Arts Lyrica Hosts AWE AND WONDER Holiday Concert

Early music organization Ars Lyrica Houston will present a festive holiday concert, Awe and Wonder, with an eight-person vocal ensemble and a Baroque orchestra of period instrument specialists. The stunning concert, scheduled for Tuesday, December 12 at 7:30pm at St. Philip Presbyterian Church, will feature two major works for chorus and orchestra from the Christian tradition, one on the creation story and the other on the incarnation of Christ.

In-person tickets are available online (Regular $45, Student $15).

Artistic Director Matthew Dirst, who conducts the ensemble from his seat at the harpsichord, speaks to the celebratory nature of the program, “The C.P.E. Bach Ode, Klopstocks Morgengesang, though rarely heard, is a wonderfully evocative piece. Set to poetry by one of the leading lights of the German Enlightenment, this work celebrates the feast of creation with both mystery and radiance.”

Dirst continues, “Charpentier’s Midnight Mass is a staple of the holiday repertoire, though we've somehow never programmed it before. It’s got virtually all the ancient French noël melodies in it, which give the whole a wonderfully festive spirit.”

While the majority of Ars Lyrica’s mainstage programming takes place in Zilkha Hall at The Hobby Center, Ars Lyrica reserves its December holiday concert for St. Philip Presbyterian Church, where the acoustical environment of the resonant church is ideal for big sacred works. The seasonal decorations in the sanctuary also contribute to a marvelous visual experience. Ars Lyrica’s holiday program in 2022 received glowing feedback from concertgoers: “St. Philip was perfect for this concert,” “Fabulous concert. Sound was ethereal,” and “Beautiful start to finish. Holy."

The chamber choir for the program includes a number of Ars Lyrica regular performers, from soprano Julia Fox, described to sing with “dazzling effect” (Pittsburgh Stage Review), to countertenor Michael Skarke, praised for his “exquisite, almost ethereal tone quality,” (Vocal Arts Chicago), to bass-baritone Christopher Besch, complimented for his “rich resonance of deep bass sound” (DC Theatre Scene). Tenor Thomas O’Neill and contralto Sarah Dyer also return for this concert, after stunning performances in Ars Lyrica’s 2023/24 season opener and Ars Lyrica’s most recent opera production, Dido and Aeneas, respectively.

Three recent University of Houston and Rice University graduates will make their Ars Lyrica debut for this program: soprano Amia Langer, tenor Hayden Smith, and baritone Joeavian Rivera. Ars Lyrica Houston continually seeks out and features rising stars in the opera world, and is delighted to welcome so much young talent for this program. All eight soloists excel at both solo and ensemble work and in Matthew Dirst’s words, “will make a joyful noise as one.”

Featuring:

Julia Fox, soprano
Amia Langer, soprano˚
Michael Skarke, countertenor
Sarah Dyer, contralto
Thomas O'Neill, tenor
Hayden Smith, tenor˚
Joeavian Rivera, baritone˚
Christopher Besch, bass-baritone

˚ Ars Lyrica debut

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