The City Choir Of Washington Combines Classics And Carols In Upcoming Christmas Concerts

WASHINGTON, DC. (Top40 Charts/ City Choir Of Washington) - The City Choir of Washington, Robert Shafer, Artistic Director, will perform two Christmas concerts to celebrate the holiday season: Friday, December 19, 2008 at 8:00 p.m. and Saturday, December 20, 2008 at 3:00 p.m. Both performances will take place at the Rachel M. Schlesinger Concert Hall and Arts Center in Alexandria, Va.

In addition to enjoying the great classics of Christmas music, audiences will have a chance to sing along with The Choir on familiar, joyful carols. Several high school students will join the orchestra as glass harmonica players for O Magnum Mysterium by Jenifer Higdon, one of the most sought-after young composers in the United States. (Glass harmonicas are wine glasses filled with water. The 'players' moisten a finger and rub the rim in circular motions to create particular tones.) Students making their glass harmonica debuts represent several area high schools. Soloists from The City Choir will also be featured in the performances.

"The joy and wonder of beloved Christmas music is even more important today, with the challenges we all face. Audiences can lose themselves in the awe and wonder of the season with the musical treasures heard in this program,' says Artistic Director Robert Shafer, Washington's only GRAMMY Award-winning choral conductor. 'In addition to performing beautiful Christmas works by Berlioz, Handel, and Mendelssohn, we will invite the audience to sing Christmas carols and the Hallelujah chorus with us, which is always my favorite part of the program.'

Tickets start at $15. Discounts are available for students, seniors, and groups of 10 or more. Tickets can be purchased by calling (301) 572-6865 or visiting thecitychoirofwashington.org. Parking at Schlesinger Hall is free.

The City Choir of Washington, a 110-voice chorus, launched its inaugural season to critical acclaim in November 2007, with a performance of Handel's Solomon at Schlesinger Hall. The Washington Post called the debut 'a virtuosic performance-detailed and powerful, with superb balance and control.'
The City Choir opened its 2008-2009 season with a performance of Handel's Israel in Egypt in November 2008. The Washington Post reported, 'Galvanized by Shafer, The City Choir imbued Handel's complex fugues and double choruses with emphatic energy, precision and palpable emotion.'