The Southwest Singers Chamber Choir will present its holiday program “Seven Centuries of Christmas” on Friday and Saturday, Dec. 4 and 5. Programs begin at 7 p.m. at the First United Methodist Church in Cortez, 515 N. Park.
The Southwest Singers begin with their signature piece, “Dona nobis pacem” (Grant us peace), and follow with the traditional English “Once in Royal David’s City,” the hymn used since 1919 to open the Christmas Eve service of Lessons and Carols by the King’s College, Cambridge choir.
Several other traditional songs are incorporated in this year’s concert, including “A Child This Day is Born,” and Bach’s “Break Forth, O Beauteous, Heavenly Light,” incidentally from the Christmas Oratorio. Gustav Holst’s exquisite “Lullay, Myn Lyking,” words taken from a medieval manuscript, features several soloists from within the choir. The Singers’ women are highlighted in two numbers, the ever popular “Winter Wonderland” and the traditional French carol “Going to Bethlehem,” sung in English.
No presentation of “Seven Centuries of Christmas” would be complete without a prominent American, and that would be, of course, William Billings. Regarded as the first American choral composer, Billings (1746–1800) was born in Boston, the son of a tanner, but, according to one contemporary, he “spake and sung and thought as a man above the common abilities.” The Singers will perform his piece “When Jesus wept.”
To close out the evening will be the joyous “In Dulci Jubilo,” sung in Christian churches since the 14th century. The description of this piece is best described as “dancing with the angels,” a most appropriate celebration of a concert dedicated to Christmas. The traditional carol sing-along, in which the choir invites the audience to participate in singing with them, will complete the evening. All are invited to an informal reception in Hampton Hall after the festivities.
The choir is under the direction of Ruth Wilson Francisco, accompanied on the piano by Nancy Thomas.