1944–2013)

John Michael Boyer, associate music director

We look to the past to understand the present. While plagues, political and religious unrest, devastation, and loss are part of today’s world, they are echoes of our past. This concert featuring English Renaissance composers Thomas Tallis, William Byrd, Robert White, John Sheppard, and Franco-Flemish composer Nicolas Gombert explores the gamut of human expression during times of uncertainty and hopelessness: a musical reflection of the world today and an offering of hope for tomorrow.

My heart be brave is the first of our New American Composers concerts, featuring composer Marques L.A. Garrett. Marques focuses on traditional music of the African diaspora, as well as contemporary choral music by Black composers.

For his Seattle Pro Musica commissioned work, Marques has chosen a text by the Black American poet Paul Laurence Dunbar, with its evocative text asking to ”teach this tongue the singer’s soulful art.”

Visit the event website for more information →

In THE VALLEYS, The Esoterics is excited to present a world-premiere commission by Forrest Farhad Pierce: The atlas of the way. Originally from the Columbia Plateau of Washington state, Pierce is now Professor of Composition at the University of Kansas, a member of the faculty of the Cortona Sessions for New Music, a wayfarer of both mountains and valleys, and a teacher of Sufism in the Inayati tradition. Pierce writes music of meditative stillness and ecstatic virtuosity that is rooted in a deep connection to the natural world.

In his Atlas, Pierce has created a concert-length a cappella choral work based on the epic Sufi poem, The conference of the birds [Mantiq ut-Tair], by Farid ud-Din Attar (1145-1221). As both poet and composer, Pierce has distilled nearly five thousand couplets of this ancient poem into a nine-movement work, with eight interludes (called sohbets). Pierce's piece describes the journey of a gathering of curious birds who are led by their teacher - the hoopoe - to learn of their own origin. Through this vast landscape, the birds traverse seven evocatively-named valleys - of farawayfaring, lovestruckness, kenning, enoughing, onement, wonderstruckness, and noughtness - each representing a Sufi maqam, or spiritual station of progress. Between each musical valley, Pierce's interstitial sohbets capture quiet, intimate conversations between student and teacher in which they reflect on this spiritual journey.

Join Ensign Symphony & Chorus along with guest artist David Archuletta as we celebrate Hope in the Pacific Northwest. We will showcase the proud musical heritage of the Pacific Northwest with selections from Northwestern composers as well as songs from American Pop Singer, David Archuleta.

Please join us at the opening concert of our 30th-anniversary Year of Celebration for a performance of audience and choir member favorites from the last 30 years, and a musical tribute to the reign of Queen Elizabeth II.

Some highlights include Jonathan Doves “Ring Out, Wild Bells”; Ravels “Trois Chansons”; two selections from Irving Fines “The Choral New Yorker”; one of Szymanowskis “Six Kurpian Songs”; other selections by Saint-Saëns, J.A.C. Redford, and Jester Hairston; and “Eat Your Vegetables Set II” by Opus 7’s Composer-in-Residence John Muehleisen for choir, trumpet, and percussion.

In honor of Queen Elizabeth II, well perform selections from “A Garland for the Queen”, a collection of works by British composers written for Elizabeths 1953 coronation, including Michael Tippetts “Dance, Clarion Air”, Ralph Vaughan Williams “Silence and Music”, and Gerald Finzis “White Flowering Days”. William Harriss “Bring Us, O Lord God”, which was sung at the Service of Remembrance on Sept. 9th of this year, will also be on the program.

Get your tickets now and come share in our musical celebration. We look forward to seeing you!

Seattle Ladies Choir Returns to Broadway Performance Hall for Season 19 Concerts
Get excited to hear choral versions of songs by Queen, Maggie Rogers, Bon Jovi, and more!

Concerts are Friday, October 21, at 7:30pm, and Saturday, October 22, at 2pm & 7:30pm, at the Broadway Performance Hall.. Tickets available at http://seattleladieschoir.strangertickets.com/ Doors open 30 minutes prior to concert time.

Join Sine Nomine, with Director Anne Lyman, as we celebrate the historic reigns of Queen Elizabeth I and II. The Virgin Queen (Elizabeth I) was fond of her chief Chapel Royal composer, William Byrd - despite his Catholic leanings. Our program highlights the wide range of his polyphonic prowess, from the intimate Mass for Four Voices to the festive Haec dies. English composers Robert Parsons and Robert White set Psalm 15, Domine, quis habitabit, both in a florid, quintessentially English style that, alongside John Bennet’s All Creatures Now, celebrate the faith and devotion that Queen Elizabeth I’s musicians had for their “Fair Oriana.” In addition, several of our program’s pieces, including commissions by Benjamin Britten and Ralph Vaughan Williams, were featured at Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation and, most recently, her memorial service.

PROGRAM
I.
William Byrd - O Lord, make Thy servant Elizabeth
Byrd - Mass for 4 Voices: Kyrie, Gloria
Byrd - Ne irascaris Domine

II.
Anonymous - Rejoice in the Lord always
Robert Parsons - Domine quis habitabit
John Bennet - All creatures now

III.
Ralph Vaughan Williams - O taste and see
Robert White - Domine quis habitabit

IV.
Benjamin Britten - Concord
Byrd - Mass for 4 Voices: Agnus Dei
Byrd - Haec dies

NOTE: This concert is in-person only; it will not be live-streamed nor video-recorded.
Masks are strongly recommended, but not required.

The Seattle Sings Choral Festival is live once again!

Puget Sound choirs are excitedly gearing up in preparation for the return of the Seattle Sings Choral Festival, live on Saturday, October 29. Eighteen choirs of all kinds and from across the region will present a dazzling variety of styles; from Bach to barbershop, Finnish to jazz, Broadway to classical, symphonic size to chamber music intimacy, there is something to please every taste. As festival co-chair Scott Kovacs says, “I can’t imagine a time when we need choral singing more than right now, and to be returning to the Seattle Sings Choral Festival feels like good medicine for us all!”

The festival is thrilled to collaborate with Northwest composer and University of Washington choral professor Giselle Wyers. In what has become a festival tradition, the Greater Seattle Choral Consortium commissions a work especially for the festival. Dr. Wyers’ Join in Gathering, first introduced at the Festival Online Showcase in October 2021, is her contribution as Composer-in-Residence. In keeping with this tradition, audiences and choirs will join in singing a portion of this lovely piece. For more information and a complete listing of participating choirs, please visit us on the web at www.seattlesings.org (look for the “Festival” tab at the top), or you can email us at festival@seattlesings.org.

The festival runs Saturday, October 29, 10:00 AM to 9:10 PM at Seattle First Baptist Church, 1111 Harvard Ave, Seattle 98122. Admission is free; come and go as you please. All audience and choir members are requested to remain masked while attending the festival.

A Review of Rock & Roll’s Greatest Rain Songs

Songs by: Eric Clapton, The Beatles, America, James Taylor,
Carole King, Three Dog Night, Manhattan Transfer and many more!

Thursday, Oct 27 at 7:30pm
Friday, Oct 28 at 7:30pm
Saturday, Oct 29 at 7:30pm
Sunday, Oct 30 at 2:30pm

A native to Bainbridge Island, Washington, award-winning composer Sarah Rimkus' Mater Dei links two distinct sound worlds in this program of American choral music: The neo-Romantic style of Samuel Barber and the ethereal sound world of Eric Whitacre. This program features Barber's most famous choral composition, Agnus Dei, alongside Whitacre's Lux Aurumque, Go, Lovely Rose, and Saint-Chappelle.

RainShadow Chorale is excited to announce its fall 2022 concerts – Songs of Shakespeare - under the leadership of our new Artistic Director, Laurie de Leonne. She brings to RainShadow a wealth of experience and knowledge, and we are delighted to be challenged by her as she adds her own flair to RainShadow’s tradition of excellence.

Laurie has selected music from a wide variety of composers and genres, but it is all set to texts by Shakespeare. From early music to country (a la Dolly Parton), there is something for every musical taste in her program.

This program is sponsored in part by the Port Townsend Arts Commission.

Join us for a concert that explores the human spiritual experience and belief systems from around the world. We will sing ancient prayers, hymns to the sun, find peace in the natural world, and renewal in flame and flight. Come enjoy our collaboration with a string quartet, percussion, and an up-and-coming young soprano on works by Vivaldi, Ola Gjeilo, Lili Boulanger, and more! (masks and proof of COVID vax req'd at all live events)

Ralph Vaughan Williams was unquestionably one of the leading composers of choral music in the twentieth century. While his large-scale works are mainstream repertoire, much of his music for unaccompanied chamber choir remains neglected outside England. He arranged dozens of folksongs for chorus, including the famed Loch Lomond, and wrote for coronations and other the Anglican and Catholic rites. He also set great English literature in a musical language far removed from his folksong- and Renaissance-inspired works. We will present examples taken from throughout his compositional life, with several works you’ve probably never heard in concert before. In addition, we will present the Mass in G minor, one of history’s greatest settings of this historic text, sung by one voice per part. It is a true celebration of this master composer’s sesquicentennial.

A choral celebration The Community Chorus
of Port Townsend
& East Jefferson County.
Director: Sarah Moran
Pianist: Liz Hopkins
with special guests
Wild Rose Chorale

Songs for the People is the second of our New American Composers concerts, featuring composer Melissa Dunphy. Born to refugee parents and raised in Australia, Dunphy immigrated to the United States in 2003 and has since become an award-winning and acclaimed composer specializing in vocal, political, and theatrical music.

SCHUBERT Symphony in B minor (“Unfinished”)
MOZART Requiem in D minor

The story of Mozart’s Requiem is well known: the composer, desperate for funds, was compelled to accept the commission from a mysterious Austrian nobleman who hoped to pass the piece off as his own. Alas, Mozart would not live to complete the work himself, a task that fell to his student Franz Xaver Süßmayr. (Ironically, Mozart’s widow hoped to pass off the completed Requiem as authentic Mozart.)

Many completions of Mozart’s Requiem now vie for supremacy, but Süßmayr’s has the advantage of having been made in collaboration with the dying Mozart himself. However, it was another composer who took upon the spiritual mantle of Mozart’s music, and that composer was Franz Schubert, who, tragically, would also leave a great work incomplete, the now-beloved Symphony in B minor.

Inspired by the iconic All-Night Vigil (“Vespers”) by Sergei Rachmaninoff, Robert Kyr’s new setting in English of the All-Night Vigil will encourage you to meditate directly on the Vigil’s themes of light, renewal, and hope. Cappella Romana, in large-choir formation, will sing Kyr’s characteristic soaring lines and gorgeous harmonies, with counterpoint by Cappella Romana’s virtuoso soloists. More than just a concert, this world premiere performance of Kyr’s All-Night Vigil will create an immersive, ineffable experience unlike any other.

Originally scheduled in May 2020, Cappella Romana gives the world premiere this season!

Seattle Peace Chorus sings songs of peace, justice, and compassion by Kent Stevenson, Jacob Narverud, Chris Williamson, Joan Szymco, and others.

In memory of the Founder and Director of the Sound of the Northwest, Juan Huey-Ray, this program will feature some of his favorite Spirituals and Gospel songs. Included in the program will be Seattle poet, Mona Lake Jones, and choreographer and dancer, Vanya Bynum. Other former collaborators with the SONW choir will also be featured. Come celebrate the life of Maestro Huey-Ray and the spirited music he presented to the PNW for 32 years.

“Singet dem Herrn ein neues Lied,” BWV 225, and “Fürchte dich nicht,” BWV 228—accompanied by wind and string instruments—form the pillars of this first concert in our season that will feature all six of J. S. Bach’s standard contributions to the motet genre. Music by Morales, Buxtehude, Caroline Shaw, and Vaughan Williams (for his 150th birth anniversary) complete the program.

STANCE is honored to be performing two pieces by our 16-person ensemble at UTOPIA Washington's Transgender Day of Remembrance service on Sunday, November 20th from 6-9 pm at Auburn Riverside Theater.

TDOR is an annual observance that honors the lives lost due to violent acts of transphobia. We welcome you to join us as we memorialize and honor our fallen siblings at the vigil and through music. UTOPIA is hosting a candlelight vigil featuring partners, friends, and community members.

J.S. Bach's Magnificat, Britten's Ceremony of Carols, plus works by Jocelyn Hagen and others.

Sisters of the Common Life, Brothers of the Common Life: These were terms used in the Middle Ages to refer to religious communities who lived apart from the world. They followed a movement called the Devotio Moderna, a new style of devotion that emphasized individual experience and spiritual fulfillment, and in which music played a crucial role in generating and supporting the piety and emotion needed for adequate faith. But this was nothing new. The music may have been different, but the role of music in the devotional life, be it modern or traditional, was well established, and it led to some of the most inspiring musical creations of the time. Join us as we celebrate the holiday seasons of Advent and Christmas by exploring the musical traditions of Devotio in all its aspects.

Wellspring will be sharing the stage with our friends, Resonate, an amazing octet from the Maple Valley area. Inspiring to be like Voces8, this group will not disappoint!

We will also be sharing the stage with Shorecrest High School and Auburn Riverside Highschool

Seattle’s holiday tradition is back with glitter, lights and carols! Deck the Halls with more fa-la-la than ever. Come out for nostalgia, hilarity, a Christmas Conga and an unforgettable sing-along.

Looking for Christmas music imbued with mystery and majesty? Search no further than France. Seasonal music by mid-twentieth-century composer Francis Poulenc is richly imbued by harmonies and phrasing that convey a unique sensibility. Sacred works by his prominent contemporaries, Duruflé and Messiaen, further paint the harmonic picture. And this special sound didn’t spring from nowhere. One can even hear it in early Renaissance masters such as Dufay, Ockeghem, and Josquin. This concert mixes the sacred and the secular to bring a broad view of French holiday music. Come to hear the special sounds of a French Christmas.

Peace on earth and goodwill to all. Come join us for our first MainStage concert of the season, "Goodwill" where we celebrate the season of joy and giving. This performance features our Prima, Intermezzo, and Coda choirs. We kindly ask that audience members share in our goodwill offering by bringing a non-perishable food item to share. These items will be donated to Food Lifeline.

Adult = $15
Seniors (62+)/Students (age 11-18) = $10
Child - age 10 and under = $2
Live-Stream Viewing Donation = $10

The Northwest Chorale, directed by Lynn Hall, will perform Handel's "Messiah" on December 3, 6:00 pm at Eastside Church in Bothell and December 10, 7:00 pm at First Free Methodist Church, Seattle. The Chorale will be joined by professional soloists and orchestra.

Admission is complimentary; free will offering will be taken, with all proceeds to be donated to food banks in our region. December 3 performance may be shortened to accommodate the church's schedule.

Join us to celebrate this beloved holiday tradition and support local food banks.

Adults $22, Senior, Student and active military $18

~~ Sail with us on a sea of stars, where the moon shines brightly, and every darkness is forgotten. ~~
Mark your calendars and SAVE THESE DATES (Dec 2 & 3) to join two of Bellingham's newest choral groups, VOX PACIFICA and CHOIR OF THE SALISH SEA for Sea & Stars, an intoxicating musical journey that will include works by Joan Szymko, Randall Thompson, Jake Runestad, Philippe Nicolai, Trond Kverno, Duncan Tuomi, Amy Beach and more....

SEA & STARS will be directed by Wendy Bloom and Kevin Allen-Schmid.

After 17 years of leadership, our Music Director Mark Kloepper will conduct his final season with the Northwest Chamber Chorus. This December, we’ll take a look over our shoulder at our traditions, our families, our memories. In our music and in our community, where have we been? Who has taught us? What families have nurtured us? Where have we drawn inspiration?

Featured composers will include Melanie DeMore, Eleanor Daley, Susan LaBarr, Randall Thompson, Benjamin Britten, Eric Whitacre, Claudio Monteverdi, Jake Runestad, and George Shearing.

12/4 Livestream: https://youtu.be/0kqH7daRSL0
12/10 Livestream: https://youtu.be/SIGsifPDreI

In the final concert of our 29th season, The Esoterics will commemorate THE WANDERERS of our Solar System – known in ancient Greek as πλάνητες (plānetes) – with the West Coast premiere of Timothy Takach’s choral sojourn, Helios. This fifteen-movement, concert-length work begins in the outermost reaches of the Solar System, with Pluto, and travels inward, to our Sun. The libretto of Helios is a combination of published and commissioned poems from contemporary writers as well as translations of ancient texts, and the theme of each planetary movement is inspired by the mythology or science of its namesake.

Positioned at the nexus of science, faith, and humanity, Helios includes a narrative of control and chaos, exploring that which is within our control, that which is not, and showing that we have the power to change our trajectory. The music provides a constantly changing landscape of textures, soundscapes, vocal techniques and harmonic language.

To accompany his astronomical work, Tim commissioned a series of visual projections that will run simultaneously with the concert. He collaborated with Deborah Johnson (aka CandyStations), an interdisciplinary artist and designer who has created projections for Sufjan Stevens, Sofi Tukker, St Vincent, Kronos Quartet, and Wilco.

The Esoterics will be treating our audience to the Pacific Northwest premiere of Helios with these new projections. Please join us!

Featuring Con Brio and Concord, the two adult choirs of Columbia Choirs, this concert will explore the theme of Gratitude with works ranging from A La Media Noche, a traditional Puerto Rican song arranged by Joan Szymko, to Domine Fili Unigenite by Antonia Vivaldi. This concert will also feature a combined performance of George Chung's choral setting of "North", a contemporary song written by indie rock band Sleeping at Last.

Ave Verum Corpus - Mozart
Awake the Harp - Mozart
Alleluia - R. Manuel
The Heavens Are Telling - Hadyn
Stars I Shall Find - Dickau
Rejoice and Be Merry - J. Rutter
This Little Babe - Britten
Ding Dong Merrily On High - Wilberg
Silent Night - Forrest

Our December concert celebrates beginnings: the birth of a baby, first steps on a journey, or tiny shoots hidden in the snow. Beginnings are filled with hope, with excitement, and maybe even a bit of trepidation. Seattle Children’s Chorus embraces the beginnings with curiosity to learn more and with vigor to face challenges. 11am-Younger Concert, 2pm-Youth Concert

Behold the Star is the holiday concert of our New American Composers series, featuring composer Shruthi Rajasekar. Composer and vocalist Rajasekar explores identity, community, and joy.

Our poignant adaptation of Charles Dickens beloved classic A Christmas Carol, for chorus and readers theater, is back! Encounter the true spirit of Christmas in this timeless tale of redemption and joy: with David Ketter and John Deveney returning once more as the Narrator and Scrooge.

Ring in the holiday season with Spectrum Choral Academy! Experience the beauty and joy of 65 youth voices joined together in song at our "Christmas Mystical & Magical" concert. Featuring all Spectrum Choral Academy singers ages 5-21 singing traditional classics and popular holiday favorites! Instrumentalists, choreography, select soloists, holiday stories and poetry, and audience sing-alongs will inspire and delight the heart. The performance concludes with "Silent Night" sung by candlelight.

Concert tickets $15 Adults / $10 Youth. Festival Seating. Available online or at the door.

Annual Christmas concert collaboration between our two adult choirs.

The Lake Washington Singers invite you to celebrate the holidays with a festive evening of seasonal music, including special guest performance by the Redmond High School Concert Choir. During intermission, enjoy cookies, punch or coffee, and a chance to win one of two wonderful baskets of happy holiday goodies. Get your tickets today and join us for a jolly good night of music!

The Family Holiday Concert is a shorter (approximately one hour long) concert, comprised of selections from the same repertoire as the full-length Peace and Joy concert, appropriate for all ages.

The Northwest Boychoir celebrates its 44th annual presentation of A Festival of Lessons & Carols this December. These holiday concerts showcase the 80-member combined chorus of the Northwest Boychoir and Vocalpoint! Seattle.

Patterned after the Christmas Eve observance at King’s College in Cambridge, England, A Festival of Lessons & Carols is a holiday tradition for thousands of families in the Puget Sound region. This 90-minute classical performance consists of nine holiday readings, each followed by traditional carols performed by the choir.

Children five years of age and older are welcome at all performances with a purchased ticket. Out of respect to all patrons, please no babes in arms.

“Of the three wise men
Who followed the star,
One was a brown king
From afar.”

Langston Hughes

This special annual holiday event will amplify messages of diversity and hope for
this festive season. The Ballad of the Brown King, a Christmas cantata composed
by Margaret Bonds, in collaboration with poet Langston Hughes, will be
performed in Seattle for the first time. Written in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr,
Bonds’ nine-movement choral work focuses on Balthazar, the “Brown King” of
the Three Kings, who traveled to Bethlehem to witness the nativity scene.
Seasonal works composed and arranged by musicians of color round out this
family holiday tradition. As always, a candlelit rendition of Silent Night concludes
the concert.

Pre-concert talk at 7:00 p.m. with SCC Director Freddie Coleman

Magnolia Chorale invites you to join us for our December concert series, "Good Tidings–A Global Celebration." Our new music director Joseph To has created a lush repertoire that celebrates love, laughter, and togetherness in the songs of many cultures—from the African Noel, to songs for Hanukkah, to medieval carols, and more. The program will feature a string quartet. We are also honoring the people of Ukraine with three pieces that create a vision of stars amidst the snow. ​

Redmond Chorale presents their 2022 Holiday season with carols of Western & Eastern Europe as well as some contemporary favorites.

Seattle’s holiday tradition is back with glitter, lights and carols! Deck the Halls with more fa-la-la than ever. Come out for nostalgia, hilarity, a Christmas Conga and an unforgettable sing-along.

Seattle Girls Choir is partnering with our Volunteer Park SDA Church to hold a fundraising concert for the students of Lowell Elementary, our neighborhood public school just a few blocks away from the choir center. Lowell Elementary serves a high population of housing insecure students, and tries to provide the services these students need within a very limited budget. The goal of this fundraiser will be to hold a festive and fun holiday concert featuring Dolcine, Prime Voci, and Sorella, while also raising awareness for the needs of this school and its students. Community members are invited to attend the concert free of charge, with the opportunity to make a donation towards Lowell during or after the event.

Six RYC ensembles perform accompanied by professional instrumentalists. RYC's eclectic repertoire of traditional and contemporary styles promises a 'TLC' -Tear, Laugh, Chill Bump) holiday experience.

Bring the whole family to join in the audience sing-a-longs and holiday fun. Enjoy great musical variety from medieval to contemporary selections from many cultures sung by these dynamic singers under the direction of an award-winning staff of experienced choral directors.

These groups perform separately and in different combinations that keep audiences engaged from start to finish: Primo Voce, grades 2-4, directed by Brittney Clegg and Brad Wills; Bella Voce, grades 5-6, directed by RYC Founder and Artistic Director, Leora Schwitters; Colla Voce, grades 6-8, directed by Jackie Grant; Consonare, grades 9-12, directed by Brian Hoskins.

Applications are being accepted now to join in January at RainierYouthChoirs.org

Join us in celebration of our 50th anniversary, 50 Seasons of Song!

Opening our 2022–2023 season of live concerts, Whatcom Chorale and Sinfonia return to the Mt. Baker Theatre with a powerful and uplifting presentation of George Frideric Handel’s Messiah! Messiah stands as a pinnacle of choral composition, overshadowing virtually everything else the baroque master wrote during his fifty-year career. Beginning with its Dublin debut in 1742, critics rhapsodized over the oratorio’s captivating effect on the listener. As reported in The Dublin Journal: “Words are wanting to express the exquisite Delight [Messiah] afforded to the admiring crowded Audience. The Sublime, the Grand, and the Tender, adapted to the most elevated, majestic and moving Words, conspired to transport and charm the ravished Heart and Ear.” The reviewer’s enthusiastic praise still rings true, for in 280 years of presentations by all manner of ensembles, grandiose, intimate, professional, and improvised, this glorious work has retained its popularity and quite possibly ranks as the most performed piece of classical music in history.

For our Friday evening concert, we are joined by soloists Serena Eduljee, soprano; Sherrie Kahn, mezzo soprano; Jason Parker, tenor; and Michael Drumheller, bass. Soloists Eduljee and Drumheller, both favorites in the Pacific Northwest opera and classical music scenes, will be remembered for their incomparable performances in our 2019 presentation of Messiah. We are especially proud to feature two of our own Chorale singers, Kahn and Parker, as soloists in this concert. Both are well known to local audiences, Kahn as a frequent soloist with Whatcom Chorale and for her benefit recitals, and Parker as co-director of the Summer Musical Institute for all Bellingham High Schools, presenting “Mamma Mia,” and soloist in the Chorale’s presentation of Beethoven’s Choral Fantasy in May 2022. Whatcom Chorale Sinfonia members, a talented and dedicated group of regional instrumentalists joining us for this concert, round out this not-to-be-missed event.

The Northwest Chorale, directed by Lynn Hall, will perform Handel's "Messiah" on December 3, 6:00 pm at Eastside Church in Bothell and December 10, 7:00 pm at First Free Methodist Church, Seattle. The Chorale will be joined by professional soloists and orchestra.

Admission is complimentary; free will offering will be taken, with all proceeds to be donated to food banks in our region. December 3 performance may be shortened to accommodate the church's schedule.

Join us to celebrate this beloved holiday tradition and support local food banks.

Opus 7 is delighted to present our second concert of our 30th-anniversary Year of Celebration - music for Advent and Christmas with harp, handbells, choir & soloists - December 10th at St. James Cathedral.

Celebrate the Joy and Mystery of the season at Seattle's most iconic sacred space.

MAGNIFICAT -
a sparkling work for soprano soloist, solo treble trio, and mixed choir by Belgian composer Rudi Tas

HYMN TO THE THEOTOKOS -
world premiere of this Orthodox hymn setting by Los Angeles-based composer Michael Paraskevas

Music for harp and choir, including
The First Miracle from This Night by John Muehleisen
Two works for choir and harp by Bern Herbolsheimer

More Advent and Christmas music by Herbert Howells, Morton Lauridsen, John Tavener, Steven Martland, and Zolton Kodaly

Opus 7 Vocal Ensemble
Loren Pontén, founder & artistic director
Clarice Alfonso, soprano
Alison Austin, harp

Saturday, December 10th 8:00 p.m.
St. James Cathedral
804 Ninth Ave, Seattle

Note regarding the covid protocol:

Proof of vaccination is no longer required for Opus 7 events. The CDC and King County Public Health continue to strongly recommend you wear a mask at large indoor events. While not required, we encourage all concert attendees to wear masks while community spread continues. We ask that all audience members be respectful of each other's choices. This policy is subject to change following local health and CDC guidelines.

This Christmas, the Vashon Island Chorale celebrates the 150th birthday of the English composer Ralph Vaughan Williams. His Fantasia on Christmas Carols has been a favorite for over a century, and his less-well-known Benedicite provides suitable panache. Amid shorter, seasonally appropriate Vaughan Williams works, we’ll also present music by his two dear friends, Gustav Holst and Gerald Finzi, including the latter’s Christmas scene, In terra pax. The Chorale will be joined by a string orchestra of local players plus soloists Jennifer and Andrew Krikawa.

The Bainbridge Chorale presents Peace and Joy, featuring works by a variety of composers and styles spanning the centuries, from the Renaissance to the 21st century, culminating in the world premiere performance of a new work by the Chorale’s Artistic Director Michael Austin Miller.

"Peace On Earth" is exactly the concert your spirit needs. Included in the evening performance is the premier of our commissioned work, "Voices Still Can Rise," with text inspired by members of the chorus during the recent dark months of the early pandemic. Choosing to be light, and choosing to sing light in even the darkest of times, is why we exist. Join us on December 10th and allow us to sing for you. ASL interpretation services provided by The Language Exchange. Parking is available at the First Presbyterian Church lot at the corner of Garden and East Laurel streets. Overflow parking is in the Central Lutheran Church lot at the corner of North Forest and East Laurel streets. Masks are optional but encouraged. Singers are all vaccinated and will be tested for COVID within 24 hours of the concert.

Olympia Youth Chorus proudly presents, "A Season of Peace" featuring the music of our Dolce, Bel Canto, Coro Voce and Cantabile ensembles performing seasonal favorites and music with a message of peace. Admission is free with donations accepted for a designated local nonprofit organization.

Join the Northwest Firelight Chorale as we delight in the wonder of this special time of year! Our festive program of seasonal favorites and contemporary holiday gems reflects the magic made by celebrating time-honored traditions and creating new ones with friends and family. We can’t wait to share the spirit of the season with you as we present songs bursting with emotion, gorgeous melodies, and the signature Firelighter choralography you know and love!

After 17 years of leadership, our Music Director Mark Kloepper will conduct his final season with the Northwest Chamber Chorus. This December, we’ll take a look over our shoulder at our traditions, our families, our memories. In our music and in our community, where have we been? Who has taught us? What families have nurtured us? Where have we drawn inspiration?

Featured composers will include Melanie DeMore, Eleanor Daley, Susan LaBarr, Randall Thompson, Benjamin Britten, Eric Whitacre, Claudio Monteverdi, Jake Runestad, and George Shearing.

12/4 Livestream: https://youtu.be/0kqH7daRSL0
12/10 Livestream: https://youtu.be/SIGsifPDreI

Holiday fun for the whole family! A 45 year old community choir, the Cascade Foothills Chorale, is grateful and excited to connect to the community with a festive, live choral concert this year.

We're so glad to be back in person for our holiday concert this year. Please join us as we present our all-voices holiday concert, "We're Back for the Holidays!"

Also featuring: Sound Harmony Chorus, Ballard High School Chamber Choir, Ballard High School Tenor/Bass Ensemble, Quartets

Featuring the four youngest ensembles of Columbia Choirs - Prima, Melodia, Harmonia, and Ragazzi - this concert will celebrate the spirit of Gratitude through performance of a wide variety of pieces including The Moon by Andy Beck, Parade of the Wooden Soldiers by Greg Gilpin, and Sesere Eeye, a traditional song and dance from the Torres Strait Islands.

Featuring the three youth ensembles of Columbia Choirs - Lyrica, Bel Canto, and Cantabile - this concert will explore a multitude of interpretations of Gratitude through choral works such as Goodnight Moon by Eric Whitacre, Canto de Pilón by Cristian Grases, and more.

Ave Verum Corpus - Mozart
Awake the Harp - Mozart
Alleluia - R. Manuel
The Heavens Are Telling - Hadyn
Stars I Shall Find - Dickau
Rejoice and Be Merry - J. Rutter
This Little Babe - Britten
Ding Dong Merrily On High - Wilberg
Silent Night - Forrest

Join Northwest Girlchoir singers and several new artistic staff members as we celebrate songs of the winter season. Featured are historical songs from French composer Claude Debussy and anonymous manuscripts from 14th century Spain and 15th century England; songs from folk traditions in Puerto Rico, England, and early American shape note singing communities; traditional Chanukah songs, including an arrangement by long-time NWGC friend Valerie Shields; and contemporary and traditional Christmas favorites.

We are thrilled to announce the return of the audience singalong during these concerts, so masks will be required of all concertgoers.

Behold the Star is the holiday concert of our New American Composers series, featuring composer Shruthi Rajasekar. Composer and vocalist Rajasekar explores identity, community, and joy.

All Christmas traditions begin with the Star of Bethlehem and the journey of the 3 Magi.  This year, the wonder of that Star and the entire starry firmament are made more awe-inspiring by the images from the James Webb Space Telescope.  From earliest times, we humans have gazed upward, seeing mythic beasts and Gods in the stars.  Now, seeing images dating back nearly 13 billion years, we singers are newly inspired to behold not just the Star of Bethlehem but all the stars in the universe.  We will be singing works by Gospel director Kent Stevenson, William Dawson and Randall Thompson which paint the starry skies with diverse musical styles.  In addition, we will present Fred West’s Balkan inspired Christmas Cantata — described by music critics as “imaginative and spirit-filled” — scored for chorus, timpani and strings. We are privileged to be joined by the incomparable DUNAVA Women’s Choir, led by Dina Trageser.  Dunava performs the intricate harmonies of traditional Eastern European folk songs with passion and authenticity.  Please join us this holiday season as we bring you a message of hope through our songs evoking the eternity of the firmament.

Ensign Symphony & Chorus invites you to our Christmas concert, Blessings in Bethlehem. Featuring Christmas favorites, this will be a musical celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ, complete with audience participation. This is sure to be a favorite and we hope it becomes an annual tradition for you and your family.

We invite you for an elegant and captivating concert celebrating the holiday season.

Listen as Seattle Girls Choir expertly performs Benjamin Britten’s stunning choral masterpiece, A Ceremony of Carols, for harp and treble voices. You'll also be treated to some familiar (and perhaps some not as familiar) carols that are sure to provide space for reflection and hope as we make our way through the darkest nights of the winter.

Featuring Prime Voci of Seattle Girls Choir and Juliet Stratton on harp.

The Northwest Boychoir celebrates its 44th annual presentation of A Festival of Lessons & Carols this December. These holiday concerts showcase the 80-member combined chorus of the Northwest Boychoir and Vocalpoint! Seattle.

Patterned after the Christmas Eve observance at King’s College in Cambridge, England, A Festival of Lessons & Carols is a holiday tradition for thousands of families in the Puget Sound region. This 90-minute classical performance consists of nine holiday readings, each followed by traditional carols performed by the choir.

Children five years of age and older are welcome at all performances with a purchased ticket. Out of respect to all patrons, please no babes in arms.

Celebrate the joy of the season with Seattle Girls Choir as they share A Gift of Song. SGC will ring in the season with a variety of winter songs for treble voices featuring all seven of its auditioned choir levels. Along with familiar tunes, you’ll be introduced to some new songs that are sure to become holiday classics. Join us as we fill Town Hal with a lovely selection of holiday music sure to delight everyone!

Harmonia’s signature piece, we once again present our raucous rendition of this beloved masterwork. With the spirited interplay of our two double harpsichords, our commitment to singing and playing every single note of the score, and a number of special interpolations and traditions, you haven’t experienced Messiah until you’ve heard Harmonia perform it.

After our joyful return to McIntyre Hall for our 2022 spring concert, we’re excited to have our first Christmas concert with a live audience since 2019. We’ll revisit some of our Christmas favorites and yours, too, and bring back the audience sing-alongs, including our long tradition of singing “Peace, Peace” to close our concert.

Seattle’s holiday tradition is back with glitter, lights and carols! Deck the Halls with more fa-la-la than ever. Come out for nostalgia, hilarity, a Christmas Conga and an unforgettable sing-along.

Join Sno-King Community Chorale as it presents music perfect for the holidays. Prepare to hear beautiful contemporary arrangements of some of our favorite Holiday melodies like: "The First Nowell", "O Little Town of Bethlehem", "Do You Hear What I Hear" and more. In addition to these delightful tunes there will be songs that remind us that light conquers the darkness, including our very own commissioned piece, "The Light of Future Things", the result of Zoom sessions where our choir members submitted their thoughts, feelings, and poetry to our lyricist and composer, a bright star aimed at the pandemic's dark shadow. SKCC now presents that uplifting work of art to our audiences during our night of Hope for the Holidays.

The Chorale will be accompanied by Ms. Debra DeMiero, an adjunct professor at Edmonds College and highly regarded pianist throughout the area, and other instrumentalists, featuring Luis Nenninger on violin.

$20 General admission
$18 Senior/Student I.D.
Under 13: Free

Illuminations: Holiday Music from the Americas showcases composers, texts, or melodies with ties to the Americas. Each piece is selected by our Artistic Director, Kyle Haugen, to provide tidings of comfort, hope, and inspiration this season. Highlights include Canadian composer Sarah Quartel’s stunning treatment of a medieval English carol, This Endris Night; composer Roland Carter’s masterful settings of Mary Had a Baby and Go, Tell It on the Mountain; and the beloved A la Nanita Nana and ¡Fum, Fum, Fum! from Conrad Susa’s acclaimed collection of Hispanic carols. We are delighted to introduce you to local author Paul Hoffman’s poignant Night of Wonder set to music by Karen Black, and our concert’s theme finds special meaning in I Will Light Candles this Christmas, with poetry by American civil rights leader Howard Thurman and music by Norwegian composer Kim André Arnesen.

$20 General admission
$18 Senior/Student I.D.
Under 13: Free

Seattle Mannskor, with members of Everett Norwegian Male Chorus and featured guests Laura Loge and Steven Luksan of the Northwest Edvard Grieg Society, present an evening of holiday music.

During the blue nights of winter, Choral Arts Northwest presents music that captures the magic of this season,
warming our spirits with music that invokes imagery of night and light, feelings of joy and peace. Music includes a rich
variety of cultural traditions, marking solstice, the beginning of the Festival of Lights, and Las Posadas, with music
from Mexico, Argentina, and Venezuela. This concert features Reena Esmail’s new work, The Winter Breviary, which
traces a journey through the solstice and combines new texts by Rebecca Gayle Howell with Hindustani raags for the
night and morning light hours. Music by Northwest composers Emily Lau, Andrew Jacobson, and Katerina Gimon
capture a spirit of wonder, and interludes for piano and oboe seamlessly weave together this concert experience.

Join the Northwest Firelight Chorale as we delight in the wonder of this special time of year! Our festive program of seasonal favorites and contemporary holiday gems reflects the magic made by celebrating time-honored traditions and creating new ones with friends and family. We can’t wait to share the spirit of the season with you as we present songs bursting with emotion, gorgeous melodies, and the signature Firelighter choralography you know and love!

Come enjoy the holiday season with the Northwest Sound Men's Chorus and Northwest Mix and our quartets!

We invite you and your family to an evening of non-secular and secular holiday music.

Ring in the holidays with a spirited performance of early American music from Appalachia and New England. Powerful, rousing shapenote tunes and lively Shaker songs bring the cheer of Christmas to life. These uniquely American music traditions are part of a vibrant cultural heritage, passed down through oral traditions, singing schools, and community practice. Shaker and shapenote music beautifully showcase the simple power of communal singing – in fact, the most common shapenote book, the Sacred Harp, is named after that sacred musical instrument given to us at birth: the human voice. Join Radiance for this festive, joyful celebration!

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PROGRAM

Jeremiah Ingalls: Redemption

Joseph Stephenson: Anthem from Luke

Frederick William Evans - Sweetest Music Softly Stealing

William Walker - The Babe of Bethlehem

Sister Patsy Roberts Williamson - Pretty Home

Eldress Paulina Bryant - This is Jesus' Birthday

John McCurry - Raymond

Himes' - Joys Seven

Timothy Swan - Rainbow

Mt. Lebanon - Give Good Gifts

arr. Kevin Siegfried - Rolling On

arr. Jordan Sramek - Morning Dawn

arr. Jordan Sramek - Bozrah

William Billings - Bethlehem

Come celebrate the joy of winter and the holidays with Joyful! Noise at our concert “A Winter Lullaby.” Hear songs by Sara Bareilles, Ola Gjeilo, Coldplay and Marc Cohn, and many more as we reflect on what makes this season so special and fills the heart. We can’t wait to see you there!

We invite you for an elegant and captivating concert celebrating the holiday season.

Listen as Seattle Girls Choir expertly performs Benjamin Britten’s stunning choral masterpiece, A Ceremony of Carols, for harp and treble voices. You'll also be treated to some familiar (and perhaps some not as familiar) carols that are sure to provide space for reflection and hope as we make our way through the darkest nights of the winter.

Featuring Prime Voci of Seattle Girls Choir and Juliet Stratton on harp.

The Northwest Boychoir celebrates its 44th annual presentation of A Festival of Lessons & Carols this December. These holiday concerts showcase the 80-member combined chorus of the Northwest Boychoir and Vocalpoint! Seattle.

Patterned after the Christmas Eve observance at King’s College in Cambridge, England, A Festival of Lessons & Carols is a holiday tradition for thousands of families in the Puget Sound region. This 90-minute classical performance consists of nine holiday readings, each followed by traditional carols performed by the choir.

Children five years of age and older are welcome at all performances with a purchased ticket. Out of respect to all patrons, please no babes in arms.

Seattle’s holiday tradition is back with glitter, lights and carols! Deck the Halls with more fa-la-la than ever. Come out for nostalgia, hilarity, a Christmas Conga and an unforgettable sing-along.

For the kid in us all!

*GA seating, 60 minute holiday spectacular for children of all ages! Enjoy a one-time only, dance centered performance with an extended sing-along.

Seattle’s holiday tradition is back with glitter, lights and carols! Deck the Halls with more fa-la-la than ever. Come out for nostalgia, hilarity, a Christmas Conga and an unforgettable sing-along.

Come celebrate the joy of winter and the holidays with Joyful! Noise at our concert “A Winter Lullaby.” Hear songs by Sara Bareilles, Ola Gjeilo, Coldplay and Marc Cohn, and many more as we reflect on what makes this season so special and fills the heart. We can’t wait to see you there!

At Christmastide 1400, King Henry IV of England received at his court Byzantine (Eastern Roman) Emperor Manuel II, who was on a quest through Europe seeking aid against the Ottomans.

Manuel enjoyed lavish entertainment from his English hosts, who were in awe at his devotion to daily services chanted in Greek during his visit.

We celebrate this historic East-West encounter at London’s Eltham Palace—between the singers of the two royal chapels—with a newly researched program in Greek and Latin for Christmas and Epiphany.