Embark on a holiday journey this season with the Kona Choral Society as they take audiences on a cultural exploration.
The annual free concert, “Joy to the World,” will commence at 4 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 2 at the Old Airport Makaeo Pavilion in Kailua-Kona, combining international sounds and traditional carols, in a harmonious celebration of unity and fellowship.
Artistic director of the KCS, Susan McCreary Duprey, encourages guests — whether coming from a shopping trip or day at the beach — to join the sing-along performance. In what has become the unofficial launch of the holidays in Kona, Duprey and her 115-member chorus have made it their musical mission to bring the live choral experience to the community.
“This is the perfect way to start off the holiday season,” Duprey said of the highly anticipated yearly show. “It’s a concert for those who enjoy singing along. It’s a break, a tradition, in an otherwise busy time of year, to come together.”
Before the festive sing-a-long holiday staples, Duprey has selected seven arrangements that showcase the wonders of the world, winter, and spiritual connectedness. Setting the stage for the musical journey, the first song takes audiences to the Southern Hemisphere, in the jungles of the Amazon forest. In “Tres Cantos Nativos,” by Marcos Leite, the chorus will emulate the sounds of the forest through improvisational animal calls and jungle noises to the vibrations of heavy percussion. The three short songs are based on the music from the indigenous Krao tribe of the Xingu River area of Brazil.
Next, the audience will travel to North America with the song “This We Know” with lyrics attributed to Chief Seattle. The song speaks to the strand of life, the environment of which the indigenous people of North America were rooted, with text that emphasizes the concept of belonging to the Earth and the connection of all things.
The musical thread of the welcoming embrace of seasonal change will continue into the third number, “Glow,” composed by Eric Whitacre. “This song takes us into the season. It’s quite beautiful and mysterious,” explained Duprey of the winter-themed carol. “Like the softly falling snow, this song slowly breaks us into what the holidays are all about.”
It is this theme of nature and nostalgia, woven together with traditional spiritual overtones, that will be reflected in the following four songs: Amy Grant’s “No Eye Had Seen,” hymns “See Amid the Winter’s Snow” and “Jesus Christ the Appletree,” and “Season of Light,” The two hymns, in particular, represent a bygone era of Christmas carols, as well as loved songs dating back to the 1700 and 1800s, that tug at the heart with their symbolistic rhyme, harmonic beauty, and bond with nature.
Next, serving as a prelude to the Christmas and traditional carols, a brass quintet will perform festive best-loved hits to jumpstart the holiday spirit. Following the interlude, Duprey will lead her full ensemble, along with a guest appearance by the KCS Youth Chorus members, in the crowd favorite, audience participation, sing-along portion of the concert. Leading the way will be “Silent Night,” performed in five languages: English, German, Hawaiian, Japanese and Spanish. Following will be the easily recognizable Mendelson and Guaraldi song, “Christmas Time is Here,” a perennial classic best-known from “A Charlie Brown Christmas.” The repertoire will continue with “O Come, All Ye Faithful,” “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen,” the Hawaiian Christmas carol “Nani Ke Li‘i ki‘ek‘ie” by Leila Hohu Kiaha, “Christmas Gloria” (“Hark!, O Little Town,” “Angels We Have Heard”), and “Joy to the World.”
A special rendition of “Hallelujah Chorus” from Handel’s Messiah — a sneak-peek from the KCS’s second holiday showcase — along with the accompanying sounds of timpani, organ, and brass, will conclude the show.
So as December brings with it its typical hustle and bustle, KCS encourage locals to tourists alike to take moment, grab a friend or family member, and head down to the Old Airport to refuel the soul with the sounds of holiday nostalgia.
Info: Contact Susan Leonard at konachoralsociety@gmail.com. Parking and concert are free to the public and light refreshments will be available. Donations will be accepted to support the KCS Youth Program.