Choral Artists of Sarasota to Present A CHRISTMAS CELEBRATION Featuring Holiday Harmonies and Festive Favorites

Choral Artists of Sarasota’s 45th season will continue with “A Christmas Celebration!” featuring an evening of holiday harmonies and festive favorites, including African American spirituals. Sunday, December 10, 7 p.m., at Church of the Redeemer, 222 S. Palm Avenue, Sarasota. Joining the Choral Artists choir and soloists are Phoebe Powell, the new principal harpist for the Sarasota Orchestra, and Betsy Traba, the principal flutist for Sarasota Orchestra. Tickets are $40, general admission; and $5 for students. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit www.ChoralArtistsSarasota.org or call 941-387-4900. 

Artistic Director Joseph Holt says the program displays a “contrast of textures, including harp and chorus music that is intimate and heavenly and African American-inspired spirituals that are lively and joyful and performed a cappella. They feature traditional rhythms and a style that beautifully contrasts with and complements the harp music. The overall concert is an inspired telling of the Christmas story and the joy, peace and comfort that are inherent in the season.”

Holt adds that the program includes the “Seven Joys of Christmas,” a setting of lesser known, yet attractive, carols from different countries, which “paints a picture of joy from around the world. Seven is used as it is a magical and mystical number. The final carol is a mash-up of all the carols presented in the work.” He also points out the inclusion of the “Anniversary Carols,” as “unusual as they are familiar. There are surprises in rhythm, meter, voicing and harmonies that bring refreshing sparkle to these familiar melodies, presenting traditional songs that are delightfully new again.”
Other popular songs include “O Little Town of Bethlehem,” “Angels We Have Heard on High,” “Still the Holiest Night,” “Great Joy A-Comin’,” and “Peace on Earth, Goodwill to Men.”

The Choral Artists of Sarasota’s 2023-2024 season schedule:

•    Christmas Celebration: Celebrate the spirit of Christmas through the power of song. Featuring an evening of holiday harmonies and festive favorites, including African American spirituals. Sunday, December 10, 7 p.m., at Church of the Redeemer, 222 S. Palm Avenue, Sarasota. Tickets: $40; students $5.

•    Choral Cinemagic: Featuring popular movie music, including from the James Bond films, “Momma Mia!,” “Sister Act,” and a medley of all-time favorites. Sunday, February 4, 7 p.m., at First Presbyterian Church, 2050 Oak Street, Sarasota. Tickets: Tickets: $40; students $5.

•    Abraham Lincoln Walks at Midnight: Featuring the Florida premiere of “Abraham Lincoln Walks at Midnight” by Florence Price, a moving depiction of the man burdened by the tragedies of the modern world, based on the poem by Vachel Lindsay. Price is an African American composer whose works were lost during the middle of the 20th century and later discovered in an attic trunk in 2009. Also performed will be Joseph Haydn’s “Lord Nelson Mass,” also known as “Mass in a Time of Anxiety,” recognized as one of his greatest compositions. Sunday, March 10, 7 p.m., at Church of the Palms, 3224 Bee Ridge Road, Sarasota. Tickets: Tickets: $40; students $5.

•    Considering Matthew Shepard: Featuring Craig Hella Johnson’s “Considering Matthew Shepard,” a modern-day “Passion” (modeled after the great “Passions” of J.S. Bach) that tells the story of Matthew Shepard, a gay American student at the University of Wyoming who was beaten, tortured, and left to die near Laramie on the night of October 6, 1998. In partnership with Embracing Our Differences, Project Pride, ALSO Youth, and the First Congregational Church UCC, this beautiful musical story transcends tragedy. Sunday, April 14, 7 p.m., at Church of the Palms, 3224 Bee Ridge Road, Sarasota. Tickets: Tickets: $40; students $5.

•    Memorial Day Concert: United We Stand: The Choral Artists teams with the Lakewood Ranch Wind Ensemble to perform a moving tribute to those in the armed forces who have made the ultimate sacrifice. This concert is also the kick-off for the group’s tour to France to participate in the 80th anniversary of D-Day in Normandy. Sunday, May 26, 4 p.m., at Sarasota Opera House, 61 N. Pineapple Avenue, Sarasota. Tickets: $30-60; students $5.

•    D-Day Commemoration Journey: June 3-11. Choral Artists of Sarasota has been invited by Historic Programs, which partners with the Department of Defense, Office of Commemorations, to be the principal choral ensemble for the 80th D-Day anniversary commemorations in France in June. In addition to participating in commemoration ceremonies at the cemeteries in Normandy and Brittany, the group will perform a concert in the town square at Sainte-Mère-Église in Normandy and also at L'église de la Madeleine in Paris. Choral Artists is inviting the public to join them on this journey. For more information, contact info@ChoralArtististsSarasota.org. 

The Choral Artists of Sarasota comprises 32 of the region’s most notable professional singers. Eight young singers, ages 16 to 22, are also invited to join the group each year, as part of the organization’s educational outreach. One of these gifted singers will be awarded the Ann Stephenson Moe Apprentice Scholarship, a funding program to support private lessons, vocal training at an institution of higher learning, or other expenses related to advancing their musical education. “Ensuring the future of choral music means investing in the next generation of musicians,” says Susan Burke, executive director of Choral Artists of Sarasota. “That means engaging young people on their own terms.” 

About the Choral Artists of Sarasota 

The Choral Artists of Sarasota, entering its 45th season, features 32 of the region’s most notable professional singers and eight apprentice singers. The group celebrates the rich, artistic expressiveness of choral music through innovative repertoire, inspired performances and stimulating educational outreach. Under the artistic direction of Dr. Joseph Holt, Choral Artists of Sarasota performs a repertoire spanning four centuries, and includes symphonic choral works, intimate madrigals, folk songs, close-harmony jazz, and Broadway show music. The ensemble also specializes in premiere performances of lesser-known choral works—particularly music by living American composers. Choral Artists of Sarasota has performed premieres by René Clausen, Dick Hyman, Robert Levin, Gwyneth Walker and James Grant. As part of the organization’s educational outreach, eight young singers from area schools, colleges and universities, ages 16 to 22, are invited to join the group each year. For more information, visit www.ChoralArtistsSarasota.org.

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