Welcome to our Christmas ’22 concert “Sing Noel”! We are delighted you have chosen to spend some time with us during the busy holiday season.
This performance includes many of your holiday favorites sung with gusto by the Arvada Chorale. Among the music you’ll hear is a fun arrangement of Joy to the World accompanied by organ, A Doo-Wop Christmas (With You) that will make you want to tap your feet and snap your fingers, and an energetic rendition of Hark! The Herald Angels Sing featuring our special guests the Rocky Mountain Ringers and Safonia.
The Rocky Mountain Ringers always perform an unexpected and intriguing set. I’ve known their conductor, Jeffrey Harms, for many years, and I can tell you that this is the latest iteration of high-level musicians he has led. Jeff follows his passion for music in ways both large and small, and we’re grateful the Ringers are here with us today.
Safonia joins the Arvada Chorale with a whole new set of Christmas music to delight you. Traditional favorites like It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas are interspersed with unique versions of songs such as My Favorite Things from The Sound of Music. I am personally thankful, as is the Chorale, that the women of Safonia have found time for these performances in their crowded holiday calendars.
Please take a minute to visit our annual bake sale of Christmas goodies in the lobby. Don’t miss my salted chocolate caramels – it’s the only time of year I make these things, and they go fast! I hope you allow yourself this early Christmas indulgence before you leave us today.
On Saturday, May 6, we will host the Second Whole Aca-lada Festival here at Arvada United Methodist. Our headliner, 5280 A Cappella, will be joined by school groups and community singers to present a unique day of all a cappella, all the time. I hope you get a chance to experience this day as we celebrate our community making music together.
You may have heard that I am leaving the Chorale as artistic director this coming summer after the Aca-lada. The board of directors is busy searching for a new artistic director and welcomes your input as their search goes forward. I will miss this group of kind, patient and thoughtful singers as they welcome a new leader. Arvada is better for their contributions, and I can’t wait to see what they do next.
- Marla Wasson, Artistic Director
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CONCERT ORDER
Arvada Chorale
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Joy To the World! | G. F. Handel, words Isaac Watts, arr. Joseph M. Martin
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Christmas In Three Quarter Time | Arr. Mark Brymer
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A Doo-Wop Christmas (With You) | Kirby Shaw | Soloist John-Christian Maheu
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Jingle Bells | James Pierpont, arr. Jack Gold and Marty Paich, choral adaptation Mark Hayes
Safonia
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It’s Beginning to Look Like Christmas | Meredith Willson, arr. W. Brent Sawyer
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My Favorite Things | Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II, arr. Mitos Andaya, alternate ending by Rebecca McMahon
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What Child Is This? | Traditional English melody, lyrics William Chatterton Dix, arr. Phillip Kern | Soloist Caroline Yates-Deffenbaugh
Rocky Mountain Ringers
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God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen | Traditional, arr. Kevin McChesney
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Pat-A-Pan | Traditional, arr. Matthew Compton
Arvada Chorale
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Let There Be Peace On Earth | Sy Miller and Jill Jackson, arr. Mark Hayes
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Swingin’ With Santa | Arr. Mac Huff
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12 Days of Christmas Confusion | Arr. Chris R. Hansen | Soloists Curt Daly, John-Christian Maheu, Mark Moyer, Barbara Myers, Stephanie Lanou, Amber Kantor and Kara Sakulich
Intermission
Please visit the bake sale in the lobby for some holiday treats!
Safonia
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Let It Snow | Jule Styne and Sammy Cahn, arr. Kirby Shaw | Soloist Brooke Layman
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While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks | Nathum Tate and Craig Courtney
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Ave Maria | Franz Biebl, traditional lyrics | Soloists Brooke Layman and Anne DiCola
Rocky Mountain Ringers
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Fantasy on Shchedryk | Ukrainian Carol, by Mykola Leontovich, arr. Michael T. Blanton
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Sing We Now of Christmas | Traditional, arr. Kevin McChesney
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Wizards in Winter | Paul O’Neill, arr. Hart Morris
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All Performers
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Adeste Fideles | John F. Wade, arr. Cynthia Dobrinski
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Hark! The Herald Angels Sing | Felix Mendelssohn and Charles Wesley, arr. Dan Forrest