KCC choirs to present holiday sing-along, “Christmas Magic” concert in Coldwater Dec. 7

A decorative text slide promoting KCC's 2019 Sounds of the Season concert Dec. 7 in Coldwater.

Kellogg Community College’s Branch County Community Chorus will present its 15th annual “Sounds of the Season” concert this weekend in Coldwater, opening with a community sing-along of holiday favorites.

KCC’s “Sounds of the Season: O Wondrous Joy & Christmas Magic” will begin at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 7, at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, 27 E. Chicago St., Coldwater. The event is free and open to the public, though a freewill offering to support KCC music initiatives, including an upcoming 2020 Canadian Concert Tour, will be collected during the event.

KCC faculty organist Katharine Cary will welcome attendees with a pre-concert performance beginning at 7:30 p.m., which will be followed by a Community Carol Sing-Along at 7:45 p.m. with Cary and Nancy D. Brown accompanying. Sing-along songs will include “Angels from the Realms of Glory,” “Angels We Have Heard on High,” “Deck the Halls,” “It Came Upon the Midnight Clear,” “Jingle Bells,” and “We Wish You a Merry Christmas.”

The concert program will being at 8 p.m. and will feature the premiere of Cary’s arrangement of “Variations on Christmas Melodies” and KCC choirs presenting a wide variety of seasonal favorites, including “Joy to the World” (John Rutter), “The Little Drummer Boy” (Harry Simeone) and “Pat-a-pan” (Mark Burrows). In addition to these familiar traditional works will be several classical compositions, including “Ave Maria” (Franz Biebl) for double choir, “O Magnum Mysterium” (Tomás Luis de Victoria) and “The Boar’s Head Carol” (Jimmy Baas) featuring the bass and tenors of the KCC Choral Union.

KCC ensembles to be featured in the concert include the Branch County Community Chorus, the Kellogg Singers and the KCC Choral Union. There will also be a variety of featured soloists from the choirs along with readings by Lucinda Wakeman of select poems and the traditional Christmas story. The choirs will be accompanied by Brown and led by KCC Vocal Art Director and Music Area Coordinator Dr. Gerald J. Case-Blanchard.

A dessert reception will immediately follow the concert.

About the Branch County Community Chorus

The Branch County Community Chorus is a 20-member mixed choir made up of community members and students who perform choral works from various periods and genres. For more information, visit www.kellogg.edu/branch.

About Vocal Arts at KCC

The Vocal Arts area at KCC offers four choral opportunities including the Branch County Community Chorus, the Concentus Vocal Ensemble, the Choral Union Touring Choir and the Kellogg Singers, as well as an Opera Workshop, individualized voice lessons, master classes, student and faculty recitals and other events. For more information, visit www.kellogg.edu/music or contact the College’s Arts and Communication offices at 269-965-4126.

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