The Orcas Choral Society in performance with Roger Sherman directing, December 2010.
Saturday, Dec. 10 at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, Dec. 11 at 2 p.m. at Orcas Center
The Orcas Choral Society features Benjamin Britten’s “A Ceremony of Carols” for harp and treble voices in these upcoming concerts. The choir will also sing excerpts from the first part of Handel’s “Messiah,” as well as a collection of three carols arranged by contemporary American composers Barlow Bradford and Stephen Paulus.
“A Ceremony of Carols” consists of seven original settings of old English poems. The work is unusual in many ways, and combines theatrical, historical and modern elements.
In 1942, Britten purchased a copy of “The English Galaxy of Shorter Poems” in Halifax, Nova Scotia. The book contained five of the seven carol texts that are a part of “Ceremony.”
The entire work was completed the next year.
Three more familiar carols end the first half of the program—“Away in a Manger,” ” Gabriel’s Message,” and “Silent Night.” “Gabriel’s Message” is an old Basque carol set in a beautiful arrangement for harp and choir by St. Paul composer, Stephen Paulus.
Handel’s landmark work, “Messiah,” provides musical material for the second half of the program. The concert concludes with the “Hallelujah” chorus, and the audience will be encouraged to join in.
Vocal soloists include Megan Drake, Catherine Ellis, Pamela Evans, Holly King, with instrumentalists Mary WillAllen, harp, Terri Triplett, piano and Jim Shaffer-Bauch, percussion. The ensemble will be led by the Choral Society’s artistic director, Roger Sherman.
Tickets for the concert are available from Orcas Center at their Web site, or by phone (376-ACT1).
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