A Holiday Celebration

Through Psalms & Carols

Connecticut Choral Society will present two performances of its holiday concert program, “Psalms And Carols — A Holiday Celebration,” at St Rose Church in Newtown. The 100-voice chorus will be performing on Friday, December 15, at 8 pm, and then again on Sunday, December 17, at 4 pm.

On the program will be the Connecticut premiere of James Bassi’s Carol Symphony, based on familiar carol tunes around which the composer has crafted new, luxurious and inventive choral and orchestral textures.

The holiday concerts will also include Monteverdi’s Magnificat from the Vespers of 1610, and the 35th anniversary performance of Leonard Bernstein’s ebullient Chichester Psalms, to be sung in Hebrew. The work exhibits the best of Bernstein’s compositional idiom, from the jazz-inspired rhythms of West Side Story to the heart-rending melodies of his symphonies. A candlelight procession and traditional carols to be sung with the audience will round out the program.

During the performance of the traditional carols, CCS will be joined by The Litchfield County Children’s Choir, with director Amy Bernon, and The Connecticut Choral Society Orchestra.

Additionally, the performance of Magnificant this month will serve as a preview of the full Vespers of 1610, which the choir is preparing for its spring concert in May.

Tickets are $15 for adults if purchased or reserved in advance, and $18 at the door. Student and senior tickets are $15. Call 800/555-5250 for tickets and information.

Now in its 21st season, the Connecticut Choral Society is directed by John Liepold and accompanied by Joseph Jacovino, Jr and the Connecticut Choral Society Orchestra. The men and women, amateurs and professionals alike from over twenty towns in the state, have appeared at Carnegie Hall, and toured England, Canada and Eastern Europe.

Conductor and music director John Robert Liepold has been recognized by Carnegie Hall as one of the rising generation of choral leaders and was invited to take part in its Professional Conductors Workshops with Robert Shaw. Mr Liepold, who lives in New York City, also serves as director of choral music at Dalton School and as conductor of Grace Choral Society of Brooklyn. He is also a member of the choral faculty at the New School’s Mannes College of Music.