The Gettysburg Choral Society will present a pair of Christmas concerts entitled “In dulci jubilo” (“In sweet rejoicing”) on Friday, December 5th at 7pm and Saturday, December 6th at 3pm in the chapel of The United Lutheran Seminary, 61 Seminary Ridge, Gettysburg, PA 17325. The chorus will perform timeless Christmas favorites such as “Carol of the Bells,” “Do You Hear What I Hear?” and more. Featuring soprano Amanda Peters, the program will also include several recitatives, as well as choruses from Handel’s “Messiah.”
Joining the chorus’ regular accompanist Erin Petrella, guest organist Peggy Haas Howell will perform several organ classics based on “In dulci jubilo” and accompany several chorus numbers. Ms. Howell has performed throughout Europe and the United States. She is the National Vice President and Councillor for Competitions and New Music with the American Guild of Organists. Additionally, she is the organist and choirmaster at St. John’s Episcopal Church in Lynchburg, Virginia and director of Cantate, a community choir for children and youth. Her lengthy career as a recording artist, recitalist, teacher and church musician was best summed up by Cleveland’s The Plain Dealer when it aptly described her as a “play-anything virtuoso.” No stranger to Gettysburg, Ms. Howell never fails to mesmerize audiences with her technical wizardry at the console on the chapel’s magnificent Andover pipe organ.
Her contributions to “sweet rejoicing” will include “Variations on in dulci jubilo” by Denis Bédard, as well as a pair of Bach chorale preludes (BWV 729 and BWV 608) based on the historic tune. In addition to her mini-recital, Ms. Howell will accompany the chorus on several selections, including Philip Ledger’s spirited arrangement of “Good Christian men, rejoice.” Resplendent with playful organ accompaniment, the work celebrates the genesis of the ancient carol’s tune while presenting the hymnic English derivative of the text.
As always, the performances will conclude with the audience joining in a joyous sing-along, accompanied by organ and chorus as the sounds of Christmas reverberate throughout the chapel.
The Gettysburg Choral Society, Inc. is a nonprofit 501©(3) organization composed of auditioned singers who utilize their talents to pursue excellence in choral music performance. The concerts are free and no tickets are required. Tax-deductible contributions are appreciated to help defray concert-related expenses. An offering will be collected.
Additional information is available at gettysburgchoralsociety.org
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