The Kona Choral Society continues its yuletide tradition of delivering the sounds of the holidays in Benjamin Britten’s “Ceremony of Carols” and George Frideric Handel’s “Messiah” at 4 p.m. Nov. 29 at the Sheraton Kona Resort and Spa at Keauhou Bay.
The group’s first concert of its winter performance schedule focuses on time-honored traditional and classical choral compositions to revive the musical spirit for the celebrated season of song. The Kona Choral Society Youth Chorus will welcome attendees starting at 3:15 p.m.
As the crowd shifts from foyer to concert hall, the musical pendulum swings back in time to the 16th century-inspired work of Britten’s Ceremony of Carols. Britten composed these carols on a ship back to Britain from America in 1942, and was inspired by the Middle English text of the 15th and 16th centuries, said Artistic Director Susan McCreary Duprey.
While Britten based his original composition around the harp and treble voices, in 1955 a new arrangement of the Ceremony of Carols opened the piece to bass and tenor voices. However, two of the most distinguished features remain the harp instrumentals, including a solo by Tatyana Shapiro, and the ancient tone of the opening and retiring processionals.
Britten, inspired by the sixth century chant hodie “Christus natus est” (“today Christ was born”), used the Gregorian plainchant to surround more methodical carols such as “Wolcum Yole,” “That Yonge Child” and “In Freezing Winter Night.”
“This is a beautiful piece,” said Duprey. “It has a wonderful harp solo, vocal solos by Susan Leonard and Jessica Horton, and complicated rhythms that make for a wild ride.”
The 26th annual program opens with Britten’s holiday classic and concludes with Handel’s Messiah. Accompanying the group’s 100-voice ensemble’s soloists Amy Mills and Sierra Spruce (soprano), Mira Alexander and Joan Parker (alto), Bernaldo Evangelista (tenor), and Keane Ishii (bass), will be a 17-member community orchestra featuring strings, brass, timpani and an organ.
Tickets, which are $20 for adults and $5 for students, are available for purchase at Kona Stories bookstore in Keauhou and Kona Bay Books in Kailua-Kona, www.konachoralsociety.org, or by calling 334-9880. They can also be purchased at the door.
The Kona Choral Society will also offer its annual free holiday concert for the community at 4 p.m. Dec. 19 and 20 at Makaeo Events Pavilion at Kailua Park, formerly known as Old Kona Airport Park.
Info: www.konachoralsociety.com