SEQUIM — Seventy-six voices will rise in “Sing Noel,” a new “Christmas Carmen” and Handel’s “Hallelujah,” among other exultant songs, as the Sequim Community Christmas Chorus gathers for three concerts.
This is the 28th annual set of performances by the community choir: at
7:30 p.m. Thursday and Friday and 2 p.m. Saturday at the Trinity United Methodist Church, 100 S. Blake Ave.
“We’ve had some good moments in the past,” said director Gary McRoberts, “but this chorus is near the top of the best we’ve ever had.
The chorus “has a great sound and a great spirit about them.”
Concert-goers will hear the hymn “Peace, Peace,” as well as John Rutter’s “Christmas Lullaby,” the contemporary “Somebody Build a Manger,” “Glory to God” by local composer Karen Williamson and a brand-new song by Sequim High School and Adelphi University graduate Taylor Ackley.
Ackley wrote “A Christmas Carmen” especially for the chorus; he has been singing with the ensemble since rehearsals began in September.
“Everybody’s loving it,” said chorus member Julie Jackson, “because he’s got a great tenor voice.”
The 75-minute performances also will feature soloist Shawn Dawson singing “Changed by a Baby Boy,” plus a concert within a concert by Michael Rivers, Dan Cobb and Dawson. The men will sing a set of sacred songs — and bring a surprise, McRoberts added.
The Sequim Community Christmas Chorus was established 27 years ago by local church groups, so it always has been a celebration of sacred music, McRoberts said. Today, these are nondenominational, community-based events, while local pastors are invited to give the invocations at each one.
To cap the concerts, McRoberts has chosen Tom Fettke’s “The Lamb of Christmas.”
“For me, it’s the highlight,” he said. “It’s so beautifully done.”
Tickets to the Sequim Community Chorus performances are $5 for teens and adults, while children 12 and younger are admitted free.
Proceeds, as always, will go to a local nonprofit organization. This year’s beneficiary is Sequim Community Aid, which provides help with rent and utility bills to needy households in the Sequim-Dungeness Valley.
Playing alongside the chorus are pianist Kayla Dyment, cellist Marlene Moore and violinist Kate Powers.
No auditions are required for those who want to sing with this choir, Jackson noted.
“Gary [McRoberts] calls it the ‘Y’all Come Chorus,’” she said.
“Anyone is welcome to come and sing.”
Features Editor Diane Urbani de la Paz can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5062, or at diane.urbani@peninsuladailynews.com.
