Choir kicks off Christmas season

Thursday, December 4, 2003

In New York City, the Christmas season is unofficially begun with the lighting of the giant Christmas tree in Rockefeller Cellar, and you can join the festivities by purchasing a cup of wassail for $25, which includes seats at a chilly table at the famous Rockefeller skating rink --Yikes!

In Nevada, Mo., you can kick off the Christmas season by attending the warm and cozy performances of the Nevada Community Choir, a ticket for which will cost you a quarter of the New York price ($6, to be exact), and the memories of which will stay with you a whole lot longer than the wassail.

As a long-time former member of the Nevada Community Choir, I thought I was familiar with most of the members, but when I saw the performance (dress rehearsal), there were plenty of faces I'd never seen before, and that, I was told, was because director Wes Morton was now teaching at Nevada High School and attracting a number of mature voices from that venue. The fresh faces were, I thought, a good way to insure the future of that organization.

The carols will please everyone, because familiarity's evidently been the main criterion for selection. But if you insist upon "Silent Night," you'll have to roll out the phonograph record. The only "no-brainer" in this concert is the obligatory "Hallelujah" chorus from "The Messiah" at concert's end. The main selection might be called "contemporary serious" (there aren't, I thought it fortunate, many silly songs), and they are immensely memorable: "December Child," "Grown Up Christmas List," "The Gift," "Still, Still, Still," and "Jesus, Oh What a Wonderful Child," the last of which features a wonderful solo by Tim Wilson.

The CCPA Christmas program is a strong one. All four parts of the choir weave equally together to produce a smooth and unforced tone, the solos are excellent, and the accompanist, Rhonda Leonard, is, as usual, superb.

Performances are Dec. 4-6, at 8 p.m., at the Fox Playhouse

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