56th Annual Singing Christmas Tree

“On a Silent Night” commemorates the 200th anniversary of the popular holiday carol “Silent Night,” which was written in 1818 by Franz Xaver Gruber to lyrics by Joseph Mohr in the small town of Oberndorf bei Salzburg, Austria. Audience members will hear the carol in several versions, including a dramatic music introduction telling the story of how the song came to be written.

Other pieces performed by the choir will feature a number of traditional carols, holiday music from around the world, and several holiday favorites.  Included on the program will be excerpts from Benjamin Britten’s Ceremony of Carols, Dan Forrest’s setting of “The First Noel,” Carl Nygard’s arrangement of “I Saw Three Ships,” and “African Noel” composed by André Thomas. In addition, the choir will share settings of “Hevenu Shalom Aleichem” and “Ose Shalom” performed in their original Hebrew.